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The New Jerusalem Bible with Apocrypha
The Gospel According to JohnThe fourth gospel stands apart from the others in several ways. Instead of the patchwork quilt of little incidents of the Synoptics, this gospel is conceived on broader lines. Episodes are followed by a developed discourse or dialogue which explains the meaning of the signs: Jesus is the revelation of the Father. He replaces in his own person the Temple and the religious institutions of the Jews. All those who encounter Jesus judge themselves by their response to him and to his message. Finally, the Hour of Jesus, his passion and resurrection, is not a disgrace but is the triumph of the King Messiah. The plan and pattern of the gospel are also different. Instead of a Galilean ministry followed by a final week in Jerusalem, there is a passing backwards and forwards between Galilee and Jerusalem, and the highly significant cleansing of the Temple dramatises Jesus' message not at the end but at the beginning of the ministry. Many of the themes of the gospel are gathered up in the great discourse at the Last Supper (chh. 14-17) when Jesus assures his followers of his continuing presence in his Spirit, who will guide them into all truth. The stress on the Spirit of truth now present brings a new emphasis: many of the blessings of the final coming are seen as already present whereas the first three gospels look for them in the future. The final conflict with the powers of evil is already taking place, and eternal life is already granted to believers. Ancient tradition associates the gospel with John the Apostle, but modern studies show that a complex process of development occurred, either from a primitive core or from several separate sources. Such a development, through a group of John's disciples in the latter half of the first century, would account for numerous repetitions and overlaps, the result of a determination to lose nothing of the tradition of the teaching of the Beloved Disciple.
Chapter 1
prologue
1:1In the beginning was the Word: [In the OT, the Word or Wisdom of God is present with God before the world existed and reveals God to the world. Jn sees this Word-Wisdom in the person of Jesus.] the Word was with God and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him. 4What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light of men; 5and light shines in darkness, and darkness could not overpower it. 6A man came, sent by God. His name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through him. 8He was not the light, he was to bear witness to the light. 9The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the world. 10He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognise him. 11He came to his own and his own people did not accept him. 12But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name 13who were *[Some MSS have the singular 'was', which would refer to Jesus' divine origin.] born not from human stock or human desire or human will but from God himself. 14The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John witnesses to him. He proclaims: 'This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.' 16Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received -one gift replacing anothe, 17for the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.
JESUS' MINISTRY
PROCLAMATION OF THE NEW ORDER: THE MINISTRY OF JESUS
THE OPENING WEEK
The witness of John19This was the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?' 20He declared, he did not deny but declared, 'I am not the Christ.' 21So they asked, 'Then are you Elijah?' He replied, 'I am not.' 'Are you the Prophet?' He answered, 'No.' 22So they said to him, 'Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?' 23So he said, 'I am, as Isaiah prophesied: A voice of one that cries in the desert: Prepare a way for the Lord. Make his paths straight!' *[Is 40:3] 24Now those who had been sent were Pharisees, 25and they put this question to him, 'Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the Prophet?' 26John answered them, 'I baptise with water; but standing among you, unknown to you, 27is the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandal.' 28This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising. 29The next day, he saw Jesus coming towards him and said, 'Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. 30It was of him that I said, "Behind me comes one who has passed ahead of me because he existed before me." 31I did not know him myself, and yet my purpose in coming to baptise with water was so that he might be revealed to Israel.' 32And John declared, 'I saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven and rest on him. 33I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, "The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is to baptise with the Holy Spirit." 34I have seen and I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.'
The first disciples
35The next day as John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past, 36and John looked towards him and said, 'Look, there is the lamb of God.' 37And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, 'What do you want?' They answered, 'Rabbi' - which means Teacher - 'where do you live?' 39He replied, 'Come and see'; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. 40One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and say to him, 'We have found the Messiah' - which means the Christ - 42and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas' - which means Rock. 43The next day, after Jesus had decided to leave for Galilee, he met Philip and said, 'Follow me.' 44Philip came from the same town, Bethsaida, as Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.' 46Nathanael said to him, 'From Nazareth? Can anything good come from that place?' Philip replied, 'Come and see.' 47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, 'There, truly, is an Israelite in whom there is no deception.' 48Nathanael asked, 'How do you know me?' Jesus replied, 'Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree.' 49Nathanael answered, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel.' 50Jesus replied, 'You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You are going to see greater things than that.' 51And then he added, 'In all truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of man.'
Chapter 2
The Wedding Feast at Cana
2:1On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. 3And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' 4Jesus said, 'Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet.' 5His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.' [Gn 41:55] 6There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water,' and they filled them to the brim. 8Then he said to them, 'Draw some out now and take it to the president of the feast.' 9They did this; the president tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from-though the servants who had drawn the water knew-the president of the feast called the bridegroom 10and said, 'Everyone serves good wine first and the worse wine when the guests are well wined; but you have kept the best wine till now.' 11This was the first of Jesus' signs: it was at Cana in Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. 12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, but they stayed there only a few days.
B: THE PASSOVER
The Cleansing of the Temple13When the time of the Jewish Passover was near Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting there. 15Making a whip out of cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, sheep and cattle as well, scattered the money changers' coins, knocked their tables over 16and said to the dove sellers, 'Take all this out of here and stop using my Father's house as a market.' 17Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: I am eaten up with zeal for your house. *[Ps 69:9] 18The Jews intervened and said, 'What sign can you show us that you should act like this?' 19Jesus answered, 'Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' 20The Jews replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple: *[Reconstruction work began in 19 BC, so this is Passover 28 AD.] are you going to raise it up again in three days?' 21But he was speaking of the Temple that was his body, 22and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and what he had said.
Jesus in Jerusalem
23During his stay in Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he did, 24but Jesus knew all people and did not trust himself to them; 25he never needed evidence about anyone; he could tell what someone had within.
