Jesús sana a un paralítico

Algún tiempo después, Jesús subió a Jerusalén, pues se celebraba una fiesta de los judíos. Había allí, junto a la puerta de las Ovejas, un estanque rodeado de cinco entradas, cuyo nombre en hebreo es Betzatá.[a] En esas entradas se hallaban tendidos muchos enfermos, ciegos, cojos y paralíticos. [b] Entre ellos se encontraba un hombre que llevaba enfermo treinta y ocho años. Cuando Jesús lo vio tirado en el suelo y se enteró de que ya tenía mucho tiempo de estar así, le preguntó:

—¿Quieres quedar sano?

—Señor —respondió—, no tengo a nadie que me meta en el estanque mientras se agita el agua y, cuando trato de hacerlo, otro se mete antes.

—Levántate, recoge tu camilla y anda —le dijo Jesús.

Al instante aquel hombre quedó sano, así que tomó su camilla y echó a andar. Pero ese día era sábado. 10 Por eso los judíos dijeron al que había sido sanado:

—Hoy es sábado; no te está permitido cargar tu camilla.

11 —El que me sanó me dijo: “Recoge tu camilla y anda” —les respondió.

12 —¿Quién es ese hombre que te dijo: “Recógela y anda”? —le preguntaron.

13 El que había sido sanado no tenía idea de quién era, porque Jesús se había escabullido entre la mucha gente que había en el lugar.

14 Después de esto Jesús lo encontró en el Templo y le dijo:

—Mira, ya has quedado sano. No vuelvas a pecar, no sea que te ocurra algo peor.

15 El hombre se fue e informó a los judíos que Jesús era quien lo había sanado.

La autoridad del Hijo

16 Precisamente por esto los judíos perseguían a Jesús, pues hacía tales cosas en sábado. 17 Pero Jesús les respondía:

—Mi Padre aún hoy está trabajando y yo también trabajo.

18 Así que los judíos redoblaban sus esfuerzos para matarlo, pues no solo quebrantaba el sábado, sino que incluso decía que Dios era su propio Padre, con lo que él mismo se hacía igual a Dios.

19 Entonces Jesús afirmó:

—Les aseguro que el Hijo no puede hacer nada por su propia cuenta, sino solamente lo que ve que su Padre hace, porque cualquier cosa que hace el Padre, la hace también el Hijo. 20 Pues el Padre ama al Hijo y le muestra todo lo que hace. Sí, y aun cosas más grandes que estas le mostrará y los dejará a ustedes asombrados. 21 Porque así como el Padre resucita a los muertos y les da vida, así también el Hijo da vida a quienes a él le place. 22 Además, el Padre no juzga a nadie, sino que todo juicio lo ha delegado en el Hijo, 23 para que todos honren al Hijo como lo honran a él. El que se niega a honrar al Hijo no honra al Padre que lo envió.

24 »Les aseguro que el que oye mi palabra y cree al que me envió tiene vida eterna y no será juzgado, sino que ha pasado de la muerte a la vida. 25 Les aseguro que ya viene la hora, y ha llegado ya, en que los muertos oirán la voz del Hijo de Dios, y los que la oigan vivirán. 26 Porque así como el Padre tiene vida en sí mismo, así también ha concedido al Hijo el tener vida en sí mismo, 27 y le ha dado autoridad para juzgar, puesto que es el Hijo del hombre.

28 »No se asombren de esto, porque viene la hora en que todos los que están en los sepulcros oirán su voz 29 y saldrán de allí. Los que han hecho el bien resucitarán para tener vida, pero los que han practicado el mal resucitarán para ser juzgados. 30 Yo no puedo hacer nada por mi propia cuenta; juzgo solo según lo que oigo y mi juicio es justo, pues no busco hacer mi propia voluntad, sino cumplir la voluntad del que me envió.

Los testimonios a favor del Hijo

31 »Si yo testifico en mi favor, ese testimonio no es válido. 32 Otro es el que testifica en mi favor y me consta que es válido el testimonio que él da de mí.

33 »Ustedes enviaron a preguntarle a Juan y él dio un testimonio válido. 34 Y no es que yo acepte el testimonio de un hombre; más bien lo menciono para que ustedes sean salvos. 35 Juan era una lámpara encendida y brillante, y ustedes quisieron disfrutar de su luz por algún tiempo.

