John’s Good News
An EasyEnglish Version with Notes (1200 word vocabulary) of the Gospel of John
Cynthia Green and Carol Betts
This translated Bible text has been through Advanced Checking.
Words in boxes are comments on the text.
The word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
John’s Gospel is one of the four Gospels. ‘Gospel’ means ‘good
news’. The Gospels are the books that tell us about Jesus’ life on earth. John
was one of the three *disciples who knew the *Lord Jesus Christ best. John
called himself ‘the *disciple that Jesus loved’. We think that John wrote his
Gospel in the city called
John’s Gospel is different from the other three Gospels. It does not describe many things that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke do describe. But it does include many things that are not in the other Gospels. John tells us much more about who Jesus was. John shows us Jesus as the Son of God – the only person who can cause us to live. John teaches us more about God’s Spirit, too.
At the beginning of his Gospel, John calls Jesus ‘the Word’.
v1 In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God. The Word was God. v2 He was with God in the beginning. v3 God made all things by the Word. God did not make anything without him. v4 It is the Word who causes us to live. And because of this, he was the light to all people. v5 The light shines in the dark, and the dark cannot put out the light.
v6 God sent a man. His name was John. v7 He came to tell people about the light. God wanted everyone to believe what John said. v8 John himself was not that light. God sent him to tell people about the light. v9 The true light, that gives light to every person, was coming into the world.
Verses 4-9 The Word (Jesus Christ) is like light. He shows us
what is true. The dark means the *power of God’s enemy, *Satan. He tries to
hide what is true. God’s light shines in the dark. *Satan’s *power cannot put
it out. Jesus said that he himself was the light of the world (John
v10 The Word was in the world. God made the world by him. But the world did not know who he was. v11 He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him. v12 But some people did accept him. Some people did believe who he was. So, he gave authority to those people so that they could become God’s children. v13 These children were not born in the usual human way. They were not born because of what any people wanted. They were not born because of what any man decided. No! They were born from God. v14 The Word became human. He lived among us. We saw how great and how good he is. He is great and good as only the Father’s one true Son can be. He is completely kind. He is full of what is true.
v15 John told people about the Word. He shouted, ‘This is the man that I told you about. He comes after me. But he is greater than I am. He was there before I was born.’ v16 The Word is full of everything that we need. All of us have received from him. We have received one good thing after another good thing. v17 God gave his rules by Moses. But God has been kind to us by Jesus Christ. God has brought his true message to us by Jesus Christ. v18 No person has ever seen God. But God’s only true Son, who is so very near to the Father, has shown God to us.
Jesus Christ was a very special person. That is what John is saying at the beginning of his book. And he is telling us that Jesus had important work to do. He was the Word of God. He was the only person who really knew God. He knew what people were really like too. He was God and he was man too. So, because of that, he could show us what God is like. Only Jesus could make us able to be the people that God wanted us to be.
v19 The *Jews’ leaders sent *priests and *Levites from
Verse 19 A Levite was a person from
Verses 21 and 24
Verse 23 See Isaiah 40:3.
v26 John replied, ‘I *baptise people with water. But there
is someone here among you that you do not know. v27 It is he who comes
after me. I am not good enough even to take off his shoes.’ v28 All
these things happened at a place east from the
v29 The next day, John saw Jesus, who was coming towards
him. John said, ‘Look! Here is God’s Lamb (young sheep), who takes away the
world’s *sin. v30 This is the man that I told you about. I told you, “It
is he who comes after me. But he is greater than I am. He was already there
before I was born.” v31 I did not know him. But I had to show
Verses 29 and 36 John the *Baptist
called Jesus ‘God’s Lamb’ (young sheep). This would have caused the people to remember
the young sheep that they killed for the *Passover meal.
John was called ‘the *Baptist’ because he *baptised people in water.
v35 John and two of his *disciples were standing there the next day. v36 John saw Jesus, who was walking past them. John said, ‘Look! There is God’s Lamb (young sheep).’ v37 When the two *disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. v38 Then Jesus turned round. He saw that they were following him. He asked them, ‘What do you want?’ They said, ‘Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying?’ v39 Jesus replied, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So, they went with him. And they saw where he was staying. It was about 10 in the morning. And they stayed with him that day.
Verse 39 Really, John wrote, ‘It was the 10th hour.’ The *Jews
counted time from
v40 Andrew was one of the two *disciples who had followed Jesus. They had heard what John had said about Jesus. Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother. v41 The first thing that Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon. Andrew said to Simon, ‘We have found the *Messiah.’ (Messiah means *Christ.) v42 Then he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at Simon and he said, ‘You are Simon, John’s son. Your name will be Cephas.’ This name is the same as Peter, which means ‘rock’.
v43 The next day, Jesus decided to go to
v47 Jesus saw Nathanael, who was coming towards him. Jesus
said, ‘Here is a completely honest man. That is what a person from
Verse 51 Jesus called himself the ‘Son of Man’. He is a Man who came to earth from God. That is what this name shows. He came with God’s authority. The *prophets spoke about him (for example, Daniel 7:3). He is the *Messiah.
v1 Two days after that, there was a marriage. It was in
the town called
v6 There were 6 big pots there, which people had made from stone. Each pot could contain 20 to 30 gallons of water. These pots contained water so that the *Jews could wash themselves. The *Jews had special rules about when they must wash themselves. v7 Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the pots with water.’ So they filled the pots to the top. v8 Then he said, ‘Now take some of the water from the pots and give it to the master of the party.’ So they took the water. v9 And the master of the party tasted the water. But the water had become *wine. The master did not know where the *wine had come from. But the servants who had given it to him knew. Then the master asked the bridegroom (the man who had just married) to come to him. v10 The master said to him, ‘Everyone else brings out the best *wine first. Then, when people have had plenty to drink, they give people cheaper *wine. But you are different. You have kept the best *wine until now.’
v11 Jesus did this first *miracle at
Verse 11 Jesus did many *miracles, but John only tells us about 7 of them. John wrote his book in the language called Greek. In that language, John uses a word for these *miracles that means ‘signs’.
v12 After this, Jesus went to
Verse 12
v13 It was almost time for the *Jews’ *Passover. So, Jesus
went to
Verse 15 A whip is something that people use to hit animals (like horses or cows). That causes the animals to go faster. People use ropes to tie things.
Verse 17 See Psalm 69:9.
v18 Then the *Jews asked Jesus, ‘If you have authority to do this, show us a *miracle. Then we will know that you really do have authority.’ v19 Jesus answered them, ‘If you destroy this house of God, I will build it up again in 3 days.’ v20 The *Jews replied, ‘A lot of men worked for 46 years to build this house. And you say that you will build it in 3 days all by yourself!’ v21 But the house that Jesus was speaking about was his own body. v22 The *disciples remembered this when Jesus had become alive again after his death. They remembered that he had said this. Then they believed the *Old Testament. And they believed the words that Jesus had spoken.
v23 While Jesus was in
Verses 13 and 23 The *Passover was a time that was very
special to
Verse 24 To trust means to believe that someone will do the right thing.
v1 There was a *Pharisee called Nicodemus. He was one of the *Jews’ leaders. v2 He came to Jesus at night. He said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi (teacher), we know that God has sent you to us. We have seen the *miracles that you are doing. Nobody could do these things unless God was with him.’ v3 Jesus replied, ‘I am telling you what is true. Unless a person is born from above, they cannot see God’s *kingdom.’ v4 Nicodemus asked, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot return into his mother’s body. He cannot be born a second time.’ v5 Jesus explained, ‘I am telling you what is true. Unless a person is born by water and by God’s Spirit, he cannot go into God’s *kingdom. v6 Human things give birth to what is human. But God’s Spirit gives birth to *spirit. v7 I said to you, “You must be born from above.” What I said should not surprise you. v8 Everyone who is born by God’s Spirit is like the wind. The wind blows where it wants. You can hear it. But you cannot say where it came from. And you cannot say where it is going.’