Chapter 3
The conversation with Nicodemus
3:1There was one of the Pharisees called Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews, 2who came to Jesus by night and said, 'Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher; for no one could perform the signs that you do unless God were with him.' 3Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above. 4Nicodemus said, 'How can anyone who is already old be born? Is it possible to go back into the womb again and be born?' 5Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born through water and the Spirit; 6what is born of human nature is human; what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be surprised when I say: You must be born from above. 8The wind blows where it pleases; you can hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. 9'How is that possible?' asked Nicodemus. 10Jesus replied, 'You are the Teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things! 11'In all truth I tell you, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence. 12If you do not believe me when I speak to you about earthly things, how will you believe me when I speak to you about heavenly things? 13No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of man; 14as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up 15so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. 16For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. 18No one who believes in him will be judged; but whoever does not believe is judged already, because that person does not believe in the Name of God's only Son. 19And the judgement is this: though the light has come into the world people have preferred darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. 20And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, to prevent his actions from being shown up; 21but whoever does the truth comes out into the light, so that what he is doing may plainly appear as done in God.'
Jesus' ministry in Judaea
John bears witness for the last time22After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the Judaean countryside and stayed with them there and baptised. 23John also was baptising at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water, and people were going there and were being baptised. 24For John had not yet been put in prison. 25Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew about purification, 26so they went to John and said, 'Rabbi, the man who was with you on the far side of the Jordan, the man to whom you bore witness, is baptising now, and everyone is going to him.' 27John replied: 'No one can have anything except what is given him from heaven. 28'You yourselves can bear me out. I said, "I am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent to go in front of him." 29'It is the bridegroom who has the bride; and yet the bridegroom's friend, who stands there and listens to him, is filled with joy at the bridegroom's voice. This is the joy I feel, and it is complete. 30He must grow greater, I must grow less. 31He who comes from above is above all others; he who is of the earth is earthly himself and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven 32bears witness to the things he has seen and heard, but his testimony is not accepted by anybody; 33though anyone who does accept his testimony is attesting that God is true,34since he whom God has sent speaks God's own words, for God gives him the Spirit without reserve. 35The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to his hands. 36Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life: God's retribution hangs over him.'
Chapter 4
Jesus among the Samaritans
4:1When Jesus heard that the Pharisees had found out that he was making and baptising more disciples than John - 2though in fact it was his disciples who baptised, not Jesus himself - 3he left Judaea and went back to Galilee. 4He had to pass through Samaria. 5On the way he came to the Samaritan town called Sychar near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6Jacob's well was there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, 'Give me something to drink.' 8His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. 9The Samaritan woman said to him, 'You are a Jew. How is it that you ask me, a Samaritan, for something to drink?' - Jews, of course, do not associate with Samaritans. 10Jesus replied to her: If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me something to drink,' you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living water. 11'You have no bucket, sir,' she answered, 'and the well is deep: how do you get this living water? 12Are you a greater man than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?' 13Jesus replied: Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again; 14but no one who drinks the water that I shall give will ever be thirsty again: the water that I shall give will become a spring of water within, welling up for eternal life. 15'Sir,' said the woman, 'give me some of that water, so that I may never be thirsty or come here again to draw water.' 16'Go and call your husband,' said Jesus to her, 'and come back here.' 17The woman answered, 'I have no husband.' Jesus said to her, 'You are right to say, "I have no husband"; 18for although you have had five, the one you now have is not your husband. You spoke the truth there.' 19'I see you are a prophet, sir,' said the woman. 20'Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, *[Gerizim, where there had been a Temple rivalling Jerusalem's. To Jesus both are provisional.] though you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.' 21Jesus said: Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know; for salvation comes from the Jews. 23But the hour is coming-indeed is already here-when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth. 25The woman said to him, 'I know that Messiah-that is, Christ-is coming; and when he comes he will explain everything.' 26Jesus said, 'That is who I am, I who speak to you.' 27At this point his disciples returned and were surprised to find him speaking to a woman, though none of them asked, 'What do you want from her?' or, 'What are you talking to her about?' 28The woman put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people, 29'Come and see a man who has told me everything I have done; could this be the Christ?' 30This brought people out of the town and they made their way towards him. 31Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, 'Rabbi, do have something to eat'; 32but he said, 'I have food to eat that you do not know about.' 33So the disciples said to one another, 'Has someone brought him food?' 34But Jesus said: My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to complete his work. 35Do you not have a saying: Four months and then the harvest? Well, I tell you, look around you, look at the fields; already they are white, ready for harvest! 36Already the reaper is being paid his wages, already he is bringing in the grain for eternal life, so that sower and reaper can rejoice together. 37For here the proverb holds true: one sows, another reaps; 38I sent you to reap a harvest you have not laboured for. Others have laboured for it; and you have come into the rewards of their labour. 39Many Samaritans of that town believed in him on the strength of the woman's words of testimony, 'He told me everything I have done.' 40So, when the Samaritans came up to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed for two days, and 41many more came to believe on the strength of the words he spoke to them; 42and they said to the woman, 'Now we believe no longer because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he is indeed the Saviour of the world.'
Jesus in Galilee
43When the two days were over Jesus left for Galilee. 44He himself had declared that a prophet is not honoured in his own home town. 45On his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended.
Second sign at Cana
The cure of a royal official's son46He went again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum; 47hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he went and asked him to come and cure his son, as he was at the point of death. 48Jesus said to him, 'Unless you see signs and portents you will not believe!' 49'Sir,' answered the official, 'come down before my child dies.' 50'Go home,' said Jesus, 'your son will live.' The man believed what Jesus had said and went on his way home; 51and while he was still on the way his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive. 52He asked them when the boy had begun to recover. They replied, 'The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.' 53The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, 'Your son will live'; and he and all his household believed. 54This new sign, the second, Jesus performed on his return from Judaea to Galilee.
