The Gospel Part 22

Then the Jews said, Now we know you are possessed by a devil. Abraham is dead and so are the prophets. Yet you say, If anyone keeps my word he will never taste of death. Are you greater than our father Abraham and the prophets who are dead? Who do you make yourself out to be?

Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my Father, who you claim is your G.o.d, who honors me. Yet you have not known Him. But I know Him and, if I say I do not know Him, I am a liar like you. But I know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He looked forward to it and was glad.

Then the Jews questioned, You are not yet fifty years old and say you have seen Abraham? Jesus said, Verily, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then they took up stones to cast at Him. But Jesus hid Himself and left the temple by pa.s.sing through the midst of them.

9. Jesus pa.s.sed by a man who was blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned nor his parents; but he is blind so the works of G.o.d may be made manifest in him. I must work the works of the one who sent me while it is day. The night comes when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.

He went and washed and came out of the pool seeing. The neighbors and those who knew him when he was blind, said, Is this not he who sat and begged? Some said, This is he. Others said, He is like him. But he said, I am that man. They asked him, How were your eyes opened? He answered, A man called Jesus made clay, put it on my eyes, and said, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash. I went and washed and I got my sight back. Then they said, Where is He? The man answered, I do not know.

Then they took the man to the Pharisees. It was also the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Once again, the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, He put clay on my eyes, and I washed and now see.

Therefore, some of the Pharisees said, This man is not of G.o.d because He does not keep the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man who is a sinner do such miracles? A division arose among them. Then they said to the blind man again, what do you think about the one who opened your eyes? The man answered, He is a prophet.

But the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and received his sight until they called his parents. They asked them, Is this your son who you say was born blind? How then does he see? His parents answered, We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, but by what means he now sees, we do not know. Or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself. His parents spoke this way for fear of the Jews who had made it known that if anyone said that Jesus was the Christ, he would be cast out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, Our son is of age; ask him.

They called the man once again and said to him, Give G.o.d the praise! We know that this man is a sinner. He answered, Whether He is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know; I was blind and now I see. Then they said to him again, What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes? He answered them, I have told you already and you did not hear. Why do you want to hear it again? Will you become His disciples? Then they reviled him and said, You are His disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that G.o.d spoke to Moses. As for this one, we do not know where He comes from.

The man answered and said to them, Why, here is an amazing thing! You do not know where He comes from and yet He has opened my eyes. Now we know that G.o.d does not hear sinners. But if any man is a worshipper of G.o.d and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began was it ever heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind? If this man were not of G.o.d He could do nothing. They answered and said to him, You were born in the darkness of sin. How dare you teach us? And they cast him out.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out. When He found the man He said to him, Do you believe in the Son of G.o.d? The man asked, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe in Him? Jesus said to him, You have seen Him and it is He who talks with you now. The man said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him. Then Jesus said, I came into this world for judgment; so those who do not see may see, and those who see become blind. Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him, Are we blind also? Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but you say, We see; so your sin remains.

10. I tell you, the one who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but gets in through some other way is a thief and a robber.

But the one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens the gate. The sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them. And when he calls together his own sheep, he goes before them and the sheep follow because they know his voice.

They will not follow a stranger because they do not know the voice of strangers. From a stranger they will flee. Jesus used this example and yet they did not understand what He spoke about.

Jesus then said, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If any man enters by me he will be saved. He will go in and out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they might have life and have it more abundantly.

I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

But he that is a hireling and not the shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming, leaves the sheep and runs away. The wolf catches and scatters them. The hired man flees because he works for wages and does not care about the sheep.

I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and I am known by my sheep. The Father knows me, even as I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. I also have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must also call them and they will hear my voice. There will be One Fold and One Shepherd.

My Father loves me because I lay down my life so I may take it up again. No man will take it from me because I lay it down myself. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This was given to me by my Father. There was another division among the Jews over these words. Many of them said, He has a devil and is mad; why listen to Him?

Others said, These are not the words of one who has a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

In Jerusalem it was winter and the feast of the dedication. Jesus walked in the temple upon Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said, How long will you make us doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.

Jesus answered, I told you and you did not believe me. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness of me. But you do not believe because you are not my sheep. As I said to you, My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give them eternal life. They will never perish, nor will any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all. No man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up rocks to stone Him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do you stone me?

The Jews answered Him, saying, We do not stone you for a good work; but for blasphemy and because you, being a man, make yourself G.o.d. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law: I said ye are G.o.ds? If He called them G.o.ds, to whom the word of G.o.d was given, and the scripture cannot be questioned; do you say of the one the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, You blaspheme, because I said I am the Son of G.o.d? If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so you may understand and believe that the Father is in me, and I in Him.

They sought again to take Him but He escaped out of their hand and went away again beyond Jordan to the place where John first baptized. There He stayed. Many people came to Him and said, John did no miracles but all the things John said were true. And many believed in Him there.

11. A man named Lazarus of Bethany was sick. His sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, Lord, your friend is sick. When Jesus heard this, He said, This sickness is not for his death, but for the glory of G.o.d, so that the Son of G.o.d might be glorified through it.

Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. However, He stayed where He was for two more days. Then He said to His disciples, Let us now go into Judaea. His disciples said, Master, the Jews tried to stone you and you are going there again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walks in the daylight, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world. But if a man walks at night, he stumbles because there is no light in him.