Verses 3, 5 A kingdom is a place where a king rules. Or it is the people and things that he rules over.
v9 Nicodemus asked, ‘How can this happen?’ v10 Jesus
replied, ‘You are a teacher in
Verse 14 See Numbers 21:4-9.
v17 God did not send his Son into the world because he wanted to *punish people. No, God sent his Son to save the people in the world. v18 God will not decide to *punish anyone who believes the Son. But God has already decided that he must *punish some people. Some people refuse to believe who his one and only Son is. God must *punish anyone who refuses to believe that. v19 This is why God has already decided to *punish some people. It is because light has come into the world. But people did not love the light. They loved the dark instead. That was because they were doing bad things. v20 Everyone who does bad things *hates the light. A person like that will not come to the light because he is afraid. He does not want everyone to see that he has done bad things. v21 But every person who obeys everything true comes to the light. So then the light will show that he was doing God’s work. Everyone can see that he was obeying God.
v22 After this, Jesus and his *disciples went to the
country places in
v27 John replied, ‘A man can receive only what God gives to him. v28 You yourselves will remember what I said. I said, “I am not the Christ, but God sent me before the Christ.” v29 The bride (woman who is marrying) is the bridegroom’s (man who is marrying her). But the bridegroom’s friend stands near him and he listens. That friend is very happy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. I am like that friend, so I am completely happy now. v30 He must become greater, but I must become less important.
v31 He who comes from above is greater than all things. A person who comes from the earth belongs to the earth. A person like that speaks only about things that belong to the earth. He who comes from *heaven is greater than all things. v32 He tells what he has seen. He tells what he has heard. But nobody believes what he is saying. v33 Anyone who does believe his message has said, “Yes, God is true.” v34 He that God has sent speaks God’s words. God fills him completely with God’s Spirit. v35 The Father loves the Son. He has given the Son authority over all things. v36 Anyone who believes the Son is alive for always. But anyone who will not obey the Son will never really live. God will continue to be angry with a person who refuses to obey the Son.’
Verse 28 John the *Baptist said that God sent him before the *Lord
Jesus Christ. He was like someone who brings a message from a king. He had to
tell people that the king was coming to visit them. The *prophet Malachi had
told
v1 The *Pharisees heard the news that many people were
joining Jesus’ group of *disciples. They heard that Jesus was *baptising more *disciples
than John. v2 (But really Jesus himself did not *baptise anyone. It was
only Jesus’ *disciples who *baptised people.) v3 So, when the *Lord knew
about this, he left
v5 He came to a town in
Verses 4-9
‘It was about 6 in the evening.’ John wrote that it was the
6th hour. Many Bible teachers think that John means
v10 Jesus answered the woman, ‘You do not know what God can give. I asked you to give a drink to me. But you do not know who I am. If you did know, you would have asked me to give a drink to you. Then I would have given water to you that would cause you to live.’ v11 The woman said, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where can you get this water that would cause me to live? v12 Jacob, our grandfather, gave this well to us. He, his sons, and his sheep and goats and cows all drank its water. Are you saying that you are greater than Jacob?’ v13 Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks from this well will get thirsty (be without anything to drink) again. v14 But I can give a different kind of water. Whoever drinks that kind of water will never get thirsty again. The water that I will give to him will become a well inside him. That well will continue to give fresh water that will cause him to live always.’ v15 The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give this water to me. Then I will never get thirsty (be without anything to drink) again. And I will not have to continue to come here so that I can get water.’
v16 Jesus said to her, ‘Go, fetch your husband. Then return
here.’ v17 The woman replied, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You
are right when you say, “I have no husband.” v18 The fact is that you
have had 5 husbands. And now you live with a man who is not your husband. What
you have said is quite true.’ v19 The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I can see
that you are a *prophet. v20 Our grandfathers *worshipped on this
mountain. But you *Jews say that
v21 Jesus spoke to her with authority, ‘Believe me, woman.
Soon you will not *worship the Father either on this mountain or at
Verses 20-21 ‘This mountain’ means a mountain in
v27 At this moment, his *disciples returned. They were surprised to see that Jesus was talking to a woman. But none of them asked him, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you talking to her?’ v28 Then the woman left her water-pot and she returned to the town. She said to the people there, v29 ‘Come! See a man who told me everything about myself. He told me all the things that I have ever done! He must be the Christ!’ v30 So they left the town and they went to find Jesus.
v31 While the woman was away, the *disciples said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, eat something.’ v32 But he said to them, ‘I have food that I can eat. But you do not know about it.’ v33 So the *disciples asked each other, ‘Could someone have brought food to him?’ v34 Jesus said to them, ‘I must obey him who sent me. I must finish the work that he has given to me to do. That is my food. v35 You say, “The plants in the farmers’ fields will be ready for the *harvest after 4 more months.” But I say that you should open your eyes. Look at the fields. The plants are ready for the harvest now. v36 God is paying the workers already. They are bringing in the fruit. They are bringing in people who will live always. The person who plants the seeds will be very happy. And the person who brings in the fruit will be very happy too. Both of them will be happy as a result of their work. v37 What people say is true. One person plants the seeds and another person brings in the fruit. v38 I sent you to fetch people like fruit that you have not worked for. Other people did the work. You have brought in the fruit (people) that they worked for.’
Verse 35 Harvest is the time when people bring in the fruits and other food from the farmers’ fields.
v39 Many of the people who lived in that town in
v43 After two days, Jesus left there and he went to
v46 Jesus visited
Verse 52 ‘at 7 in the evening’. John wrote that it was the 7th hour. Many Bible teachers think that John means at 1 in the afternoon. But other Bible teachers think that John means 7 in the evening (*Roman time) here. (See note about John 1:39.)
v1 Some time after that, Jesus went to
v2 There is a pool near the Sheep Gate in
v5 One man there had been ill for 38 years. v6 Jesus
saw this man, who was lying there. Jesus knew that the man had been ill like
this for a very long time. So he asked the man, ‘Do you want to get well?’ v7
The sick man said, ‘Sir, I do not have anyone who will help me. I need somebody
who will put me into the pool. When the water starts to move, I try to get in.
But someone else always gets in before
v10 So, the *Jews’ leaders spoke to the man that Jesus had made well. They said to him, ‘You must not carry your bed on the *Sabbath day. You are not obeying the rules.’ v11 He replied, ‘A man made me well. That man said to me, “Pick up your bed and walk.” ’ v12 So they asked him, ‘Who is this man? Who said to you, “Pick up your bed and walk”?’ v13 The man that Jesus had made well did not know. He did not know who it was. Jesus had gone away into the crowd that was there.
v14 Some time after that, Jesus found the man in God’s Great House (the temple). Jesus said to him, ‘See, you have become well. Stop doing wrong things. If you do not stop, something worse may happen to you.’ v15 Then the man went to the *Jews’ leaders. He told them that it was Jesus. It was Jesus who had made him well. v16 The *Jews’ leaders were angry because Jesus had made a man well on the *Sabbath day. So, they began to cause a lot of trouble for Jesus. v17 But Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is still working, and I am working too.’ v18 So, because Jesus said this, the *Jews’ leaders got even angrier. They wanted even more to kill him. He not only worked on the *Sabbath day. He was also calling God his own Father, so he was making himself equal with God.