Chapter 5
THE SECOND FEAST AT JERUSALEM: FIRST OPPOSITION TO REVELATION
The cure of a sick man at the Pool of Bethesda5:1After this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now in Jerusalem next to the Sheep Pool there is a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five porticos; 3and under these were crowds of sick people, blind, lame, paralysed. *[Some ancient MSS add: 'waiting for the water to move; 4for at intervals the angel of the Lord came down into the pool, and the water was disturbed, and the first person to enter the water after this disturbance was cured of any ailment from which he was suffering']. 5One man there had an illness which had lasted thirty-eight year. 6and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had been in that condition for a long time, he said, 'Do you want to be well again?' 7'Sir,' replied the sick man, 'I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets down there before me.' 8Jesus said, 'Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around.' 9The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and started to walk around. Now that day happened to be the Sabbath, 10so the Jews said to the man who had been cured, 'It is the Sabbath; you are not allowed to carry your sleeping-mat.' 11He replied, 'But the man who cured me told me, "Pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around."' 12They asked, 'Who is the man who said to you, "Pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around"?' 13The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared, as the place was crowded. 14After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said, 'Now you are well again, do not sin any more, or something worse may happen to you.' 15The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. 16It was because he did things like this on the Sabbath that the Jews began to harass Jesus. 17His answer to them was, 'My Father still goes on working, and I am at work, too.' 18But that only made the Jews even more intent on killing him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he spoke of God as his own Father and so made himself God's equal. 19To this Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, by himself the Son can do nothing; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he himself does, and he will show him even greater things than these, works that will astonish you. 21Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses; 22for the Father judges no one; he has entrusted all judgement to the Son, 23so that all may honour the Son as they honour the Father. Whoever refuses honour to the Son refuses honour to the Father who sent him. 24In all truth I tell you, whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life; without being brought to judgement such a person has passed from death to life. 25In all truth I tell you, the hour is coming-indeed it is already here-when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live. 26For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; 27and, because he is the Son of man, has granted him power to give judgement. 28Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice: 29those who did good will come forth to life; and those who did evil will come forth to judgement. 30By myself I can do nothing; I can judge only as I am told to judge, and my judging is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 31Were I to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be true; 32but there is another witness who speaks on my behalf, and I know that his testimony is true. 33You sent messengers to John, and he gave his testimony to the truth- 34not that I depend on human testimony; no, it is for your salvation that I mention it. 35John was a lamp lit and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave. 36But my testimony is greater than John's: the deeds my Father has given me to perform, these same deeds of mine testify that the Father has sent me. 37Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself. You have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape, 38and his word finds no home in you because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. 39You pore over the scriptures, believing that in them you can find eternal life; it is these scriptures that testify to me, 40and yet you refuse to come to me to receive life! 41Human glory means nothing to me. 42Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you. 43I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if someone else should come in his own name you would accept him. 44How can you believe, since you look to each other for glory and are not concerned with the glory that comes from the one God? 45Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father: you have placed your hopes on Moses, and Moses will be the one who accuses you. 46If you really believed him you would believe me too, since it was about me that he was writing; 47but if you will not believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?
Chapter 6
THE PASSOVER OF THE BREAD OF LIFE: FURTHER OPPOSITION TO REVELATION
The miracle of the loaves6:1After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee - or of Tiberias - 2and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he had done in curing the sick. 3Jesus climbed the hillside and sat down there with his disciples. 4The time of the Jewish Passover was near. 5Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, 'Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?' 6He said this only to put Philip to the test; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. 7Philip answered, 'Two hundred denarii would not buy enough to give them a little piece each.' 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said, 9'Here is a small boy with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that among so many?' 10Jesus said to them, 'Make the people sit down.' There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were sitting there; he then did the same with the fish, distributing as much as they wanted. 12When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, 'Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing is wasted.' 13So they picked them up and filled twelve large baskets with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. 14Seeing the sign that he had done, the people said, 'This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.' 15Jesus, as he realised they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, fled back to the hills alone.
Jesus comes to his disciples walking on the waters
16That evening the disciples went down to the shore of the sea 17and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the sea. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them. 18The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough. 19They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming towards the boat. They were afraid, 20but he said, 'It's me. Don't be afraid.' 21They were ready to take him into the boat, and immediately it reached the shore at the place they were making for.
The discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum
22Next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side saw that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that the disciples had set off by themselves. 23Other boats, however, had put in from Tiberias, near the place where the bread had been eaten. 24When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus. 25When they found him on the other side, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?' 26Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. 27Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal. 28Then they said to him, 'What must we do if we are to carry out God's work?' 29Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is carrying out God's work: you must believe in the one he has sent.' 30So they said, 'What sign will you yourself do, the sight of which will make us believe in you? What work will you do? 31Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' *[Ps 78:24. 'Bread from heaven' is commented vv. 32-48 and 'to eat' vv. 49-58.] 32Jesus answered them: In all truth I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; 33for the bread of God is the bread which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. 34'Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread always.' 35Jesus answered them: I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst. 36But, as I have told you, you can see me and still you do not believe. 37Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me; I will certainly not reject anyone who comes to me, 38because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me. 39Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, but that I should raise it up on the last day. 40It is my Father's will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and that I should raise that person up on the last day. 41Meanwhile the Jews were complaining to each other about him, because he had said, 'I am the bread that has come down from heaven.' 42They were saying, 'Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know. How can he now say, "I have come down from heaven?"' 43Jesus said in reply to them, 'Stop complaining to each other. 44'No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45It is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God; *[Is 54:13.] everyone who has listened to the Father, and learnt from him, comes to me. 46Not that anybody has seen the Father, except him who has his being from God: he has seen the Father. 47In all truth I tell you, everyone who believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate manna in the desert and they are dead; 50but this is the bread which comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat it and not die. 51I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.' 52Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' 53Jesus replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person. 57As the living Father sent me and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life from me. 58This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. 59This is what he taught at Capernaum in the synagogue. 60After hearing it, many of his followers said, 'This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?' 61Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, 'Does this disturb you? 62What if you should see the Son of man ascend to where he was before? 63'It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64'But there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the outset who did not believe and who was to betray him. 65He went on, 'This is why I told you that no one could come to me except by the gift of the Father.' 66After this, many of his disciples went away and accompanied him no more.
Peter's profession of faith
67Then Jesus said to the Twelve, 'What about you, do you want to go away too?' 68Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, 69and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.' 70Jesus replied to them, 'Did I not choose the Twelve of you? Yet one of you is a devil.' 71He meant Judas son of Simon Iscariot, since this was the man, one of the Twelve, who was to betray him.
