The Third Sign: Healing the Sick

1After this, a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.a 2By the Sheep Gateb in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesdac in •Hebrew, which has five colonnades.d 3Within these lay a large number of the sick — blind, lame, and paralyzed  — waiting for the moving of the water, 4because an angel would go down into the pool from time to time and stir up the water. Then the first one who got in after the water was stirred up recovered from whatever ailment he had.e

5One man was there who had been sick for 38 years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time,f He said to him, “Do you want to get well? ”

7“Sir,”g the sick man answered, “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”

8“Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk! ” 9Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.

Now that day was the Sabbath,h 10so the •Jewsi said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath!j It’s illegal for you to pick up your mat.”

11He replied, “The man who made me wellk told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

12“Who is this man who told you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’? ” they asked. 13But the man who was cured did not know who it was,l because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.m

14After this, Jesus found him in the •temple complexn and said to him, “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” 15The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.o

Honoring the Father and the Son

16Therefore, the Jews began persecutingp Jesusq because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.r 17But Jesus responded to them, “My Fathers is still working, and I am working also.” 18This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill Him:t Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

19Then Jesus replied, “•I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Fatheru does, the Son also does these things in the same way.v 20For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing, and He will show Him greater worksw than these so that you will be amazed. 21And just as the Father raisesx the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to anyone He wants to.y 22The Father,z in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father.aa Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.ab

Life and Judgment

24“I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal lifeac and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.

25“I assure you: An hour is coming, and is now here,ad when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.ae 26For just as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted to the Sonaf to have life in Himself. 27And He has granted Him the right to pass judgment,ag because He is the •Son of Man.ah 28Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29and come out — those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of judgment.

30“I can do nothing on My own. I judge only as I hear, and My judgmentai is righteous,aj because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.ak

Four Witnesses to Jesus

31“If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid.al 32There is Another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony He gives about Me is valid.am,an 33You have sent messengers to John, and he has testified to the truth.ao 34I don’t receive man’s testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35Johnap,aq was a burning and shining lamp,ar and for a time you were willing to enjoy his light.as

36“But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish.at These very works I am doing testify about Me that the Father has sentau Me. 37The Father who sent Me has Himself testifiedav about Me. You have not heard His voice at any time, and you haven’t seen His form.aw 38You don’t have His word living in you, because you don’t believe the One He sent. 39You pore overax the Scripturesay because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me.az 40And you are not willingba to come to Mebb so that you may have life.

41“I do not accept glorybc from men, 42but I know you — that you have no love for Godbd within you. 43I have come in My Father’s name,be yet you don’t accept Me.bf If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you believe? While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes from the onlybg God.bh 45Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses,bi on whom you have set your hope. 46For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. 47But if you don’t believe his writings,bj how will you believe My words? ”bk