Verses 9-18 The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week. God
had said that
v19 So, Jesus answered them, ‘I am telling you what is true. The Son can do nothing by himself. He sees what the Father does. And he can do only those same things. What the Father does, the Son does also. v20 The Father loves the Son. So, he shows the Son all the things that he himself does. And the Father will show the Son even greater things than these. These greater things will surprise you even more. v21 The Father raises dead people, to make them alive again. In the same way, the Son makes alive whomever he chooses. v22 More than that, the Father does not *judge anyone. He has given authority to the Son completely so that the Son will *judge all people. v23 So then all people will know how great the Son is. They know that the Father is very great. In the same way, they will know also that the Son is very great. Some people may refuse to think that the Son is great or important. But really, those people are thinking the same things about the Father, because he sent the Son. v24 I am telling you what is true. Everyone who hears my words should believe the Father. They should believe him who sent me. If they do believe, they are alive for always. God will not *punish them because of the wrong things that they have done. They were dead, but now they have become alive.’
v25 ‘I am telling you what is true. A time will happen soon when the dead people will hear the voice of the Son of God. Really, it is that time already. Those people who hear the Son’s voice will live. v26 The Father himself can cause people to live. In the same way, he has made the Son able to do this also. The Son himself can cause people to live. v27 Also, the Father has given authority to the Son so that he *judges people. The Son says what is right for each person. That is because he is the Son of Man. v28 Do not be surprised by this. There will be a time when all the dead people under the ground will hear the Son’s voice. v29 They will come out from the ground. Those people who have done good things will rise. They will rise so that they can live with God always. Those people who have done bad things will rise. But they will rise so that God can *punish them.’
v30 ‘I can do nothing by myself. I hear what the Father says to me. Then, because of what he says, I *judge. So, what I *judge is right. I am not trying to do what I myself want. The Father sent me. And I want to do what he wants. v31 If I said great things about myself, my words would not be true. v32 But there is someone else who speaks about me. What he says about me is true. I know that. v33 You have sent your people to ask John about me. What he has told you about me is true. v34 I do not need any man to speak on my behalf. No, but I am telling you this only so that God will be able to save you. v35 John was like a light that shone brightly. And for a certain time, you enjoyed the light that he gave.’
v36 ‘But other things show who I am. My Father has given work to me so that I could finish it. And these things that I do, they speak about me. They speak more strongly than John’s words. They show that the Father has sent me. v37 Also, the Father himself, who sent me, has spoken about me. You have never heard his voice. And you have never seen his shape. v38 His word does not stay inside you. You do not believe the Person that the Father sent. That is why his word does not stay in you. v39 You study the Scriptures (*Old Testament) carefully. You think that they will cause you to live. And the Scriptures (*Old Testament) themselves tell you about me. v40 But you refuse to come to me so that you could really live!’
v41 ‘I am not wanting people to say great things about me. If people say great things about me, that is not important to me. v42 But I know what kind of people you are. I know that you do not really love God or other people. v43 I have come with my Father’s authority, but you do not accept me. But if someone else comes with his own authority, you will accept him. v44 When you say good things about each other, it makes you happy. But you do not try to make God happy. You do not want the only God to say good things about you. That is why you cannot believe me. v45 But I will not tell the Father that you are wrong. Do not think that I will do that. No, because it is Moses who will do that. You hope that Moses will help you. But he will tell the Father that you are wrong. v46 If you had really believed Moses, you would have believed me. That is because Moses wrote about me. v47 But you do not believe what Moses wrote. So, you cannot believe what I say.’
Verses 45-47 Moses wrote the first 5 books of the *Old Testament.
v1 Some time after that, Jesus went across
v5 Jesus looked up. He saw a large crowd of people who were coming towards him. Then he said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy enough bread to feed all these people?’ v6 Jesus himself already knew what he would do. But he asked Philip this question for a reason. He wanted to know what Philip would say. v7 Philip answered, ‘A man might work for 8 months. But, he still would not have enough money to buy bread for all these people. Still there would not be enough bread for each person here to have a little piece.’ v8 Then Andrew, another one of Jesus’ *disciples, spoke. He was Simon Peter’s brother. He said to Jesus, v9 ‘Here is a boy who has 5 small loaves and two small fish. But certainly, they will not be enough food for so many people.’
v10 Jesus said, ‘Cause the people to sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, so the people sat down. There were about 5000 men. v11 Jesus took the loaves and he thanked God for them. Then he broke the loaves into pieces. He passed them to all the people who were sitting there. Everyone had all the bread that they wanted to eat. Jesus did the same with the fish. v12 When all the people had eaten enough food, Jesus spoke. He said to his *disciples, ‘Do not waste anything. Pick up all the pieces that the people have not eaten.’ v13 So the *disciples picked up all the pieces. They filled 12 baskets with the pieces of bread that the people had not eaten.
v14 The people had seen this *miracle that Jesus had done. So, they began to talk about it. They said, ‘Certainly, this man is the *Prophet who must come into the world.’ v15 The people wanted to take Jesus so that they could make him their king. But Jesus knew what they wanted to do. So, he went away alone to the hills again.
v16 When it was evening, the *disciples went down to the
lake. v17 They got into a boat and they started to travel towards
v22 The crowd of people had stayed on the other side of
the lake. The next day, they looked round. They saw that the only boat had
gone. They knew that the *disciples had taken it. And they knew that Jesus had
not gone with his *disciples. v23 (But other boats from Tiberias had
arrived near to the place where all the people had eaten the bread. They had
eaten that bread after the *Lord had thanked God for it.) v24 The crowd
saw that neither Jesus nor his *disciples were there. So, they got into the
boats and they went to
v25 The people found Jesus on the other side of the lake. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, when did you arrive here?’ v26 Jesus answered, ‘I am telling you what is true. You saw me do *miracles. But you are not looking for me because of that. No, you are looking for me because you ate the loaves. You ate all the bread that you wanted to eat. So then you were full. v27 Do not work to get the food that does not continue. Instead, work to get the food that does continue. Work to get the food that causes you to live always. God, the Father, has put his mark of authority upon the Son. That is why the Son of Man will give this food to you.’
v28 Then the people asked him, ‘How can we do the work that God wants us to do?’ v29 Jesus answered, ‘Believe him that God has sent to you. That is the work that God wants you to do.’ v30 So then the people asked him, ‘What *miracle will you do? If we see a *miracle, we will believe you. What will you do? v31 Our grandfathers ate manna (special food from God) in the *wild, dry places. As it says in the *Old Testament, “God gave bread to them from *heaven so that they could eat it.” ’ v32 Jesus said to them, ‘I am telling you what is true. It was not Moses who gave that bread to you from *heaven. No, but it is my Father who really gives to you the bread from *heaven. v33 God’s bread is he who comes down from *heaven. He causes people in the world to live.’ v34 So they said to him, ‘Sir, give this bread to us now and always.’
Verse 31 See Exodus 16:4.
v35 Then Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread that causes people to live. Anyone who comes to me will never be hungry. Anyone who believes me will never be thirsty (without anything to drink). v36 But you have seen me and still you do not believe me. I have told you that before. v37 Everyone that the Father gives to me will come to me. When anyone comes to me, I will never send that person away. v38 I have not come down from *heaven to do what I myself choose to do. No, instead I have come to obey him who sent me. v39 He who sent me does not want me to lose anyone. He does not want me to lose even one of the people that he has given to me. He wants me to raise all of them up on the last day, so that they live with me always. v40 These are the people who will be alive for always: Everyone who sees the Son and believes him. And I will raise them up on the last day. That is what my Father wants.’
v41 Jesus had said, ‘I am the bread that came down from *heaven.’ When he said this, the *Jews did not like it. So, they started to say bad things about Jesus. v42 They said, ‘But this is Jesus, the son of Joseph. We know his father and his mother. So, he should not say that he came down from *heaven.’
v43 Jesus answered, ‘Stop saying these bad things to each other. v44 The Father has sent me. Nobody can come to me unless the Father brings them to me. And I will raise that person up on the last day, so that they live with me always. v45 The *prophets wrote in the *Old Testament, “God will teach all the people.” These are the people who come to me: Everyone who hears the Father and learns from him. v46 I do not mean that anyone has seen the Father. Nobody has seen the Father except the Person who has come from God. It is he who has seen the Father. v47 I am telling you what is true. The person who believes this is alive for always. v48 I am the bread that causes you to live. v49 Your grandfathers ate the manna (special food from God) in the *wild, dry places, but they died. v50 This bread that comes down from *heaven is different. Anyone who eats this bread will not die. v51 I am the bread that is alive. This bread came down from *heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live always. The bread that I will give is my body. I will give it so that all people in the world can live.’