Chapter 7
THE FEAST OF SHELTERS: THE GREAT REJECTION
Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for the feast and teaches there
7:1After this Jesus travelled round Galilee; he could not travel round Judaea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2As the Jewish feast of Shelters drew near, 3his brothers said to him, 'Leave this place and go to Judaea, so that your disciples, too, can see the works you are doing; 4no one who wants to be publicly known acts in secret; if this is what you are doing, you should reveal yourself to the world.' 5Not even his brothers had faith in him. 6Jesus answered, 'For me the right time has not come yet, but for you any time is the right time. 7The world cannot hate you, but it does hate me, because I give evidence that its ways are evil. 8Go up to the festival yourselves: I am not going to this festival, because for me the time is not ripe yet.' 9Having said that, he stayed behind in Galilee. 10However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went up as well, not publicly but secretly. 11At the festival the Jews were on the look-out for him: 'Where is he?' they said. 12There was a great deal of talk about him in the crowds. Some said, 'He is a good man'; others, 'No, he is leading the people astray.' 13Yet no one spoke about him openly, for fear of the Jews. 14When the festival was half over, Jesus went to the Temple and began to teach. 15The Jews were astonished and said, 'How did he learn to read? He has not been educated.' 16Jesus answered them: 'My teaching is not from myself: it comes from the one who sent me; 17anyone who is prepared to do his will, will know whether my teaching is from God or whether I speak on my own account. 18When someone speaks on his own account, he is seeking honour for himself; but when he is seeking the honour of the person who sent him, then he is true and altogether without dishonesty. 19Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps the Law! 'Why do you want to kill me?' 20The crowd replied, 'You are mad! Who wants to kill you?' 21Jesus answered, 'One work I did, and you are all amazed at it. 22Moses ordered you to practise circumcision-not that it began with him, it goes back to the patriarchs-and you circumcise on the Sabbath. 23Now if someone can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses is not broken, why are you angry with me for making someone completely healthy on a Sabbath? 24Do not keep judging according to appearances; let your judgement be according to what is right.'
The people discuss the origin of the Messiah
25Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, 'Isn't this the man they want to kill? 26And here he is, speaking openly, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be true the authorities have recognised that he is the Christ? 27Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from.' 28Then, as Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he cried out: You know me and you know where I came from. Yet I have not come of my own accord: but he who sent me is true; You do not know him, 29but I know him because I have my being from him and it was he who sent me. 30They wanted to arrest him then, but because his hour had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.
Jesus foretells his approaching departure
31There were many people in the crowds, however, who believed in him; they were saying, 'When the Christ comes, will he give more signs than this man has?' 32Hearing that talk like this about him was spreading among the people, the Pharisees sent the Temple guards to arrest him. 33Then Jesus said: For a short time I am with you still; then I shall go back to the one who sent me. 34You will look for me and will not find me; where I am you cannot come. 35So the Jews said to one another, 'Where is he intending to go that we shall not be able to find him? Is he intending to go abroad to the people who are dispersed among the Greeks and to teach the Greeks? 36What does he mean when he says: "You will look for me and will not find me; where I am, you cannot come?" '
The promise of living water
37On the last day, the great day of the festival, Jesus stood and cried out: 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! 38Let anyone who believes in me come and drink! As scripture says, "From his heart shall flow streams of living water." ' 39He was speaking of the Spirit which those who believed in him were to receive; for there was no Spirit as yet because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Fresh discussions on the origin of the Messiah
40Some of the crowd who had been listening said, 'He is indeed the prophet,' 41and some said, 'He is the Christ,' but others said, 'Would the Christ come from Galilee? 42Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from Bethlehem, the village where David was?' 43So the people could not agree about him. 44Some wanted to arrest him, but no one actually laid a hand on him. 45The guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees who said to them, 'Why haven't you brought him?' 46The guards replied, 'No one has ever spoken like this man.' 47'So,' the Pharisees answered, 'you, too, have been led astray? 48Have any of the authorities come to believe in him? Any of the Pharisees? 49This rabble knows nothing about the Law-they are damned.' 50One of them, Nicodemus-the same man who had come to Jesus earlier-said to them, 51'But surely our Law does not allow us to pass judgement on anyone without first giving him a hearing and discovering what he is doing?' 52To this they answered, 'Are you a Galilean too? Go into the matter, and see for yourself: prophets do not arise in Galilee.'
The adulterous woman *[Many ancient MSS omit 7:53-8:11]
53They all went home.
Chapter 8
8:1and Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them. 3The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in the middle 4they said to Jesus, 'Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, 5and in the Law Moses has ordered us to stone women of this kind. What have you got to say?' 6They asked him this as a test, looking for an accusation to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7As they persisted with their question, he straightened up and said, 'Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone at her.' 8Then he bent down and continued writing on the ground. 9When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until the last one had gone and Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained in the middle. 10Jesus again straightened up and said, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' 11'No one, sir,' she replied. 'Neither do I condemn you,' said Jesus. 'Go away, and from this moment sin no more.'
Jesus, the light of the world
12When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the light of life.
A discussion on the testimony of Jesus to himself
13At this the Pharisees said to him, 'You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not true.' 14Jesus replied: Even though I am testifying on my own behalf, my testimony is still true, because I know where I have come from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15You judge by human standards; I judge no one, 16but if I judge, my judgement will be true, because I am not alone: the one who sent me is with me; 17and in your Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18I testify on my own behalf, but the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf, too. 19They asked him, 'Where is your Father then?' Jesus answered: You do not know me, nor do you know my Father; if you did know me, you would know my Father as well. 20He spoke these words in the Treasury, while teaching in the Temple. No one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. 21Again he said to them: I am going away; you will look for me and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. 22So the Jews said to one another, 'Is he going to kill himself, that he says, "Where I am going, you cannot come?"' 23Jesus went on: You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24I have told you already: You will die in your sins. Yes, if you do not believe that I am He, *[Here and in vv. 28, 58 Jesus appropriates the divine name revealed to Moses in Ex 3:14.] you will die in your sins. 25So they said to him, 'Who are you?' Jesus answered: What I have told you from the outset. 26About you I have much to say and much to judge; but the one who sent me is true, and what I declare to the world I have learnt from him. 27They did not recognise that he was talking to them about the Father. 28So Jesus said: When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing of my own accord. What I say is what the Father has taught me; 29he who sent me is with me, and has not left me to myself, for I always do what pleases him. 30As he was saying this, many came to believe in him.