36 »El testimonio con que yo cuento tiene más peso que el de Juan. Porque las obras que el Padre me ha encomendado que lleve a cabo, y que estoy haciendo, son las que testifican que el Padre me ha enviado. 37 Y el Padre mismo que me envió ha testificado en mi favor. Ustedes nunca han oído su voz ni visto su figura, 38 ni vive su palabra en ustedes, porque no creen en aquel a quien él envió. 39 Ustedes estudian[c] con diligencia las Escrituras porque piensan que en ellas hallan la vida eterna. ¡Y son ellas las que dan testimonio en mi favor! 40 Sin embargo, ustedes no quieren venir a mí para tener esa vida.

41 »No acepto que la gente me dé gloria. 42 A ustedes los conozco y sé que no aman realmente a Dios.[d] 43 Yo he venido en nombre de mi Padre y ustedes no me aceptan; pero si otro viniera en su propio nombre, a ese sí lo aceptarían. 44 ¿Cómo va a ser posible que ustedes crean, si reciben gloria unos de otros, pero no buscan la gloria que viene del Dios único?[e]

45 »Pero no piensen que yo voy a acusarlos delante del Padre. Quien los va a acusar es Moisés, en quien tienen puesta su esperanza. 46 Si creyeran a Moisés, me creerían a mí, porque de mí escribió él. 47 Pero si no creen lo que él escribió, ¿cómo van a creer mis palabras?

Footnotes

  1. 5:2 Betzatá. Var. Betesda; otra var. Betsaida.
  2. 5:3,4 Algunos manuscritos agregan lo siguiente: paralíticos, que esperaban el movimiento del agua. De cuando en cuando un ángel del Señor bajaba al estanque y agitaba el agua. El primero que entraba en el estanque después de cada agitación del agua quedaba sano de cualquier enfermedad que tuviera.
  3. 5:39 Ustedes estudian. Alt. Estudien.
  4. 5:42 no aman … Dios. Lit. no tienen el amor de Dios en sí mismos.
  5. 5:44 del Dios único. Var. del Único.

Jesus makes a man able to walk

Some time after that, Jesus went to Jerusalem, because it was time for one of the Jewish festivals.

There is a pool near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. Its name in the Jewish language is Bethesda. Round the pool, there is a building with five places that have a roof over them. A large number of sick people were lying in these places. Some of them were blind. Some of them could not walk properly. Some of them could not move their legs or their arms. [[a] They were waiting for when the water started to move. An angel would go down into the pool at certain times and move the water about. When that happened, all the sick people tried to get into the pool. The first person who got into the water became well, whatever his illness was.]

One man who was lying there had been ill for 38 years. Jesus saw this man. He knew that the man had been ill like this for a very long time. So he asked the man, ‘Do you want to get well?’ The sick man said, ‘Sir, I do not have anyone who will help me. I need somebody who will put me into the pool. When the water starts to move, I try to get in. But someone else always gets in before me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ The man became well immediately. He picked up his mat and he walked.

The day when this happened was a Jewish day of rest.[b] 10 Because of this, the Jewish leaders spoke to the man that Jesus had made well. They said to him, ‘You must not carry your mat on our day of rest. You are not obeying the rules.’ 11 The man replied, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Pick up your mat and walk.” ’ 12 So they asked him, ‘Who is this man? Who said to you, “Pick up your mat and walk”?’ 13 The man did not know who had made him well. Jesus had gone away and joined the crowd that was there.

14 Some time after that, Jesus found the man in the temple. Jesus said to him, ‘See, you have become well. Stop doing wrong things. If you do not stop, something worse may happen to you.’ 15 Then the man went to the Jewish leaders. He told them that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 The Jewish leaders were angry because Jesus had made a man well on their day of rest.[c] As a result, they began to cause a lot of trouble for Jesus. 17 But Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is still working, and I too must work.’ 18 Because Jesus said this, the Jewish leaders became really angry. They wanted even more to kill him. Jesus not only worked on the day of rest. He was also calling God his own Father, so he was making himself equal with God.

19 Jesus answered them, ‘I tell you this: The Son can do nothing by himself. He sees what the Father does, and he can do only those same things. What the Father does, the Son also does. 20 The Father loves the Son. He shows the Son all the things that he himself does. And the Father will show the Son even greater things to do than these. Those greater things will surprise you even more than what you have already seen. 21 The Father raises dead people to make them alive again. In the same way, the Son gives life to whoever he chooses. 22 More than that, the Father does not judge anyone. He has given authority to the Son, so that the Son will judge all people. 23 Then all people will respect the Son as a great person. They will respect him in the way that they respect the Father. The Father sent the Son. So if people refuse to respect the Son, it shows that they do not respect the Father either.