Verse 44 See Isaiah 54:13.
v52 Then the *Jews became angry and they quarrelled with each other even more. They said, ‘This man cannot give his body to us so that we can eat it!’ v53 Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you what is true. You must eat the body of the Son of Man and you must drink his blood. Unless you do those things, you are not really alive. v54 Every person needs to eat my body and they need to drink my blood. If they do those things, they are alive for always. And I will raise them up on the last day. v55 My body is proper food and my blood is proper drink. v56 Every person needs to eat my body and they need to drink my blood. If a person does that, that person lives in me. And I live in them. v57 The Father, who is alive, sent me. And I live because of him. In the same way, anyone who eats me will live because of me. v58 This is the bread that came down from *heaven. It is not like the manna (special food from God) that your grandfathers ate. They ate it but they died. But the person who eats this bread will live always.’
v59 Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the *synagogue
at
v60 Many of Jesus’ *disciples did not like these words. They said, ‘This thing that he teaches is too difficult. Nobody can agree with it!’ v61 Jesus himself knew that the *disciples were arguing. He did not need anyone to tell him. He said to them, ‘This seems to make you surprised and angry. v62 So think about this. The Son of Man goes up again to the place where he was before. And you see him go up. Think about how you would feel then. v63 It is the Spirit that causes you to live. The body alone is worth nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are *spirit. They cause you to live. v64 But some of you do not believe.’ Jesus had known from the beginning which of them would not believe. Also, he had always known who would sell him to his *enemies. v65 Then Jesus said these words: ‘So I told you that only the Father can bring people to me. Nobody can come to me unless the Father makes them able to come.’
v66 From that time, many of Jesus’ *disciples left him. They did not follow him any longer. v67 Then Jesus asked the 12 special *disciples, ‘Do you want to go away, too?’ v68 Simon Peter answered him, ‘*Lord, we do not know whom we would go away to. You have the words that cause people to live always. v69 And we believe that you are the *Holy One. We believe that you have come from God. We are sure about that.’ v70 Jesus replied, ‘I have chosen the 12 of you. But one of you is a devil (bad *spirit from *Satan)!’ v71 He was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the 12 special *disciples. But after this time he would sell Jesus to Jesus’ *enemies.
v1 After this, Jesus visited many places in
v6 So Jesus answered, ‘It is not the right time for me yet.
But any time is right for you. v7 People who belong to this world cannot
*hate you. But they *hate me. The things that they do are wrong. And I show
that those things are wrong. That is why they *hate me. v8 You go to the
*festival. I will not go to it yet because it is not the right time for me yet.’
v9 Jesus said this and then he stayed in
Verse 2 The *Festival of Tabernacles continued for a week. The
people built houses from branches and they lived in these small houses during
the *festival. This helped them to remember what God had done many years before
this. A long time before this, their grandfathers had left
v10 Some time after his brothers had gone, Jesus went to the *festival also. But he did not let everybody know that he was going. Instead, he went secretly. v11 The *Jews’ leaders were looking for him at the *festival. They asked, ‘Where is that man?’ v12 Small groups in the crowd were talking quietly. Some people said, ‘He is a good man.’ But other people said, ‘No, he is telling the people things that are not true.’ v13 But nobody spoke loudly about him, because they were afraid of the *Jews’ leaders.
v14 When about half of the time for the *festival had finished, Jesus went to God’s Great House (the temple). He started to teach there. v15 The *Jews’ leaders were very surprised. They asked, ‘How does this man know so much? He has not learned in our schools.’ v16 Jesus answered, ‘What I teach does not come from me. No, it comes from him who sent me. v17 Anyone can choose to do what God wants. Those people will know about what I teach. They will know whether it comes from God. And they will know if it comes from my own thoughts. v18 A person who teaches his own ideas wants people to think great things about him. But a person who wants to show great things about someone else is different. A person like that wants people to think great things about him who sent him. A person like that is honest and there is nothing false in him. v19 Moses gave God’s rules to you. But not one of you obeys those rules. Why are you trying to kill me?’
v20 The crowd answered, ‘You have a demon (bad *spirit from *Satan). Who is trying to kill you?’ v21 Jesus replied, ‘I have done one *miracle on the *Sabbath day, and all of you were surprised. v22 But you will *circumcise a boy on the *Sabbath day. Moses told you that you must *circumcise your sons. That is why you will do it. Your grandfathers did it even before Moses was born. v23 You will *circumcise a boy on the *Sabbath day so that you obey Moses’ rules. So you should not be angry with me because I made a man completely well on the *Sabbath day. v24 Do not *judge about things because of what they may seem to be. Instead, *judge about things because of what is right.’
Verses 22-23 God had told
v25 Some of the people in
v28 Jesus was teaching in God’s Great House (the temple).
He shouted, ‘Yes, you know me. And you know where I came from. I have not come
because I myself decided to come. He who sent me is true. You do not know him. v29
But I know him because I have come from him. He sent
v32 The *Pharisees heard what the crowds were saying quietly about Jesus. Then the most important *priests and the *Pharisees sent some soldiers to take him away. v33 Jesus said, ‘I will be with you for only a short time. Then I will go to him who sent me. v34 You will look for me, but you will not find me. You cannot go to the place where I will be.’ v35 The *Jews’ leaders asked each other, ‘What is he trying to tell us? Where can he go so that we cannot find him? Perhaps he will go to our people who live among the *Greeks. Perhaps he will go to teach the Greeks. v36 He says, “You will look for me, but you will not find me.” And he says, “You cannot go to the place where I will be.” What does he mean?’
Verse 35 Greeks are people who come from the country called
v37 The last day of the *festival was the most important day. On that day, Jesus stood up and he spoke with a loud voice. He said, ‘If anyone is thirsty (without anything to drink), he should come to me. He should come to me and he should drink. v38 As it says in the *Old Testament, “God will cause streams of water to pour out from anyone who believes me. Streams of the water that causes people to live will come out from inside that person.” ’ v39 Jesus was speaking about God’s Spirit, who would come to people some time after that. Those people who believed Jesus would receive God’s Spirit then. But God had not given his Spirit yet, because he had not raised Jesus yet. He had not yet raised Jesus, so that Jesus could be in *heaven with him again.
Verse 38 Many verses in the *Old Testament speak about water that causes us to live. See, for example, Isaiah 44:3; 58:11 and Zechariah 13:1; 14:8. The *Jews would read these verses aloud at the *Festival of Tabernacles.
v40 Some of the people in the crowd heard Jesus say these
words. Then they said, ‘This man really is the *Prophet that we were waiting
for!’ v41 Other people said, ‘This man is the Christ.’ But some people
said, ‘The *Prophet will not come from
v45 The soldiers returned to the most important *priests
and the *Pharisees. They asked the soldiers, ‘Why did you not bring him here?’ v46
The soldiers answered, ‘Nobody has ever spoken like this man speaks.’ v47
The *Pharisees replied, ‘He seems to have caused you to believe these silly
things! v48 None of the *Pharisees or the leaders believes him. Surely,
you know that! v49 But this crowd does not know Moses’ rules. So, God
will cause very bad things to happen to them.’ v50 Nicodemus was one of
the *Pharisees. He was the man who had gone to see Jesus before. He said to the
other people, v51 ‘Our rules say that we must listen to a man first. We
must find out first what he has done. Only then can we *judge him.’ v52
They answered, ‘Perhaps you come from
Many old translations do not have the last verse of chapter 7.
