John 5

²Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was a pool called Bethesda. It had five covered porches around it.

³Crowds of sick people lay in those porches — blind people, people who could not walk, and people with weak and wasting bodies. They were all waiting for the water to move.

⁴People believed that at certain times an angel would stir the water in the pool, and the first person to jump in after the stirring would be healed of whatever was wrong with them.

⁵One man there had been sick for thirty-eight years — almost his whole life.

⁶Jesus saw the man lying there and knew he had been sick for a very long time. Jesus asked him, 'Would you like to get well?'

⁷The sick man said, 'Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water moves. Every time I try to get in, someone else gets there before me.'

⁸Jesus said to him, 'Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!'

⁹Right away the man was completely healed! He picked up his mat and walked — and all of this happened on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest.

¹⁰Some Jewish leaders saw the man carrying his mat and told him, 'It's the Sabbath! You're not allowed to carry your bed today!'

¹¹The man said, 'The one who healed me told me to pick up my mat and walk!'

¹²The leaders asked him, 'Who is this man who told you to pick up your mat and walk?'

¹³The healed man didn't even know who Jesus was — Jesus had quietly slipped away into the crowd!

¹⁴Later, Jesus found the man in the Temple and said, 'Look — you are well now! Stop sinning, or something even worse might happen to you.'

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

¹⁶Because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders started to persecute Him and even began plotting to kill Him.

¹⁷Jesus answered them: 'My Father is always working, and I am working too.'

¹⁸This made the leaders even more determined to kill Jesus — not just because of the Sabbath, but because He called God His own Father, which meant He was claiming to be equal with God!

¹⁹Jesus replied: 'I'm telling you the truth — the Son does nothing on His own. He only does what He sees the Father doing. Everything the Father does, the Son does the same way.'

²⁰The Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing. And even greater works than this healing are coming — works that will amaze you!

²¹Just as the Father raises dead people back to life, the Son also gives life to anyone He chooses.

²²The Father does not judge anyone by Himself — He has given all authority to judge to the Son.

²³The reason is this: God wants everyone to honour the Son just as they honour the Father. If you do not honour the Son, you are not honouring the Father who sent Him.

²⁴Jesus said: 'I'm telling you the truth — whoever hears what I say and trusts in the Father who sent Me already has eternal life. They will not be judged for their sins. They have already crossed over from death into life!'

²⁵Jesus said: 'The time is coming — and it is already here — when the dead will hear the voice of God's Son. And all who hear it will live!'

²⁶Just as the Father has life in Himself, He has also given the Son to have life within Himself.

²⁷And God gave Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man.

²⁸Jesus said: 'Don't be amazed by this — for the hour is coming when everyone who has ever died will hear His voice!'

²⁹And they will come out — those who have lived for God will rise to life, but those who have rejected God will rise to face judgment.

³⁰Jesus said: 'I can do nothing by My own authority. I judge according to what the Father tells Me. My judgment is fair because I am not trying to do what I want — I am doing what the Father wants.'

³¹Jesus said: 'If I were the only one saying these things about Myself, you might not believe Me.'

³²Jesus said: 'But there is another witness who speaks up for Me — and I know His testimony about Me is completely true.'

³³Jesus reminded them: 'You sent people to John the Baptist, and he told you the truth about Me.'

³⁴Jesus said: 'I don't actually need a man to confirm who I am — but I'm telling you all this so that you can be saved!'

³⁵Jesus said about John: 'He was a bright, burning lamp, and for a while you were happy to enjoy his light.'

³⁶Jesus said: 'But I have an even greater witness than John — the miracles and works the Father gave Me to do. These works show that the Father sent Me.'

³⁷Jesus said: 'The Father Himself — who sent Me — has testified about Me. But you have never heard His voice or seen what He looks like.'

³⁸Jesus said: 'God's word does not live inside you — if it did, you would believe in Me, because the Father sent Me.'

³⁹Jesus said: 'You search the Scriptures because you think they will give you eternal life. But these very Scriptures are pointing to Me!'

⁴⁰Jesus said sadly: 'But you will not come to Me so that you can have life.'

⁴¹Jesus said: 'I do not need people to praise or honour Me.'

⁴²Jesus said: 'But I know you — and you do not have the love of God living inside your hearts.'

⁴³Jesus said: 'I came representing My Father, and you will not receive Me. But if someone comes only representing themselves, you will welcome them!'

⁴⁴Jesus asked them: 'How can you possibly believe, when you spend all your time trying to impress each other — instead of seeking the honour that only comes from God?'

⁴⁵Jesus said: 'Don't think I will be the one to accuse you before the Father — Moses himself will accuse you! And he is the one you say you trust!'

⁴⁶Jesus said: 'If you had truly believed what Moses wrote, you would believe in Me — because he wrote about Me!'

⁴⁷Jesus said: 'But if you do not believe what Moses wrote, how will you ever believe what I say?'