Then He said to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps but I am going to wake him. His disciples replied, Lord, if he sleeps, he will be fine. Jesus spoke about death but they thought He had spoken about taking rest in sleep. Jesus, then, said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad, for your sakes, that I was not there, so you may believe moreso.

Let us go to him. Then Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, Let us also go so we may die with Him.

When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already lain in the grave for four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem and many of the Jews came to Martha and her sister, Mary, to comfort them over the loss of their brother. As soon as she heard that Jesus was on His way, Martha went and met Him, but Mary remained in the house. Martha then said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. But I know, even now, whatever you ask of G.o.d, G.o.d will give it to you.

Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha said, I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even if he is dead, still will live. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? She said, Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of G.o.d come into this world. And when she said this, she went and called Mary, her sister, saying, The Master has come and calls for you.

As soon as Mary heard, she got up quickly and went to Him. Jesus was not yet in the town but was where Martha met Him. Some of the Jews who were comforting her in the house saw Mary hastily rise up and go out.

They followed her, saying, She goes to the grave to weep there.

When Mary saw Jesus, she fell down at His feet saying to Him, Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping, and those who came with her also weeping, He became troubled and was very upset. He said, Where have you laid him? They said, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, Look how much He loved him! And some of them said, Could He, who opened the eyes of the blind, not have prevented this man's death? Jesus, again upset, went to the grave. It was a cave and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, said, Lord, by this time there will be a stench, he has been dead for four days. Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you that, if you believe, you would see the glory of G.o.d? They removed the stone from the grave.

Then Jesus lifted His eyes and said, Father, I thank you for hearing me. And I know that you hear me always. For the sake of those standing here, I say this so they may believe that you sent me. Then Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Now he who was dead came forth bound hand and foot with graveclothes and his face was wound about with a scarf. Jesus said to them, Loose him and let him go.

Many of the Jews who saw the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what was done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, What can we do? This man does many miracles? If we leave Him alone, everyone will believe in Him and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.

One of them, named Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year, said to them, You know nothing at all, nor do you consider it expedient that one man should die so the whole nation does not perish. He said this not of himself, but as high priest, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but also for the children of G.o.d who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day, they were in agreement to put Him to death. Jesus, therefore, no longer walked openly among the Jews but went to a country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with His disciples.

Pa.s.sover was near at hand. Many people went to Jerusalem in order to purify themselves. Then they looked for Jesus. As they stood in the temple, they said to eachother, What do you think? Will He stay away from the feast? The chief priests and Pharisees had given an order that, if any man knew where Jesus was, he should speak out so they could arrest Him.

12. Six days before the pa.s.sover, Jesus went to Bethany where He had raised Lazarus from the dead. There they made Him a supper. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly ointment of spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who would betray Him, said, Why was this ointment not sold for its great worth and the money given to the poor? He said this, not out of concern for the poor but, because he was a thief who held their money bag and controlled what was put in it. Jesus said, Leave her alone. She has saved this toward the day of my burial. And, as for the poor, you always have them to care for, but you will not always have me.

Many of the Jews knew that He was there. But they did not come for Jesus' sake only, but also to see Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead. The chief priests considered putting Lazarus to death also because he was the reason many of the Jews left and believed in Jesus.

The next day, many people who had come for the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. They took branches of palm trees and went to meet Him. They cried, Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when He had found a young colt, sat upon it; for it is written: Fear not, daughter of Sion. Behold, thy King comes, sitting on an a.s.s's colt.

His disciples did not at first understand this. But when Jesus was glorified, they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. The people who were with Him when He called Lazarus from his grave and raised him from the dead, bore record. Other people went to see Him because they heard He had done this miracle. The Pharisees, therefore, said among themselves, Do you see that we do not prevail? Look, the whole world is gone after Him.

There were certain Greeks among those who came to worship at the feast.

Some of them went to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him if they could meet Jesus. Philip went to Andrew. Then together, Andrew and Philip went to Jesus. Jesus said to them, The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Verily, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life in this world will lose it; and he who hates his life will have life eternal.

If any man will serve me, let him follow me. Where I am, there also will my servant be. If any man serves me, my Father will honor him. Now my soul is troubled. But what will I say? Father, save me from this hour? But this hour is the reason I came into the world. Father, glorify thy name. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

The people that stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said, an angel spoke to Him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world. Now will the prince of this world be cast out. And I, being lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me. He said this to signify the death He was to die.

The people said, We have heard from the law that Christ lives forever.

What do you mean, The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said to them, Yet a little while the light is with you.

Walk while you have the light, lest darkness fall upon you. For he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have light, believe in the light, so you may be called the children of light.

Jesus said these things and then departed and hid Himself. Even though He had done many miracles before them, they still did not believe Him.

Thus it was that the saying of Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled: Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore, they could not believe because Isaiah also said: He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart and be converted, and I should heal them. Isaiah said this when he saw His glory and spoke about Him.

Nevertheless, among the chief rulers many believed in Him. But, because of the Pharisees, they did not say anything lest they be put out of the synagogue. They loved the praise of men more than the praise of G.o.d.

Jesus said, He who believes in me, believes not in me, but in the one who sent me. He who sees me sees Him who sent me. I came into the world as a light so that whoever believes in me will not dwell in darkness.