Many old translations do not have the first 11 verses of chapter 8 here.
v1 But Jesus went to the Mount (mountain) of *Olives. v2 Early the next morning, he returned to God’s Great House (the temple). All the people came to him. He sat down and he began to teach them.
v3 The *Pharisees and the scribes (men who taught God’s rules) brought a woman to him. They had found her with another man. She was having sex with a man who was not her husband. They caused her to stand in front of all the people there. v4 They said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we found this woman. She was having sex with a man who was not her husband. v5 Moses’ rules say that we should throw stones at this kind of woman, to kill her. What do you say about this?’ v6 They asked this question for a reason. They wanted Jesus to say something that they could use against him. But Jesus bent himself down. He started to write on the ground with his finger.
v7 They continued to ask him questions. Then he stood up. He said to them, ‘If any one of you has never done anything wrong, he can throw the first stone at her.’ v8 He bent himself down again and he wrote on the ground. v9 When they heard this, they began to leave. They went one at a time. The older ones went first. So then Jesus was alone with the woman. She was still standing there. v10 Jesus stood up. He said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? There seems to be nobody still here who wants to *punish you.’ v11 She said, ‘There is nobody, Sir.’ So Jesus said, ‘And I do not want to *punish you. Go away and do not do wrong things again.’
Verse 1 The Mount of Olives was like a line of mountains
outside
v12 Jesus spoke to the people again. He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Anyone who becomes my *disciple will never walk in the dark. No, he will have the light that causes people to live.’ v13 The *Pharisees began to argue with him. They said, ‘You are saying things about yourself. But you are only one man. So, what you say is not certainly true.’
v14 Jesus answered, ‘What I say is true. Even if I do speak on my own behalf, my words are true. I know where I came from. I know where I will go. But you do not know where I came from. You do not know where I will go. v15 You *judge in a human way. I do not *judge anyone. v16 But if I did *judge anyone, I would *judge correctly. That is because I am not alone. The Father, who sent me, is with me. v17 Your rules say, “There must be two people who agree about something. If there are two people, their words are true.” v18 I speak on my own behalf. The Father, who sent me, speaks about me also.’
Verse 12 Jesus said that he was the light of the world. The *Jews lit a special light in God’s Great House during the *Festival of Tabernacles.
Verse 17 See Deuteronomy 17:6;
v19 Then they asked him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know either me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ v20 Jesus said all these words while he taught in God’s Great House (the temple). He was near the place where they kept the gifts of money. Nobody took him away to a prison, because it was not the right time for that yet.
v21 Jesus said to them again, ‘I will go away and you will look for me. But you are *sinful and you will die *sinful. You cannot go where I will go.’ v22 So, the *Jews’ leaders said to each other, ‘Perhaps he means that he will kill himself. He says, “You cannot go where I will go.” Perhaps that is why he says this.’ v23 Jesus answered, ‘You belong to the things down here. But I come from above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world. v24 That is why I told you this. I told you that you would die *sinful. You must believe that “I am”. If you will not believe, you will die *sinful.’
v25 Then they asked him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you who I am from the beginning. That is who I am. v26 I have many things to say about you. I must *judge about many things that you do. But he who sent me is true. I tell the world only what I have heard from him.’ v27 They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. v28 So Jesus said, ‘You will lift up the Son of Man. Then you will know that “I am”. And you will know that I do nothing by myself. I say only what the Father has taught me to say. v29 He who sent me is with me. He has not caused me to be alone, because I obey him always. I do always the things that he wants me to do.’ v30 Many people who heard Jesus say these things believed him.
The *Jews’ leaders were becoming more and more angry with Jesus. Some people believed Jesus, but many did not believe him.
The people did not believe that Jesus’ Father was God. The *Jews
used ‘I am’ as the name of God. Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world’ or only
the words ‘I am’ (
v31 Then Jesus spoke to the *Jews who believed him. He said, ‘Continue to obey the words that I have spoken to you. If you continue to do that, you are really my *disciples. v32 And you will know what is true. And what is true will make you free.’ v33 They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s grandchildren. We have never been anyone’s slaves. But you say to us, “You will become free.” What do you mean?’
v34 Jesus answered them, ‘I am telling you what is true. Everyone who does *sinful things is a slave to *sin. v35 A slave does not belong to a family for always. But a son does belong to a family for always. v36 So, if the Son makes you free, you will really be free. v37 I know that you are Abraham’s grandchildren. But you are trying to kill me, because you have no room in yourselves for my words. v38 I speak about what my Father has shown me. But you do what you have heard from your father.’
v39 They answered, ‘Abraham is our father!’ Jesus replied, ‘If you were really Abraham’s children, you would be like him. You would do the same things that he did. v40 I am a man who has told you only true things. I have told you the true things that I have heard from God. But you want to kill me. Abraham did not do anything like that! v41 You do the same things that your father does.’ They said to him, ‘God himself is our only Father, and we are his proper sons!’
v42 Jesus said to them, ‘If God was really your Father, you would love me. I came from God and now I am here. I did not come because it was my own idea. No, but God sent me. v43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot really hear my message. v44 You are the children of your father, the *Devil. And you want to do the things that he wants. From the beginning, he was someone who killed people. He did not continue with what is true. There is nothing true in him. He says things that are not true. And then he is showing what he himself is like. He is the father of everything that is not true. v45 But I tell you what is true. And that is why you do not believe me. v46 None of you can show that I have done anything wrong. You should believe me, because I am telling you true things. v47 Someone who is God’s hears God’s words. But you are not God’s. That is why you do not hear.’
v48 The *Jews answered him, ‘What we say about you is
right! You are from
v54 Jesus replied, ‘If I myself wanted people to think great things about me, that would be worth nothing. But it is my Father who wants that. And you say that he is your God. v55 You have never known him, but I know him. I might say, “I do not know him.” But then I would be saying something that is not true. So, I would be like you. But I do know him, and I obey his words. v56 Your father Abraham knew that I would come. He knew that he would see that time. He knew that he would be very happy then. He did see that time, and he was very happy.’
v57 The *Jews said, ‘You are not 50 years old yet. But you say that you have seen Abraham!’ v58 Jesus said, ‘I am telling you what is true. Before Abraham was even born, “I am”.’ v59 Then they picked up stones so that they could throw them at him. But Jesus hid himself, and he went out of God’s Great House (the temple).
Verse 58 The *Jews used ‘I am’ as the name of God. When Jesus said, ‘I am’, they would have recognised this name. He was saying that he is God.
v1 While Jesus was walking along, he saw a certain man. This man had been unable to see since he was born. v2 Jesus’ *disciples asked him, ‘Teacher, why was this man born unable to see? Was it because he himself did something wrong? Or was it because his parents did something wrong?’ v3 Jesus answered, ‘It was not because either this man or his parents did something wrong. It happened so that God could show his work in this man. v4 While it is still day, we must continue to work. We must do the work of him who sent me. We must work now because it will be night soon. Then nobody can work. v5 While I am in the world, I am the world’s light.’
v6 When Jesus had finished speaking, he spat (sent water from his mouth) on the ground. He mixed it on the ground so that he made *mud. Then he put some of the *mud on the eyes of the man who was unable to see. v7 Jesus said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Siloam pool.’ (The name Siloam means ‘sent’.) So the man went there and he washed himself. When he returned, he could see.
v8 Then people who knew the man began to talk about him. Also, people who had seen him before spoke to each other about him. They had seen him when he was asking for money. They asked, ‘Is this the man who sat here? Is this the man who asked for money?’ v9 Some people said, ‘Yes, it is him.’ But other people said, ‘No, it is someone who is very like him.’ So the man himself said, ‘I am that man.’ v10 Then they asked him, ‘How did you become able to see?’ v11 He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made some *mud. He put the *mud on my eyes. Then he sent me to wash in the Siloam pool. So I went there and I washed. And then I could see.’ v12 They asked him, ‘Where is this man?’ He replied, ‘I do not know.’
v13 The people brought the man who had been unable to see to the *Pharisees. v14 (Jesus had made the *mud and then he had caused the man to see on a *Sabbath day.) v15 So the *Pharisees asked the man again, ‘How did you become able to see?’ The man replied, ‘Jesus put *mud on my eyes. Then I washed and now I can see.’