Jesus and Abraham
31To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said: If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples; 32you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free. 33They answered, 'We are descended from Abraham and we have never been the slaves of anyone; what do you mean, "You will be set free?"' 34Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave. 35Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household, but a son belongs to it for ever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free. 37I know that you are descended from Abraham; but you want to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38What I speak of is what I have seen at my Father's side, and you too put into action the lessons you have learnt from your father. 39They repeated, 'Our father is Abraham.' Jesus said to them: If you are Abraham's children, do as Abraham did. 40As it is, you want to kill me, a man who has told you the truth as I have learnt it from God; that is not what Abraham did. 41You are doing your father's work. They replied, 'We were not born illegitimate, the only father we have is God.' 42Jesus answered: If God were your father, you would love me, since I have my origin in God and have come from him; I did not come of my own accord, but he sent me. 43Why do you not understand what I say? Because you cannot bear to listen to my words. 44You are from your father, the devil, and you prefer to do what your father wants. He was a murderer from the start; he was never grounded in the truth; there is no truth in him at all. When he lies he is speaking true to his nature, because he is a liar, and the father of lies. 45But it is because I speak the truth that you do not believe me. 46Can any of you convict me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? 47Whoever comes from God listens to the words of God; the reason why you do not listen is that you are not from God. 48The Jews replied, 'Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and possessed by a devil?' Jesus answered: 49I am not possessed; but I honour my Father, and you deny me honour. 50I do not seek my own glory; there is someone who does seek it and is the judge of it. 51In all truth I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death. 52The Jews said, 'Now we know that you are possessed. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, and yet you say, "Whoever keeps my word will never know the taste of death." 53Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Who are you claiming to be?' 54Jesus answered: If I were to seek my own glory my glory would be worth nothing; in fact, my glory is conferred by the Father, by the one of whom you say, 'He is our God,' 55although you do not know him. But I know him, and if I were to say, 'I do not know him,' I should be a liar, as you yourselves are. But I do know him, and I keep his word. 56Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad. 57The Jews then said, 'You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!' 58Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, before Abraham ever was, I am. 59At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.
Chapter 9
The cure of the man born blind
9:1As he went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should have been born blind?' 3'Neither he nor his parents sinned,' Jesus answered, 'he was born blind so that the works of God might be revealed in him. 4'As long as day lasts we must carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world.' 6Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man, 7and said to him, 'Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam' (the name means 'one who has been sent'). So he went off and washed and came back able to see. 8His neighbours and the people who used to see him before (for he was a beggar) said, 'Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?' 9Some said, 'Yes, it is the same one.' Others said, 'No, but he looks just like him.' The man himself said, 'Yes, I am the one.' 10So they said to him, 'Then how is it that your eyes were opened?' 11He answered, 'The man called Jesus made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, "Go off and wash at Siloam"; so I went, and when I washed I gained my sight.' 12They asked, 'Where is he?' He answered, 'I don't know.' 13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14It had been a Sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man's eyes, 15so when the Pharisees asked him how he had gained his sight, he said, 'He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.' 16Then some of the Pharisees said, 'That man cannot be from God: he does not keep the Sabbath.' Others said, 'How can a sinner produce signs like this?' And there was division among them. 17So they spoke to the blind man again, 'What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?' The man answered, 'He is a prophet.' 18However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind without first sending for the parents of the man who had gained his sight and 19asking them, 'Is this man really the son of yours who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?' 20His parents answered, 'We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, 21but how he can see, we don't know, nor who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.' 22His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to ban from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. 23This was why his parents said, 'He is old enough; ask him.' 24So the Jews sent for the man again and said to him, 'Give glory to God! We are satisfied that this man is a sinner.' 25The man answered, 'Whether he is a sinner I don't know; all I know is that I was blind and now I can see.' 26They said to him, 'What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?' 27He replied, 'I have told you once and you wouldn't listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples yourselves?' 28At this they hurled abuse at him, 'It is you who are his disciple, we are disciples of Moses: 29we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don't know where he comes from.' 30The man replied, 'That is just what is so amazing! You don't know where he comes from and he has opened my eyes! 31We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but God does listen to people who are devout and do his will. 32Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of someone born blind; 33if this man were not from God, he wouldn't have been able to do anything.' 34They retorted, 'Are you trying to teach us, and you a sinner through and through ever since you were born!' And they ejected him. 35Jesus heard they had ejected him, and when he found him he said to him, 'Do you believe in the Son of man?' 36'Sir,' the man replied, 'tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.' 37Jesus said, 'You have seen him; he is speaking to you.' 38The man said, 'Lord, I believe,' and worshipped him. 39Jesus said: It is for judgement that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight may become blind. 40Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, 'So we are blind, are we?' 41Jesus replied: If you were blind, you would not be guilty, but since you say, 'We can see,' your guilt remains.
Chapter 10
The good shepherd *[cf. Jr 23; Ezk 34.]
10:1'In all truth I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a bandit. 2He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; 3the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all those that are his, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. 5They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not recognise the voice of strangers.' 6Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he was saying to them. 7So Jesus spoke to them again: In all truth I tell you, I am the gate of the sheepfold. 8All who have come before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep took no notice of them. 9I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: such a one will go in and out and will find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full. 11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 12The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; 13he runs away because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. 16And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and I must lead these too. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be only one flock, one shepherd. 17The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own free will, and as I have power to lay it down, so I have power to take it up again; and this is the command I have received from my Father. 19These words caused a fresh division among the Jews. 20Many said, 'He is possessed, he is raving; why do you listen to him?' 21Others said, 'These are not the words of a man possessed by a devil: could a devil open the eyes of the blind?'