24 I tell you this: Everyone who hears my message should believe in the Father who sent me. If they believe in me, they will have life for ever with God. God will not say that they are guilty. They are no longer under the power of death. Instead, they have life with God.

25 I tell you this: A time will soon come when those who are dead in their spirits will hear the voice of the Son of God. Yes, it is that time already. Those people who hear that message will receive true life. 26 The Father himself can give people life. In the same way, he has given authority to the Son to give people life. 27 The Father has also given authority to the Son to judge people. That is because I am the Son of Man. 28 Do not be surprised by this. There will be a time when all the dead people will hear the Son's voice. 29 They will come out from under the ground. Those people who have done good things will rise from death and they will live with God. Those people who have done evil things will also rise from death. But they will rise so that God can punish them as guilty people.’

The Father shows who Jesus really is

30 Then Jesus said, ‘I can do nothing by myself. I hear what the Father says to me. Then, because of what he says, I judge people. So I judge in a way that is fair. I am not trying to do what I want for myself. The Father sent me, and I want to do what he wants. 31 If I say great things about myself, nobody would know that my words are true. 32 But there is someone else who speaks about me. I know that what he says about me is true. 33 You have sent your people to ask John about me. What he has told you about me is true. 34 I do not need any man to speak on my behalf. But I am telling you this to help you. Then God will be able to save you. 35 John was like a light that shone brightly. For a certain time, you enjoyed the light that he gave.

36 But it is not only John who shows who I am. There are other things that show it more strongly. My Father has given work to me so that I could finish it. These are the things that I do, and they show who I am. They show clearly that the Father has sent me. 37 Also, the Father himself has spoken about me. You have never heard his voice. And you have never seen his shape. 38 I am the one that he has sent. You do not receive his message because you do not believe in me. 39 You study carefully what the Bible teaches. You think that those books will give you life with God. And it is true, those books do speak about who I am. 40 But then you refuse to come to me so that you may have life with God!

41 I do not think that it is important for people to praise me. 42 But I know what kind of people you are. I know that you do not really love God. 43 I have come with my Father's authority, but you do not accept me. But if someone else comes with his own authority, then you will accept him. 44 You like to praise each other. That makes you happy. But what about God himself? You do not try to do good things so that he will praise you. That is why you will never believe in me.

45 But I will not have to tell the Father that you are guilty. No, it is Moses who will do that. You think that Moses is the one who will show that you are right. But he is the one who will show that you are guilty. 46 Moses wrote about me. So, if you had really believed Moses, you would believe me. 47 But you do not believe what Moses wrote.[d] So you will never believe what I say.’

Footnotes

  1. 5:3 These words are not in all the copies of John's Gospel.
  2. 5:9 The Jewish day of rest was the seventh day of the week (Saturday). God had said that Israel's people must not work on that day.
  3. 5:16 Jesus was obeying his Father, God. And God chose to make the man well on the Jewish day of rest. The man was not really working when he carried his mat. It was not a big heavy thing.
  4. 5:47 The first five books of the Old Testament in the Bible are called the books of Moses.

A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda

After (A)this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus (B)went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem (C)by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, [a]Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, [b]paralyzed, [c]waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

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.”

Jesus said to him, (D)“Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

And (E)that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; (F)it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’

12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was (G)healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. (H)Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Honor the Father and the Son

16 For this reason the Jews (I)persecuted Jesus, [d]and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, (J)“My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

18 Therefore the Jews (K)sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, (L)making Himself equal with God. 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, (M)the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For (N)the Father loves the Son, and (O)shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, (P)even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but (Q)has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. (R)He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Life and Judgment Are Through the Son

24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, (S)he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, (T)but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when (U)the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For (V)as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have (W)life in Himself, 27 and (X)has given Him authority to execute judgment also, (Y)because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will (Z)hear His voice 29 (AA)and come forth—(AB)those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 (AC)I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because (AD)I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

The Fourfold Witness

31 (AE)“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not [e]true. 32 (AF)There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, (AG)and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 He was the burning and (AH)shining lamp, and (AI)you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 But (AJ)I have a greater witness than John’s; for (AK)the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very (AL)works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, (AM)has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, (AN)nor seen His form. 38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 (AO)You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and (AP)these are they which testify of Me. 40 (AQ)But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

41 (AR)“I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 (AS)How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek (AT)the honor that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; (AU)there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; (AV)for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you (AW)do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Footnotes

  1. John 5:2 NU Bethzatha
  2. John 5:3 withered
  3. John 5:3 NU omits the rest of v. 3 and all of v. 4.
  4. John 5:16 NU omits and sought to kill Him
  5. John 5:31 valid as testimony