Verses 6-15 When water mixes with material from the ground, it makes mud.
v16 So some of the *Pharisees said, ‘This man (Jesus) cannot have come from God. He does not obey the rules about the *Sabbath day.’ But other *Pharisees said, ‘Nobody who is *sinful could do great things like this!’ So they did not agree with each other. v17 The *Pharisees spoke again to the man who had been unable to see. They said, ‘What do you yourself say about this man who has made you able to see?’ The man replied, ‘He is a *prophet.’
v18 The *Jews’ leaders did not want to believe that the man had really been unable to see. They did not want to believe that he had become able to see. So, they sent people to ask the man’s parents to come to them. v19 They asked the parents, ‘Is this your son? You say, “When he was born, he was unable to see.” But now he can see. How did this happen?’ v20 The parents replied, ‘We know that this is our son. And when he was born, he was unable to see. We know that, too. v21 But we do not know how he can see now. And we do not know who made him able to see. Ask him. He is old enough. He himself can answer!’ v22 The man’s parents said these things because they were afraid of the *Jews’ leaders. The *Jews’ leaders did not want anyone to say that Jesus was the Christ. They had already agreed to *punish anyone who said that. The leaders would not let anyone like that belong to the *synagogue. v23 That is why the man’s parents said, ‘Ask him. He is old enough.’
v24 So the leaders asked again to speak to the man who had been unable to see. They said to him, ‘Promise that you will speak only true things. Promise that in front of God. We know that this man is *sinful.’ v25 The man replied, ‘I do not know whether he is *sinful or not. But I do know one thing. I was unable to see and now I can see. I do know that.’ v26 Then they asked him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he make you able to see?’ v27 He answered them, ‘I have told you already and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his *disciples too?’ v28 Then they were very angry with him. They shouted at him, ‘You are that man’s *disciple. But we are Moses’ *disciples. v29 We know that God spoke to Moses. But we do not even know where this man comes from.’
v30 The man answered, ‘That is a very strange thing! You
do not know where Jesus comes from. But it was he who made me able to see. v31
We know that God does not listen to *sinful people. But God does listen to some
people:
People who believe how great he is.
People who do what he wants them to do.
He does listen to those people. We know that. v32 Nobody before has ever
made a man able to see, who was born unable to see. Since the world began,
nobody has ever done that! v33 Surely, this man who made me able to see has
come from God. Unless he came from God, he could not do anything.’ v34
The *Jews’ leaders answered, ‘You have always been *sinful, since the day that
you were born. You cannot try to teach us!’ And they threw him out.
v35 Jesus heard that the *Jews’ leaders had thrown the man out. So, he found the man. And Jesus asked him, ‘Do you believe the Son of Man?’ v36 The man answered, ‘Sir, please tell me who he is. Then I can believe him.’ v37 Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him. It is he who is talking to you now. I am he.’ v38 Then the man said, ‘*Lord, I believe.’ He bent down on his knees and he *worshipped Jesus.
v39 Then Jesus said, ‘I came into this world to show what people are really like. So then, those people who do not see will be able to see. And those people who do see will become unable to see.’ v40 Some of the *Pharisees who were there with him heard this. They asked Jesus, ‘Do you mean that we are unable to see also?’ v41 Jesus said to them, ‘If you were unable to see, you would not have done anything wrong. But you say that you can see. So, that means that you are still continuing to do something wrong.’
v1 Jesus said, ‘I am telling you what is true. A *shepherd keeps his sheep in a safe place with a wall round it. There is a gate into that safe place. Anyone else who gets into that place by another way, not through the gate, is not the *shepherd. That person is bad. He comes to take away the sheep that are not his. v2 The *shepherd goes in through the gate. v3 The person who watches the gate opens it for the *shepherd. The sheep recognise the *shepherd’s voice. He calls each of his own sheep by their name and he leads them out. v4 When he has brought all his own sheep out, he goes in front of them. And the sheep follow him because they know his voice. v5 They will not follow a stranger. They will run away from a stranger because they do not recognise his voice.’
v6 Jesus told them this story that was like a picture. But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
v7 So Jesus spoke again. ‘I am telling you what is true. I am like the gate for the *sheep. v8 All other men who ever came to the sheep before me were bad. They wanted to take away the sheep that were not theirs. But the sheep did not listen to them. v9 I am like the gate. Anyone who comes in through me will be safe. He will come in and he will go out. And he will find plenty of food. v10 He who comes to take away my *sheep comes only to kill them. He comes only to destroy. I have come so that they can live. I have come so that they can live more and more completely.’
v11 ‘I am like the good *shepherd. The good *shepherd would die so that he can save his sheep. v12 Another man may work with the sheep so that he gets money. But the sheep are not his own. A man like that is not the *shepherd. A man like that runs away when he sees a wolf (a wild dog). The wolf comes to kill the sheep. But a man like that leaves the sheep and he runs away. So, the wolf attacks the sheep and it causes them to run in all directions. v13 That man runs away because the sheep are not his own. The sheep do not really matter to him.’
v14 ‘I am like the good *shepherd. I know my own *sheep, and they know me. v15 I know them in the same way that my Father knows me. And they know me in the same way that I know the Father. And I will die on behalf of the *sheep. v16 I have other *sheep also, and I must bring them too. They do not belong to this group of sheep. But they will listen to my voice, and so all the sheep will become one group, with one *shepherd. v17 The Father loves me because I will choose to die. I will choose to die so that then I can become alive again. v18 Nobody causes me to die. No, instead, I myself choose to die. I have authority so that I can choose to die. Also, I have authority so that I can become alive again. My Father has said that I must do that.’
v19 Again, the *Jews could not agree about these things that Jesus said. v20 Many of them said, ‘He has a demon (bad *spirit from *Satan) and he is crazy. You should not listen to him!’ v21 But other people said, ‘A man with a demon (bad *spirit) could not talk like this! A demon could not make people able to see!’
Verses 1-16 A shepherd is a person who keeps sheep safe. And he is good to them. The *prophets had often said that God was like a shepherd. He is good to his people as a shepherd is good to his sheep.
v22 It was the time for the *Dedication
*Festival at
Verse 22 At the *Dedication *
v23 It was winter. And Jesus was walking under a roof by the side of God’s Great House (the temple). The place was called *Solomon’s porch. v24 The *Jews’ leaders stood round him. They said to him, ‘We want to be sure about who you are. When will you tell us? If you are the Christ, tell us clearly.’ v25 Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, but you do not believe. The things that I do by my Father’s authority show you about me. Those things show you who I am. v26 But you refuse to believe, because you do not belong to my *sheep. v27 My *sheep recognise my voice. I know them, and they follow me. v28 I cause them to live always. They will never die. Nobody can ever take them away from me. v29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all things. Nobody can ever take my *sheep out of my Father’s hand. v30 My Father and I are one Person.’
v31 Then the *Jews’ leaders picked up stones again to throw at Jesus so that they could kill him. v32 Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good things. The Father told me that I must do them. You have seen me do those good things. Which of those good things have caused you to throw stones at me?’ v33 The *Jews’ leaders answered, ‘We do not want to kill you with stones because of any good things that you have done. We want to kill you with stones because you are speaking against God. You are only a man. But you are saying that you are God.’
v34 Jesus answered, ‘It says in your own Scriptures (*Old Testament) that God said, “You are gods.” v35 God called the people to whom he spoke ‘gods’. And the Scriptures are always true. v36 The Father chose me. And he sent me into the world. I said that I am God’s Son. So you should not say, because of that, that I speak against God. v37 If I am not doing my Father’s work, do not believe me. v38 But if I am doing his work, believe that work. Even if you do not believe me, believe my work. Believe the things that I do. Then you will know certainly that the Father is in me. And you will know that I am in the Father.’
Verse 34 See Psalm 82:6.
v39 Again, the *Jews’ leaders tried to catch Jesus. But he got away from them.
v40 Jesus returned across the
v1 A certain man, who was called Lazarus, became ill. Lazarus lived at Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived too. v2 It was this Mary who had poured oil with a lovely smell over the *Lord. Then she had cleaned his feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was ill. v3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus. The message said, ‘*Lord, the friend that you love is ill.’
v4 Jesus heard the message. Then he said, ‘This illness will not finish with Lazarus’s death. No, its purpose is to show how great and how powerful God is. It will show how great God’s Son is.’ v5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and their brother Lazarus, too. v6 He heard the news that Lazarus was ill. But then he stayed in the place where he was for two more days.
v7 After that, Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘We will return to Judea.’ v8 The *disciples said, ‘Teacher, only a short time ago, the *Jews there tried to kill you with stones. You should not return there!’ v9 Jesus answered, ‘You know that there are 12 hours in the day. Anyone who walks during the day will not fall down. He will not fall down because he sees this world’s light. v10 But anyone who walks during the night will fall down. He will fall down because there is no light in him.’
v11 Jesus said that. Then he said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus is sleeping. But I go there to wake him up.’ v12 So the *disciples said to him, ‘If he is sleeping, *Lord, he will get well.’ v13 But Jesus meant that Lazarus had died. The *disciples thought that Jesus was talking about sleep as rest. v14 So then, Jesus told them clearly, ‘Lazarus is dead. v15 But I am happy that I was not with him. I am happy about that because now you will believe. We must go to him now.’ v16 Thomas, who was called *Didymus, spoke to the other *disciples. He said, ‘We will go with our Teacher, so that we can die with him!’
Verse 16 Didymus means ‘the Twin’. A twin is one of two children with the same mother who were born at the same time.
v17 Jesus arrived at
v20 Martha heard the news that Jesus was coming. So immediately, she went out to meet him. But Mary stayed at home. v21 Martha said to Jesus, ‘*Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. v22 But I know that, even now, God will answer you. God will do whatever you ask him.’ v23 Jesus told her, ‘Your brother will rise, to become alive again.’ v24 Martha replied, ‘I know that he will rise, to become alive again, on the last day.’ v25 Jesus said to her, ‘It is I who raise dead people, to make them alive. I cause people to live. Anyone who believes me will live. Even if that person dies, he will live. v26 Some people will live and believe in me. Anyone who does that will never die. Do you believe that?’ v27 She answered, ‘Yes, *Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son. You are the man that God promised to send into the world.’
v28 After this, Martha went home and she spoke secretly to her sister, Mary. Martha said, ‘The Teacher is here, and he is asking to meet you.’ v29 When Mary heard this, she got up. She hurried out to meet Jesus. v30 Jesus had not arrived in the village yet. He was still in the place where Martha had met him. v31 The *Jews in the house, who were being kind to Mary, saw her get up quickly. They saw her go out and so they followed her. They thought that she was going to the *tomb to weep there.
v32 Mary arrived at the place where Jesus was. When she saw Jesus, she fell at his feet. She said, ‘*Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ v33 Jesus saw that Mary was weeping. The *Jews who had come with her were weeping, too. Jesus saw them and he felt very, very sad in his *spirit. He was very sorry for them. v34 He asked them, ‘Where have you put his dead body?’ They answered, ‘Come and see, *Lord.’ v35 Jesus wept. v36 Then the *Jews said to each other, ‘See how much he loved Lazarus!’ v37 But some of them said, ‘He opened the eyes of the man who could not see. So, surely he would have been able to stop Lazarus from dying.’
v38 Jesus felt very, very sad again while he was coming to
the *tomb. It was a big hole in the rock. A very big stone covered the way into
it. v39 Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha, the dead man’s
sister, said to Jesus, ‘But *Lord, his dead body will have a bad smell. He has
been dead for 4 days!’ v40 Jesus said to her, ‘I told you that you must
believe. Then, as a result, you will see how great and how powerful God is.
That is what I told you.’ v41 So they took the stone away. Jesus looked
up towards the sky. He said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have listened to me.
v42 I know that you listen to me always. But I said this because of all
the people who are standing here. I want them to believe that you sent
v45 Many of the *Jews who had come to visit Mary saw this. They saw what Jesus did. So, they believed him. v46 But some of them went to the *Pharisees. They told the *Pharisees what Jesus had done. v47 Then the *Pharisees and the most important *priests had a meeting. They said to each other, ‘What will we do? This man is doing so many *miracles. v48 If we let him do more things like this, everyone will believe him. Then the *Romans will come. And they will destroy our temple (God’s Great House) and they will kill our people.’
Verse 48 The *Romans had attacked
The *priests’ leaders and the *Pharisees did not want to believe Jesus. Jesus had said that he was God’s Son. But that had made them very angry. They were even angrier when Jesus made the dead man, Lazarus, alive again. They were afraid that they would lose their authority. They were afraid that the people would make Jesus their leader, or even a king. So then the *Romans would *punish all the *Jews.
v49 One of them, who was called Caiaphas, was the *priests’
leader that year. He said, ‘You do not understand the problem. v50 It is
better that one man should die on behalf of the people. That is better than if
all the people in our country died.’ v51 Caiaphas did not say this
because he had thought it by himself. No, he was speaking as a *prophet because
he was the *priests’ leader that year. He spoke as a *prophet that Jesus would
die on behalf of
v53 From that day, the *Jews’ leaders decided together how
they could kill Jesus. v54 So, Jesus stopped travelling about in
v55 It was almost time for the *Jews’ *Passover *Festival.
Many people were going from their country places to
v1 Six days before the *Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, the village where Lazarus lived. He was the man who had been dead. But Jesus had raised him, to make him alive again. v2 Some friends prepared a special meal there for Jesus. Martha gave out the food, and Lazarus sat among the visitors, with Jesus. v3 Then Mary brought a pound of very expensive oil that had a lovely smell. She poured it over Jesus’ feet and then she cleaned his feet with her hair. The smell of the oil filled the whole house.
v4 Then Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ *disciples, spoke. He was the man who would sell Jesus to Jesus’ *enemies. Judas said, v5 ‘She could have sold this expensive oil for as much money as someone would get for a year’s work. And she could have given that money to poor people.’ v6 He did not say this because he really wanted to help the poor people. No, he said it because he wanted the money himself. He kept the bag of money, and sometimes he took money from it for himself. v7 But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop her! She has kept this oil for the day when they bury my dead body. v8 Poor people will always be with you, but I will not always be with you.’
v9 By this time, a large crowd of *Jews had heard the news
that Jesus was at
v12 The next day, a large crowd of people were in
v15 ‘Do
not be afraid, people in
Look! Your king is coming.
He is riding on a young *donkey.’
Verse 13 Palm trees are trees with big leaves.
Verses 14-15 A donkey is an animal like a small horse. People use donkeys to carry things.
Verse 15 The book of Zechariah the *prophet told
v16 Jesus’ *disciples did not understand all this at that time. They understood only after Jesus had returned to God in *heaven. Then they remembered that the *Old Testament said these things about him. And they remembered that these things had happened to him. v17 The crowd who had been with Jesus before, continued to tell people about Lazarus. Jesus had told Lazarus that he should come out of the *tomb. Jesus had made Lazarus alive again after he had been dead. The crowd continued to tell people about this. v18 That is why all the people came to meet Jesus. They had heard that he had done this *miracle. v19 So, the *Pharisees said to each other, ‘This is not what we wanted. Look! All the people in the world are running after him!’
v20 There were some Greeks (people from
v23 Jesus said to them, ‘God will show how great and how good the Son of Man is. It is now time for that to happen. v24 I am telling you what is true. A seed of *wheat continues to be only a single seed unless it dies. It must fall into the ground and then it must die. But if it dies, it grows to give a lot of seeds.’
Verse 24 Wheat is a kind of seed that grows on farms. People make bread from the flour that comes from wheat seeds.
v25 ‘Anyone who loves his own life will lose it. But anyone who *hates his life in this world will live always. v26 Anyone who wants to be my servant must follow me. Then he will be with me, where I am. My Father will do great things for anyone who is my servant. v27 Now I feel very sad. And I have trouble in my mind. I might say, “Father, save me from this very difficult time!” But I came to the world for this purpose. I came so that I could go through this difficult time. v28 Father, show how great and how good you are.’
Then someone spoke from *heaven, ‘I have shown how great and how good I am. And I will do it again.’ v29 The crowd of people who were standing there heard the sound of this voice. And they said that it was like the noise of a storm. But other people said, ‘An *angel spoke to him!’
v30 Jesus said, ‘This voice did not speak so that it could help me. No, it spoke so that it could help you. v31 It is time now for God to *judge the people in this world. Now he will throw out the ruler of this world. v32 But when people lift me up from the earth, then I will pull everyone towards myself.’ v33 He said this to show how he would soon die.
v34 The crowd said, ‘The Scriptures (*Old Testament) tell us that the Christ will continue always. So why do you say, “People must lift up the Son of Man”? Who is this Son of Man?’ v35 Jesus answered, ‘The light will be with you for only a short time longer. So, continue to walk while you still have the light. Then the dark will not come over you. Anyone who walks in the dark does not know the way. That person does not know where he is going. v36 Believe the light, while you have the light. So then you will become sons of light.’ When Jesus had said this, he went away. And he hid himself from them.
Verse 32 Jesus said that people would ‘lift him up’. He meant
that they would lift him up on a *cross of wood to die. The *Romans were the
rulers of
v37 Jesus had done so many *miracles that the people themselves had seen. But even then, they still did not believe him. v38 This showed that the *prophet Isaiah had spoken true words. Isaiah had said:
‘*Lord, nobody has believed our message.
Nobody has understood how powerful the *Lord is.’
Verse 38 See Isaiah 53:1.
v39 Isaiah spoke also about why the people could not believe. v40 He said:
‘God has made their eyes unable to see.
He has closed their minds.
So they cannot see with their eyes,
and they cannot understand with their minds.
They will not turn to me, so that I can make them well.’
Verse 40 See Isaiah 6:10.
v41 Isaiah had seen how great Christ is. That is why he said these things.
v42 But many of the *Jews’ leaders did believe Jesus. But they did not tell people that they believed. They did not speak about it because they were afraid of the *Pharisees. They were afraid that the *Pharisees would send them away from the *synagogue. v43 They wanted other people to think good things about them more than they wanted to make God happy.
v44 Jesus said in a loud voice, ‘Anyone who believes me does not believe only me. That person believes also him who sent me. v45 Anyone who looks at me does not see only me. That person sees also him who sent me. v46 I have come into the world to be a light. Everyone who believes me will not remain in the dark. That is why I came. v47 Some people may hear my words but not obey them. I will not *judge anyone who does that. I did not come to *judge the people in the world. I came to save them. v48 Something else will *judge anyone who refuses me. Something else will *judge anyone who will not listen to my words. The message that I have spoken will *judge him on the last day. v49 The words that I have spoken did not come from me myself. They came from the Father, who sent me. He told me what to say. And he told me how to say it. v50 What the Father says causes people to live always. I know that. So, I say only those things that the Father has said to me.’
v1 It was nearly time for the *Passover *Festival. Jesus knew that it was almost time for him to leave this world. It was almost time for him to go to the Father. He had always loved those people in the world who were his own. And he loved them to the end.
v2 Jesus and his *disciples were eating supper. The *Devil had already put an idea into the mind of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. The idea was to sell Jesus to his *enemies. v3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him *power over everything. He knew that he had come from God. And he knew that he would soon return to God. v4 So, during the meal, he stood up. He took off the coat that he wore over his other clothes. He tied a thick cloth round his body. v5 Then he poured water into a bowl (a wide pot) and he began to wash the *disciples’ feet. Jesus made their feet dry with the thick cloth that was round him.
v6 Jesus came to Simon Peter. Peter asked him, ‘*Lord, will
you wash my feet?’ v7 Jesus answered him, ‘You do not understand now
what I am doing. But you will understand some time after this.’ v8 Peter
said, ‘You will never, never wash my feet!’ Jesus answered, ‘If I do not wash
you, you do not belong with
v12 When he had finished washing their feet, Jesus put on his coat. He returned to his place at the meal. He asked them, ‘I want you to understand what I have just done to you. v13 You call me Teacher and *Lord. And you are right when you say that. You are right, because I am your Teacher and *Lord. v14 I am your Teacher and your *Lord, and I have washed your feet. So, you should wash each other’s feet also. v15 I have given you an example. So, you should do the same as I have done for you. v16 I am telling you what is true. No slave is more important than his master is. And no *messenger is more important than the person who sent him. v17 Now you know these things. So, you will be happy if you do them.’
v18 ‘I am not talking about all of you. I know the people that I have chosen. The *Old Testament says, “Someone who ate food with me has become my *enemy.” So that is what must happen. v19 I am telling you this now, before it happens. So then, when it does happen, you will believe. You will believe that “I am”. v20 I am telling you what is true. Some people will accept those that I send. And anyone who accepts them is accepting me also. And so some people will accept me. And anyone like that is accepting also him who sent me.’
Verse 18 See Psalm 41:9.
Verse 19 The *Jews used ‘I am’ as the name of God. When Jesus said, ‘I am’, they would have recognised this name. He was saying that he is God.
v21 After Jesus had said this, he felt very, very sad. And he had trouble in his mind. He said to them very seriously, ‘I am telling you what is true. One of you will sell me to my *enemies.’ v22 The *disciples looked at each other. They did not know which of them Jesus was speaking about. v23 One of them, the *disciple that Jesus loved, was sitting very near to Jesus. v24 Simon Peter pointed at that *disciple. Peter said, ‘Ask Jesus whom he is speaking about.’ v25 So that *disciple moved even nearer to Jesus and he asked, ‘Who is it, *Lord?’ v26 Jesus answered, ‘I will put a piece of bread in the dish of food. Then I will give the bread to him. That is the man.’ So he put a piece of bread in the dish. Then he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
v27 Then, when Judas had taken the bread, *Satan came into him. Then Jesus said to Judas, ‘Do quickly what you want to do.’ v28 None of the other men who were sitting at the meal understood this. They did not know why Jesus said this to Judas. v29 Some of them thought that Jesus had asked Judas to buy some things. Judas was going out to buy what they needed for the *festival. That was what some of them thought. Some of them thought that Jesus had asked Judas to give some money to the poor people. That was because Judas kept the bag of money on behalf of all of them.
v30 Judas took the bread and then he went out immediately. And it was night.
v31 When Judas had left, Jesus said, ‘Now people will see how great and how good the Son of Man is. And in him, they will see how great and how good God is. v32 The Son will show how great God is. Then God will take the Son to himself. And God will show how great the Son is. And he wi