THE FEAST OF DEDICATION: THE DECISION TO KILL JESUS
Jesus claims to be the Son of God22It was the time of the feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon. 24The Jews gathered round him and said, 'How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us openly.' 25Jesus replied: I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name are my witness; 26but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. 27The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from my hand. 29The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand. 30The Father and I are one. 31The Jews fetched stones to stone him, 32so Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?' 33The Jews answered him, 'We are stoning you, not for doing a good work, but for blasphemy; though you are only a man, you claim to be God.' 34Jesus answered: Is it not written in your Law: I said, you are gods? *[Ps 82:6] 35So it uses the word 'gods' of those people to whom the word of God was addressed-and scripture cannot be set aside. 36Yet to someone whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world you say, 'You are blaspheming' because I said, 'I am Son of God.' 37If I am not doing my Father's work, there is no need to believe me; 38but if I am doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do; then you will know for certain that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. 39They again wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded their clutches.
Jesus withdraws to the other side of the Jordan
40He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to the district where John had been baptising at first and he stayed there. 41Many people who came to him said, 'John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true'; 42and many of them believed in him.
Chapter 11
VI: JESUS MOVES TOWARDS HIS DEATH
The resurrection of Lazarus11:1There was a man named Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister, Martha, and he was ill. 2It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. 3The sisters sent this message to Jesus, 'Lord, the man you love is ill.' 4On receiving the message, Jesus said, 'This sickness will not end in death, but it is for God's glory so that through it the Son of God may be glorified.' 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6yet when he heard that he was ill he stayed where he was for two more days 7before saying to the disciples, 'Let us go back to Judaea.' 8The disciples said, 'Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews were trying to stone you; are you going back there again?' 9Jesus replied: Are there not twelve hours in the day? No one who walks in the daytime stumbles, having the light of this world to see by; 10anyone who walks around at night stumbles, having no light as a guide. 11He said that and then added, 'Our friend Lazarus is at rest; I am going to wake him.' 12The disciples said to him, 'Lord, if he is at rest he will be saved.' 13Jesus was speaking of the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by 'rest' he meant 'sleep'; 14so Jesus put it plainly, 'Lazarus is dead; 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe. But let us go to him.' 16Then Thomas-known as the Twin-said to the other disciples, 'Let us also go to die with him.' 17On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. 18Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. 21Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died, 22but even now I know that God will grant whatever you ask of him.' 23Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' 24Martha said, 'I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.' 25Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live, 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? 27'Yes, Lord,' she said, 'I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.' 28When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, 'The Master is here and wants to see you.' 29Hearing this, Mary got up quickly and went to him. 30Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who were in the house comforting Mary saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.' 33At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who had come with her, Jesus was greatly distressed, and with a profound sigh he said, 34'Where have you put him?' They said, 'Lord, come and see.' 35Jesus wept; 36and the Jews said, 'See how much he loved him!' 37But there were some who remarked, 'He opened the eyes of the blind man. Could he not have prevented this man's death?' 38Sighing again, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. 39Jesus said, 'Take the stone away.' Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, 'Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day since he died.' 40Jesus replied, 'Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?' 41So they took the stone away. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. 42I myself knew that you hear me always, but I speak for the sake of all these who are standing around me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me. 43When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' 44The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with strips of material, and a cloth over his face. Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him, let him go free.'
The Jewish leaders decide on the death of Jesus
45Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46but some of them went to the Pharisees to tell them what Jesus had done. 47Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting. 'Here is this man working all these signs,' they said, 'and what action are we taking? 48If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and suppress the Holy Place and our nation.' 49One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, 'You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; 50you fail to see that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people, rather than that the whole nation should perish.' 51He did not speak in his own person, but as high priest of that year he was prophesying that Jesus was to die for the nation- 52and not for the nation only, but also to gather together into one the scattered children of God. 53From that day onwards they were determined to kill him. 54So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples.
The Passover draws near
55The Jewish Passover was drawing near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves 56were looking out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, 'What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?' 57The chief priests and Pharisees had by now given their orders: anyone who knew where he was must inform them so that they could arrest him.
Chapter 12
The anointing at Bethany
12:1Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. 2They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at table. 3Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was filled with the scent of the ointment. 4Then Judas Iscariot-one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him-said, 5'Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?' 6He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contents. 7So Jesus said, 'Leave her alone; let her keep it for the day of my burial. 8You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.' 9Meanwhile a large number of Jews heard that he was there and came not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. 10Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well, 11since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.
The Messiah enters Jerusalem
12The next day the great crowd of people who had come up for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13They took branches of palm and went out to receive him, shouting: 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord, *[Ps 118:25-26] the king of Israel.' 14Jesus found a young donkey and mounted it-as scripture says: 15Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion; look, your king is approaching, riding on the foal of a donkey. *[Zc 9:9-10] 16At first his disciples did not understand this, but later, after Jesus had been glorified, they remembered that this had been written about him and that this was what had happened to him. 17The crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead kept bearing witness to it; 18this was another reason why the crowd came out to receive him: they had heard that he had given this sign. 19Then the Pharisees said to one another, 'You see, you are making no progress; look, the whole world has gone after him!'
Jesus foretells his death and subsequent glorification
20Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21These approached Philip, who came from Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request to him, 'Sir, we should like to see Jesus.' 22Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew and Philip together went to tell Jesus. 23Jesus replied to them: Now the hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. 24In all truth I tell you, unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest. 25Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me, must follow me, and my servant will be with me wherever I am. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him. 27Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour? *[cf. Lk 22:40-46par] But it is for this very reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name! A voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and I will again glorify it.' 29The crowd standing by, who heard this, said it was a clap of thunder; others said, 'It was an angel speaking to him.' 30Jesus answered, 'It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours. 31'Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the prince of this world is to be driven out. 32And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself.' 33By these words he indicated the kind of death he would die. 34The crowd answered, 'The Law has taught us that the Christ will remain for ever. So how can you say, "The Son of man must be lifted up"? Who is this Son of man?' 35Jesus then said: The light will be with you only a little longer now. Go on your way while you have the light, or darkness will overtake you, and nobody who walks in the dark knows where he is going. 36While you still have the light, believe in the light so that you may become children of light. Having said this, Jesus left them and was hidden from their sight.
Conclusion: the unbelief of the Jews
37Though they had been present when he gave so many signs, they did not believe in him; 38this was to fulfil the words of the prophet Isaiah: Lord, who has given credence to what they have heard from us, and who has seen in it a revelation of the Lord's arm? *[Is 53:1] 39Indeed, they were unable to believe because, as Isaiah says again: 40He has blinded their eyes, he has hardened their heart, to prevent them from using their eyes to see, using their heart to understand, changing their ways and being healed by me. *[Is 6:10] 41Isaiah said this because he saw his glory, and his words referred to Jesus. 42And yet there were many who did believe in him, even among the leading men, but they did not admit it, because of the Pharisees and for fear of being banned from the synagogue: 43they put human glory before God's glory. 44Jesus declared publicly: Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in the one who sent me, 45and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me. 46I have come into the world as light, to prevent anyone who believes in me from staying in the dark any more. 47If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully, it is not I who shall judge such a person, since I have come not to judge the world, but to save the world: 48anyone who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. 49For I have not spoken of my own accord; but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and what to speak, 50and I know that his commands mean eternal life. And therefore what the Father has told me is what I speak.
Chapter 13
JESUS' HOUR COMES: THE PASSION AND THE RESURRECTION
JESUS' LAST MEAL WITH HIS DISCIPLES
The washing of feet13:1Before the festival of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, having loved those who were his in the world, loved them to the end. 2They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, 4and he got up from table, removed his outer garments and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; 5he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, 'Lord, are you going to wash my feet?' 7Jesus answered, 'At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.' 8'Never!' said Peter. 'You shall never wash my feet.' Jesus replied, 'If I do not wash you, you can have no share with me.' Simon Peter said, 9'Well then, Lord, not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!' 10Jesus said, 'No one who has had a bath needs washing, such a person is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.' 11He knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said, 'though not all of you are'. 12When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments again he went back to the table. 'Do you understand', he said, 'what I have done to you? 13You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. 14If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you must wash each other's feet. 15I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you. 16'In all truth I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him. 17'Now that you know this, blessed are you if you behave accordingly. 18I am not speaking about all of you: I know the ones I have chosen; but what scripture says must be fulfilled: 'He who shares my table takes advantage of me. *[Ps 41:9] 19I tell you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe that I am He. 20In all truth I tell you, whoever welcomes the one I send, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me.'
The treachery of Judas foretold
21Having said this, Jesus was deeply disturbed and declared, 'In all truth I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.' 22The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he meant. 23The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus; 24Simon Peter signed to him and said, 'Ask who it is he means,' 25so leaning back close to Jesus' chest he said, 'Who is it, Lord?' 26Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I give the piece of bread that I dip in the dish.' And when he had dipped the piece of bread he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27At that instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, 'What you are going to do, do quickly.' 28None of the others at table understood why he said this. 29Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, 'Buy what we need for the festival,' or telling him to give something to the poor. 30As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. It was night.
Farewell discourses
*[These contain teaching given also on other occasions,
and perhaps in different versions. Ch. 16 may be another version
of ch. 14, and ch. 17 yet another]31When he had gone, Jesus said: Now has the Son of man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will in turn glorify him in himself, and will glorify him very soon. 33Little children, I shall be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. 34I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you. 35It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognise you as my disciples. 36Simon Peter said, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus replied, 'Now you cannot follow me where I am going, but later you shall follow me.' 37Peter said to him, 'Why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.' 38'Lay down your life for me?' answered Jesus. 'In all truth I tell you, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.'
Chapter 14
14:1Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me. 2In my Father's house there are many places to live in; otherwise I would have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, 3and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you to myself, so that you may be with me where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going. 5Thomas said, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' 6Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him. 8Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied.' Jesus said to him, 9'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, "Show us the Father"? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works. 11You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe it on the evidence of these works. 12In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father. 13Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15If you love me you will keep my commandments. 16I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete *[The Gk word means 'advocate', 'counsellor', 'protector'] to be with you for ever, 17the Spirit of truth whom the world can never accept since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you. 18I shall not leave you orphans; I shall come to you. 19In a short time the world will no longer see me; but you will see that I live and you also will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you. 21Whoever holds to my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and reveal myself to him.' 22Judas-not Judas Iscariot-said to him, 'Lord, what has happened, that you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?' 23Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him. 24Anyone who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my own: it is the word of the Father who sent me. 25I have said these things to you while still with you; 26but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you. 27Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. 28You heard me say: I am going away and shall return. If you loved me you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29I have told you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe. 30I shall not talk to you much longer, because the prince of this world is on his way. He has no power over me, 31but the world must recognise that I love the Father and that I act just as the Father commanded. Come now, let us go.
Chapter 15
The true vine
*[cf. Is 5:1-7; Mk 12:1-12]1I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. 3You are clean already, by means of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, unless it remains part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. 6Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a branch-and withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire and are burnt. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for whatever you please and you will get it. 8It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit and be my disciples. 9I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete. 12This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.13No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends, if you do what I command you. 15I shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know the master's business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. 16You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. 17My command to you is to love one another.
The disciples and the world
18If the world hates you, you must realise that it hated me before it hated you. 19If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice of you has drawn you out of the world, that is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well. 21But it will be on my account that they will do all this to you, because they do not know the one who sent me. 22If I had not come, if I had not spoken to them, they would have been blameless; but as it is they have no excuse for their sin. 23Anyone who hates me hates my Father. 24If I had not performed such works among them as no one else has ever done, they would be blameless; but as it is, in spite of what they have seen, they hate both me and my Father. 25But all this was only to fulfil the words written in their Law: They hated me without reason. *[Ps 69:4] 26When the Paraclete comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness.27And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Chapter 16
16:1I have told you all this so that you may not fall away. 2They will expel you from the synagogues, and indeed the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is doing a holy service to God. 3They will do these things because they have never known either the Father or me. 4But I have told you all this, so that when the time for it comes you may remember that I told you.
The coming of the Paraclete
I did not tell you this from the beginning, because I was with you; 5but now I am going to the one who sent me. Not one of you asks, 'Where are you going?' 6Yet you are sad at heart because I have told you this. 7Still, I am telling you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going, because unless I go, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will show the world how wrong it was, about sin, and about who was in the right, and about judgement: 9about sin: in that they refuse to believe in me; 10about who was in the right: in that I am going to the Father and you will see me no more; 11about judgement: in that the prince of this world is already condemned. 12I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you to bear now. 13However, when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking of his own accord, but will say only what he has been told; and he will reveal to you the things to come. 14He will glorify me, since all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine. 15Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine.
Jesus to return very soon
16In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again. 17Then some of his disciples said to one another, 'What does he mean, "In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again," and, "I am going to the Father"? 18What is this "short time"? We don't know what he means.' 19Jesus knew that they wanted to question him, so he said, 'You are asking one another what I meant by saying, "In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again." 20'In all truth I tell you, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21A woman in childbirth suffers, because her time has come; but when she has given birth to the child she forgets the suffering in her joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you. 23When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions. In all truth I tell you, anything you ask from the Father he will grant in my name. 24Until now you have not asked anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete. 25I have been telling you these things in veiled language. The hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in veiled language but tell you about the Father in plain words. 26When that day comes you will ask in my name; and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you, 27because the Father himself loves you for loving me, and believing that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and have come into the world and now I am leaving the world to go to the Father.' 29His disciples said, 'Now you are speaking plainly and not using veiled language. 30Now we see that you know everything and need not wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.' 31Jesus answered them: Do you believe at last? 32Listen; the time will come-indeed it has come already-when you are going to be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have hardship, but be courageous: I have conquered the world.
The prayer of Jesus
Chapter 17
17:1After saying this, Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you; 2so that, just as you have given him power over all humanity, he may give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him. 3And eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5Now, Father, glorify me with that glory I had with you before ever the world existed. 6I have revealed your name to those whom you took from the world to give me. They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now at last they have recognised that all you have given me comes from you 8for I have given them the teaching you gave to me, and they have indeed accepted it and know for certain that I came from you, and have believed that it was you who sent me. 9It is for them that I pray. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10All I have is yours and all you have is mine, and in them I am glorified. 11I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us. 12While I was with them, I kept those you had given me true to your name. I have watched over them and not one is lost except one who was destined to be lost, and this was to fulfil the scriptures. 13But now I am coming to you and I say these things in the world to share my joy with them to the full. 14I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. 15I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the Evil One. 16They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. 17Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, 19and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth. 20I pray not only for these but also for those who through their teaching will come to believe in me. 21May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you, so that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me. 22I have given them the glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one.23With me in them and you in me, may they be so perfected in unity that the world will recognise that it was you who sent me and that you have loved them as you have loved me. 24Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see my glory which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25Father, Upright One, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me. 26I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them.
Chapter 18
The Passion
The arrest of Jesus
18:1After he had said all this, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron valley where there was a garden into which he went with his disciples. 2Judas the traitor knew the place also, since Jesus had often met his disciples there, 3so Judas brought the cohort to this place together with guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees, all with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4Knowing everything that was to happen to him, Jesus came forward and said, 'Who are you looking for?' 5They answered, 'Jesus the Nazarene.' He said, 'I am he.' Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. 6When Jesus said to them, 'I am he,' they moved back and fell on the ground. 7He asked them a second time, 'Who are you looking for?' They said, 'Jesus the Nazarene.' 8Jesus replied, 'I have told you that I am he. If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.' 9This was to fulfil the words he had spoken, 'Not one of those you gave me have I lost.' 10Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. 11Jesus said to Peter, 'Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?'
Jesus before Annas and Caiaphas
Peter disowns him12The cohort and its tribune and the Jewish guards seized Jesus and bound him. 13They took him first to Annas, because Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14It was Caiaphas who had counselled the Jews, 'It is better for one man to die for the people.' 15Simon Peter, with another disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple, who was known to the high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest's palace, 16but Peter stayed outside the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the door-keeper and brought Peter in. 17The girl on duty at the door said to Peter, 'Aren't you another of that man's disciples?' He answered, 'I am not.' 18Now it was cold, and the servants and guards had lit a charcoal fire and were standing there warming themselves; so Peter stood there too, warming himself with the others. 19The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20Jesus answered, 'I have spoken openly for all the world to hear; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the Temple where all the Jews meet together; I have said nothing in secret. 21Why ask me? Ask my hearers what I taught; they know what I said.' 22At these words, one of the guards standing by gave Jesus a slap in the face, saying, 'Is that the way you answer the high priest?' 23Jesus replied, 'If there is some offence in what I said, point it out; but if not, why do you strike me?' 24Then Annas sent him, bound, to Caiaphas the high priest. *[Jn has no Sanhedrin session as the other gospels have, only a private interrogation at night.] 25As Simon Peter stood there warming himself, someone said to him, 'Aren't you another of his disciples?' He denied it saying, 'I am not.' 26One of the high priest's servants, a relation of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, 'Didn't I see you in the garden with him?' 27Again Peter denied it; and at once a cock crowed.
Jesus before Pilate
28They then led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now morning. They did not go into the Praetorium themselves to avoid becoming defiled and unable to eat the Passover.29So Pilate came outside to them and said, 'What charge do you bring against this man?' They replied,30'If he were not a criminal, we should not have handed him over to you.'31Pilate said, 'Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.' The Jews answered, 'We are not allowed to put anyone to death.'32This was to fulfil the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way he was going to die.33So Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him and asked him, 'Are you the king of the Jews?'34Jesus replied, 'Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others said it to you about me?'35Pilate answered, 'Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?'36Jesus replied, 'Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom does not belong here.'37Pilate said, 'So, then you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'It is you who say that I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.'38'Truth?' said Pilate. 'What is that?' And so saying he went out again to the Jews and said, 'I find no case against him.39But according to a custom of yours I should release one prisoner at the Passover; would you like me, then, to release for you the king of the Jews?'40At this they shouted, 'Not this man,' they said, 'but Barabbas.' Barabbas was a bandit.
Chapter 19
19:1Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged; 2and after this, the soldiers twisted some thorns into a crown and put i