Book of Common Prayer

9 The first agreement had laws about worship. And it had a holy place on earth where the agreement was kept.

² A house was made. In the first part of the house were the light, the table, and the bread of God. This first part was called the Holy Place.

³ The next part of the house was called the Most Holy Place.

⁴ In the Most Holy Place was a pan made of gold. In this pan a fire could burn to make a sweet-smelling smoke. The box of the agreement was also in the Most Holy Place. It was covered all over with gold. In this box were: the golden pot, which had some of the food God sent from heaven for the people in the desert; Aaron's stick which grew flowers on it; and the stones which had God's agreement written on them.

⁵ On top of the box were the shapes of two angels. They showed that God is great. Their wings spread over the cover of the box. It was the place where God showed that he is kind. But we cannot take time to tell about every part of these things now.

⁶ These things were made ready. The priests always went into the first part of the house to do their work for God.

⁷ But only the high priest went into the second part. And he went in only once a year. He never went in without taking blood with him. He gave the blood to God for the wrong things he had done and for the wrong things people had done.

⁸ This is how the Holy Spirit showed that the way into the Most Holy Place was not yet open to everybody. It was not open as long as the first house was still standing.

⁹ This first part is a picture of the time we are in now. In it gifts and sacrifices are made to God. But they cannot make a person's heart clean to worship God.

¹⁰ These are only things to eat and drink and different kinds of washings. They are laws made for the body until the time when everything is made right again.

¹¹ But Christ has come as the high priest of the good things which have come. He went through a greater and better house which was not made by men's hands. It is not a part of this world.

¹² He did not take the blood of goats and young cows. He took his own blood. And he went into the Most Holy Place just once. He paid for our sins and made us free for ever.

¹³ The priest takes the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes from a young cow that has been burned. He puts this on the people who have done wrong things. This makes their bodies clean.

¹⁴ If the blood of animals can do that, then the blood of Christ will clean our hearts much better. Christ gave himself to God as the sacrifice. He did this by the Spirit who lives for ever. He was a perfect sacrifice. He will clean our hearts from useless acts of worship. Then we can serve the living God.

5 After that, the Jews had a feast and Jesus went to Jerusalem.

² In Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there is a wide water hole. The Jews called this water hole Bethesda. It had five places with roofs for people to stand under.

³ Many sick people were lying on these places. Some of them were blind. Some were lame. Some were very thin and stiff so that they could not move by themselves. All of them were waiting for the water to move.

⁴ An angel came down into the water at a certain time and made it move. The first person who stepped into the water when it moved was healed of any sickness that he had.

⁵ A man was there who had been sick for thirty eight years.

⁶ Jesus saw the man lying there. He knew that he had been sick for a long time. He said to him, `Do you want to be healed?'

⁷ The sick man said to him, `Sir, I have no man to put me into the water when it moves. While I am trying to get in, some other person comes and gets in before me.'

⁸ Jesus said, `Get up. Take up your bed and walk!'

⁹ The man was healed right away. He took up his bed and walked. This happened on the Sabbath day.

¹⁰ So the leaders of the Jews talked to the man who was healed. They said, `It is the Sabbath day. It is not right for you to carry your bed.'

¹¹ But he answered them, `The man who healed me said to me, "Take up your bed and walk." '

¹² They asked him, `Who is the man who told you to take up your bed and walk?'

¹³ The man who was healed said, `I do not know who he is.' Many people were at the place and Jesus had gone away.

¹⁴ After that, Jesus saw the man in the temple. He said to him, `See, you are healed. Do no more wrong things. If you do, something worse may happen to you.'

¹⁵ The man went away and told the leaders of the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

¹⁶ The Jewish leaders made trouble for Jesus because he did this on the Sabbath day.

¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, `My Father is still working and I am working also.'

¹⁸ This was why the leaders of the Jews tried much more to kill Jesus. He had broken the law of the Sabbath day. And also he called God his Father. In that way, he was making himself equal with God.