The Healing at Bethesda

5 After these things there was ^(A)a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

² Now in Jerusalem, by ^(B)the Sheep Gate, there is a pool which ^(C)in ^[a]Hebrew is called ^[b]Bethesda, having five ^[c]porticoes. ³ In these porticoes lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, limping, or ^[d]paralyzed.^{[e] 5} Now a man was there who had been ^[f]ill for thirty-eight years. ⁶ Jesus, upon seeing this man lying there and knowing that he had already been in that condition for a long time, *said to him, “Do you want to get well?” ⁷ The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” ⁸ Jesus *said to him, “^(D)Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” ⁹ Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.

^(E)Now it was a Sabbath on that day. ¹⁰ So ^(F)the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is a Sabbath, and ^(G)it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” ¹¹ But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’” ¹² They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick it up and walk’?” ¹³ But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. ¹⁴ Afterward, Jesus *found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not ^(H)sin anymore, ^(I)so that nothing worse happens to you.” ¹⁵ The man went away, and informed ^(J)the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. ¹⁶ For this reason ^(K)the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on a Sabbath. ¹⁷ But He answered them, “My Father ^[g]is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

Jesus’ Equality with God

¹⁸ For this reason therefore ^(L)the Jews ^(M)were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, ^(N)making Himself equal with God.

¹⁹ Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(O)the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever ^[h]the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way. ^20 (P)For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him ^(Q)greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and ^(R)gives them life, so ^(S)the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. ²² For not even the Father judges anyone, but ^(T)He has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ so that all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. ^(U)The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

²⁴ “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and ^(V)believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and ^(W)does not come into judgment, but has ^(X)passed out of death into life.

Two Resurrections

²⁵ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^[i](Y)a time is coming and ^[j]even now has arrived, when ^(Z)the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who ^(AA)hear will live. ²⁶ For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He ^(AB)gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; ²⁷ and He gave Him authority to ^(AC)execute judgment, because He is ^[k]the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not be amazed at this; for ^[l](AD)a time is coming when ^(AE)all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, ²⁹ and will come out: ^(AF)those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

³⁰ “^(AG)I can do nothing ^[m]on My own. As I hear, I judge; and ^(AH)My judgment is ^[n]righteous, because I do not seek My own will but ^(AI)the will of Him who sent Me.

³¹ “^(AJ)If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not ^[o]true. ³² There is ^(AK)another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

Testimony of John the Baptist

³³ You have sent messengers to John, and he ^(AL)has testified to the truth. ³⁴ But ^(AM)the testimony I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was ^(AN)the lamp that was burning and shining, and you ^(AO)were willing to rejoice for ^[p]a while in his light.

Testimony of Works

³⁶ But the testimony I have is greater than the testimony of John; for ^(AP)the works which the Father has given Me ^(AQ)to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father ^(AR)has sent Me.

Testimony of the Father

³⁷ And the Father who sent Me, ^(AS)He has testified about Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. ³⁸ Also you do not have ^(AT)His word remaining in you, because you do not believe Him whom He ^(AU)sent.

Testimony of the Scripture

^39 [q](AV)You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is ^(AW)those very Scriptures that testify about Me; ⁴⁰ and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. ^41 (AX)I do not receive glory from people; ⁴² but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. ⁴³ I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not ^[r]receive Me; ^(AY)if another comes in his own name, you will ^[s]receive him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you ^[t](AZ)accept ^[u]glory from one another and you do not seek ^(BA)the ^[v]glory that is from ^(BB)the one and only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is ^(BC)Moses, in whom you have put your hope. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for ^(BD)he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But ^(BE)if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Question of the Sabbath

^23 (A)And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while ^(B)picking the heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, ^(C)why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ²⁵ And He *said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; ²⁶ how he entered the house of God in the ^[a]time of ^(D)Abiathar the high priest, and ate the ^[b]consecrated bread, which ^(E)is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” ²⁷ Jesus said to them, “^(F)The Sabbath ^[c]was made ^[d]for man, and ^(G)not man ^[e]for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath.”

Sabbath Questions

12 ^[a](A)At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to ^(B)pick the heads of grain and eat. ² Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what ^(C)is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!” ³ But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions— ⁴ how he entered the house of God, and ^(D)they ate the ^[b]consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? ⁵ Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple ^[c]violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent? ⁶ But I say to you that something ^(E)greater than the temple is here. ⁷ But if you had known what this ^[d]means: ‘^(F)I desire ^[e]compassion, ^[f]rather than sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned ^[g]the innocent.

Lord of the Sabbath

⁸ For ^(G)the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

6 ^(A)Now it happened that ^[a]Jesus was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath, and His disciples ^(B)were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. ² But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what ^(C)is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ³ And Jesus, answering them, said, “Have you not even read ^(D)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, ⁴ how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the ^[b]consecrated bread, which ^(E)is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” ⁵ And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

3 ^(A)He ^(B)entered a synagogue again; and a man was there whose hand was withered. ² And ^(C)they were watching Him ^[a]closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, ^(D)so that they might accuse Him. ³ He *said to the man with the withered hand, “^[b]Get up and come forward!” ⁴ And He *said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. ⁵ After ^(E)looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. ⁶ The Pharisees went out and immediately began ^[c]conspiring with the ^(F)Herodians against Him, as to how they might put Him to death.

^9 (A)Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. ¹⁰ And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned ^[a]Jesus, asking, “^(B)Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might bring charges against Him. ¹¹ But He said to them, “^(C)What man ^[b]is there among you who ^[c]has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? ^12 (D)How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do ^[d]good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” ^(E)He stretched it out, and it was restored to ^[e]normal, like the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and ^[f](F)conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

^6 (A)On another Sabbath He entered ^(B)the synagogue and taught; and a man was there ^[a]whose right hand was withered. ⁷ Now the scribes and the Pharisees ^(C)were watching Him ^[b]closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him. ⁸ But He ^(D)knew ^[c]what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and ^[d]come forward!” And he got up and ^[e]came forward. ⁹ And Jesus said to them, “I ask you whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ And after ^(E)looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they themselves were filled with senseless rage, and began discussing together what they might do to Jesus.

¹⁵ But Jesus, ^[a]aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and ^(A)He healed them all, ¹⁶ and ^(B)warned them not to ^[b]tell who He was. ¹⁷ This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: