Bible in 90 Days

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It is also called the Sea of Tiberias. ² A large crowd of people followed him. They had seen the signs he had done by healing sick people. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside. There he sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

⁵ Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him. So he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test Philip. He already knew what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “Suppose we were able to buy enough bread for each person to have just a bite. That would take more than half a year’s pay!”

⁸ Another of his disciples spoke up. It was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He said, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small loaves of barley bread. He also has two small fish. But how far will that go in such a large crowd?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down. About 5,000 men were there. ¹¹ Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks. He handed out the bread to those who were seated. He gave them as much as they wanted. And he did the same with the fish.

¹² When all of them had enough to eat, Jesus spoke to his disciples. “Gather the leftover pieces,” he said. “Don’t waste anything.” ¹³ So they gathered what was left over from the five barley loaves. They filled 12 baskets with the pieces left by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ The people saw the sign that Jesus did. Then they began to say, “This must be the Prophet who is supposed to come into the world.” ¹⁵ But Jesus knew that they planned to come and force him to be their king. So he went away again to a mountain by himself.

Jesus Walks on the Water

¹⁶ When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the Sea of Galilee. ¹⁷ There they got into a boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. By now it was dark. Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing, and the water became rough. ¹⁹ They rowed about three or four miles. Then they saw Jesus coming toward the boat. He was walking on the water. They were frightened. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they agreed to take him into the boat. Right away the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

²² The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake realized something. They saw that only one boat had been there. They knew that Jesus had not gotten into it with his disciples. And they knew that the disciples had gone away alone. ²³ Then some boats arrived from Tiberias. It was near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord gave thanks. ²⁴ The crowd realized that Jesus and his disciples were not there. So they got into boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus.

Jesus Is the Bread of Life

²⁵ They found him on the other side of the lake. They asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You are not looking for me because you saw the signs I did. You are looking for me because you ate the loaves until you were full. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils. Work for food that lasts forever. That is the food the Son of Man will give you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What does God want from us? What works does he want us to do?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “God’s work is to believe in the one he has sent.”

³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign will you give us? What will you do so we can see it and believe you? ³¹ Long ago our people ate the manna in the desert. It is written in Scripture, ‘The Lord gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” (Exodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalm 78:24,25)

³² Jesus said to them, “What I’m about to tell you is true. It is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven. It is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ The bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven. He gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

³⁵ Then Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry. And whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But it is just as I told you. You have seen me, and you still do not believe. ³⁷ Everyone the Father gives me will come to me. I will never send away anyone who comes to me. ³⁸ I have not come down from heaven to do what I want to do. I have come to do what the one who sent me wants me to do. ³⁹ The one who sent me doesn’t want me to lose anyone he has given me. He wants me to raise them up on the last day. ⁴⁰ My Father wants all who look to the Son and believe in him to have eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day.”

⁴¹ Then the Jews there began to complain about Jesus. That was because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don’t we know his father and mother? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

⁴³ “Stop complaining among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me brings them. Then I will raise them up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets, ‘God will teach all of them.’ (Isaiah 54:13) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who has come from God. Only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone who believes has life forever. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Long ago your people ate the manna in the desert, and they still died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven. A person can eat it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Everyone who eats some of this bread will live forever. This bread is my body. I will give it for the life of the world.”

⁵² Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves. They said, “How can this man give us his body to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You must eat the Son of Man’s body and drink his blood. If you don’t, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood has eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day. ⁵⁵ My body is real food. My blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood remains in me. And I remain in them. ⁵⁷ The living Father sent me, and I live because of him. In the same way, those who feed on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Long ago your people ate manna and died. But whoever eats this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said this while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Leave Jesus

⁶⁰ Jesus’ disciples heard this. Many of them said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

⁶¹ Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about his teaching. So he said to them, “Does this upset you? ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man go up to where he was before? ⁶³ The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit. They give life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe. And he had known who was going to hand him over to his enemies. ⁶⁵ So he continued speaking. He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father helps them.”

⁶⁶ From this time on, many of his disciples turned back. They no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You don’t want to leave also, do you?” Jesus asked the 12 disciples.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, who can we go to? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Didn’t I choose you, the 12 disciples? But one of you is a devil!” ⁷¹ He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the 12 disciples. But later he was going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.

Jesus Goes to the Feast of Booths

7 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He didn’t want to travel around in Judea. That was because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. ² The Jewish Feast of Booths was near. ³ Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea. Then your disciples there will see the works that you do. ⁴ No one who wants to be well known does things in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” ⁵ Even Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in him.

⁶ So Jesus told them, “The time for me to show who I really am is not here yet. For you, any time would be the right time. ⁷ The people of the world can’t hate you. But they hate me. This is because I am a witness that their works are evil. ⁸ You go to the feast. I am not going up to this feast. This is because my time has not yet fully come.” ⁹ After he said this, he stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰ But when his brothers had left for the feast, he went also. But he went secretly, not openly. ¹¹ At the feast the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus. They were asking, “Where is he?”

¹² Many people in the crowd were whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No. He fools the people.” ¹³ But no one would say anything about him openly. They were afraid of the leaders.

Jesus Teaches at the Feast

¹⁴ Jesus did nothing until halfway through the feast. Then he went up to the temple courtyard and began to teach. ¹⁵ The Jews there were amazed. They asked, “How did this man learn so much without being taught?”

¹⁶ Jesus answered, “What I teach is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. ¹⁷ Here is how someone can find out whether my teaching comes from God or from me. That person must choose to do what God wants them to do. ¹⁸ Whoever speaks on their own does it to get personal honor. But someone who works for the honor of the one who sent him is truthful. Nothing about him is false. ¹⁹ Didn’t Moses give you the law? But not one of you obeys the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

²⁰ “You are controlled by demons,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

²¹ Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. ²² Moses gave you circumcision, and so you circumcise a child on the Sabbath day. But circumcision did not really come from Moses. It came from Abraham. ²³ You circumcise a boy on the Sabbath day. You think that if you do, you won’t break the law of Moses. Then why are you angry with me? I healed a man’s entire body on the Sabbath day! ²⁴ Stop judging only by what you see. Judge in the right way.”

People Don’t Agree About Who Jesus Is

²⁵ Then some of the people of Jerusalem began asking questions. They said, “Isn’t this the man some people are trying to kill? ²⁶ Here he is! He is speaking openly. They aren’t saying a word to him. Have the authorities really decided that he is the Messiah? ²⁷ But we know where this man is from. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

²⁸ Jesus was still teaching in the temple courtyard. He cried out, “Yes, you know me. And you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority. The one who sent me is true. You do not know him. ²⁹ But I know him. I am from him, and he sent me.”

³⁰ When he said this, they tried to arrest him. But no one laid a hand on him. The time for him to show who he really was had not yet come. ³¹ Still, many people in the crowd believed in him. They said, “How will it be when the Messiah comes? Will he do more signs than this man?”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering things like this about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

³³ Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time. Then I will go to the one who sent me. ³⁴ You will look for me, but you won’t find me. You can’t come where I am going.”

³⁵ The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man plan to go? Does he think we can’t find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks? Will he go there to teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you won’t find me’? And what did he mean when he said, ‘You can’t come where I am going’?”

³⁷ It was the last and most important day of the feast. Jesus stood up and spoke in a loud voice. He said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Does anyone believe in me? Then, just as Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from inside them.” ³⁹ When he said this, he meant the Holy Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit later. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given. This was because Jesus had not yet received glory.

⁴⁰ The people heard his words. Some of them said, “This man must be the Prophet we’ve been expecting.”

⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴² Doesn’t Scripture say that the Messiah will come from the family line of David? Doesn’t it say that he will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” ⁴³ So the people did not agree about who Jesus was. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to arrest him. But no one laid a hand on him.

The Jewish Leaders Do Not Believe

⁴⁵ Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees. They asked the guards, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶ “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

⁴⁷ “You mean he has fooled you also?” the Pharisees asked. ⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ No! But this mob knows nothing about the law. There is a curse on them.”

⁵⁰ Then Nicodemus, a Pharisee, spoke. He was the one who had gone to Jesus earlier. He asked, ⁵¹ “Does our law find a man guilty without hearing him first? Doesn’t it want to find out what he is doing?”

⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Look into it. You will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

⁵³ Then they all went home. 8 ¹ But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At sunrise he arrived again in the temple courtyard. All the people gathered around him there. He sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman. She had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of the group. ⁴ They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who was not her husband. ⁵ In the Law, Moses commanded us to kill such women by throwing stones at them. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were trying to trap Jesus with that question. They wanted to have a reason to bring charges against him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ They kept asking him questions. So he stood up and said to them, “Has any one of you not sinned? Then you be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ He bent down again and wrote on the ground.

⁹ Those who heard what he had said began to go away. They left one at a time, the older ones first. Soon only Jesus was left. The woman was still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus stood up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Hasn’t anyone found you guilty?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then I don’t find you guilty either,” Jesus said. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Challenge to What Jesus Says About Himself

¹² Jesus spoke to the people again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness. They will have that light. They will have life.”

¹³ The Pharisees argued with him. “Here you are,” they said, “appearing as your own witness. But your witness does not count.”

¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Even if I am a witness about myself, what I say does count. I know where I came from. And I know where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge by human standards. I don’t judge anyone. ¹⁶ But if I do judge, what I decide is true. This is because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷ Your own Law says that the witness of two people proves the truth about something. ¹⁸ I am a witness about myself. The other witness about me is the Father, who sent me.”

¹⁹ Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” ²⁰ He spoke these words while he was teaching in the temple courtyard. He was near the place where the offerings were put. But no one arrested him. That’s because the time for him to die had not yet come.

Challenge to Who Jesus Claims to Be

²¹ Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away. You will look for me, and you will die in your sin. You can’t come where I am going.”

²² This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘You can’t come where I am going’?”

²³ But Jesus said, “You are from below. I am from heaven. You are from this world. I am not from this world. ²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins. This will happen if you don’t believe that I am he. If you don’t believe, you will certainly die in your sins.”

²⁵ “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. ²⁶ “I have a lot to say that will judge you. But the one who sent me can be trusted. And I tell the world what I have heard from him.”

²⁷ They did not understand that Jesus was telling them about his Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “You will lift up the Son of Man. Then you will know that I am he. You will also know that I do nothing on my own. I speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹ The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” ³⁰ Even while Jesus was speaking, many people believed in him.

Challenge to the Claim to Be Children of Abraham

³¹ Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed him. “If you obey my teaching,” he said, “you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth. And the truth will set you free.”

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s children. We have never been slaves of anyone. So how can you say that we will be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. ³⁵ A slave has no lasting place in the family. But a son belongs to the family forever. ³⁶ So if the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free. ³⁷ I know that you are Abraham’s children. But you are looking for a way to kill me. You have no room for my word. ³⁸ I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. You are doing what you have heard from your father.”

³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

Jesus said, “Are you really Abraham’s children? If you are, you will do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ But you are looking for a way to kill me. I am a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do the things you want to do. ⁴¹ You are doing what your own father does.”

“We have the right to claim to be God’s children,” they objected. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me. I have come here from God. I have not come on my own. God sent me. ⁴³ Why aren’t my words clear to you? Because you can’t really hear what I say. ⁴⁴ You belong to your father, the devil. You want to obey your father’s wishes. From the beginning, the devil was a murderer. He has never obeyed the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his natural language. He does this because he is a liar. He is the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me! ⁴⁶ Can any of you prove I am guilty of sinning? Am I not telling the truth? Then why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you don’t hear is that you don’t belong to God.”

Jesus Makes Claims About Himself

⁴⁸ The Jews answered Jesus, “Aren’t we right when we say you are a Samaritan? Aren’t you controlled by a demon?”

⁴⁹ “I am not controlled by a demon,” said Jesus. “I honor my Father. You do not honor me. ⁵⁰ I am not seeking glory for myself. But there is one who brings glory to me. He is the judge. ⁵¹ What I’m about to tell you is true. Whoever obeys my word will never die.”

⁵² Then they cried out, “Now we know you are controlled by a demon! Abraham died. So did the prophets. But you say that whoever obeys your word will never die. ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died. So did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴ Jesus replied, “If I bring glory to myself, my glory means nothing. You claim that my Father is your God. He is the one who brings glory to me. ⁵⁵ You do not know him. But I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him. And I obey his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham was filled with joy at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ “You are not even 50 years old,” they said to Jesus. “And you have seen Abraham?”

⁵⁸ “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus answered. “Before Abraham was born, I am!” ⁵⁹ When he said this, they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself. He slipped away from the temple area.

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 As Jesus went along, he saw a man who was blind. He had been blind since he was born. ² Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned? Was this man born blind because he sinned? Or did his parents sin?”

³ “It isn’t because this man sinned,” said Jesus. “It isn’t because his parents sinned. He was born blind so that God’s power could be shown by what’s going to happen. ⁴ While it is still day, we must do the works of the one who sent me. Night is coming. Then no one can work. ⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ After he said this, he spit on the ground. He made some mud with the spit. Then he put the mud on the man’s eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him. “Wash in the Pool of Siloam.” Siloam means Sent. So the man went and washed. And he came home able to see.

⁸ His neighbors and people who had seen him earlier begging asked questions. “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” they asked. ⁹ Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No. He only looks like him.”

But the man who had been blind kept saying, “I am the man.”

¹⁰ “Then how were your eyes opened?” they asked.

¹¹ He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed. Then I could see.”

¹² “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The Pharisees Want to Know How the Blind Man Was Healed

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴ The day Jesus made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath day. ¹⁵ So the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied. “Then I washed. And now I can see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “Jesus has not come from God. He does not keep the Sabbath day.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner do such signs?” So the Pharisees did not agree with one another.

¹⁷ Then they turned again to the blind man. “What do you have to say about him?” they asked. “It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸ They still did not believe that the man had been blind and now could see. So they sent for his parents. ¹⁹ “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

²⁰ “We know he is our son,” the parents answered. “And we know he was born blind. ²¹ But we don’t know how he can now see. And we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is an adult. He can speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already made this decision about Jesus. Anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³ That was why the man’s parents said, “He is an adult. Ask him.”

²⁴ Again the Pharisees called the man who had been blind to come to them. “Give glory to God by telling the truth!” they said. “We know that the man who healed you is a sinner.”

²⁵ He replied, “I don’t know if he is a sinner or not. I do know one thing. I was blind, but now I can see!”

²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ He answered, “I have already told you. But you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

²⁸ Then they began to attack him with their words. “You are this fellow’s disciple!” they said. “We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses. But we don’t even know where this fellow comes from.”

³⁰ The man answered, “That is really surprising! You don’t know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does what he wants them to do. ³² Nobody has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a person born blind. ³³ If this man had not come from God, he could do nothing.”

³⁴ Then the Pharisees replied, “When you were born, you were already deep in sin. How dare you talk like that to us!” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

People Who Can’t See the Truth

³⁵ Jesus heard that the Pharisees had thrown the man out of the synagogue. When Jesus found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

³⁶ “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me, so I can believe in him.”

³⁷ Jesus said, “You have now seen him. In fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

³⁸ Then the man said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him.

³⁹ Jesus said, “I have come into this world to judge it. I have come so that people who are blind will see. I have come so that people who can see will become blind.”

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this. They asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

⁴¹ Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, you remain guilty.

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “What I’m about to tell you Pharisees is true. What if someone does not enter the sheep pen through the gate but climbs in another way? That person is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him. The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own sheep, he goes on ahead of them. His sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger. In fact, they will run away from him. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶ Jesus told this story. But the Pharisees didn’t understand what he was telling them.

⁷ So Jesus said again, “What I’m about to tell you is true. I am like a gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers. But the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I’m like a gate. Anyone who enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out. And they will find plenty of food. ¹⁰ A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so they may have life. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired man is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when the hired man sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired man. He does not care about the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me. ¹⁵ They know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I give my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that do not belong to this sheep pen. I must bring them in too. They also will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I give up my life. But I will take it back again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me. I give it up myself. I have the authority to give it up. And I have the authority to take it back again. I received this command from my Father.”

¹⁹ The Jews who heard these words could not agree with one another. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He is controlled by a demon. He has gone crazy! Why should we listen to him?”

²¹ But others said, “A person controlled by a demon does not say things like this. Can a demon open the eyes of someone who is blind?”

Another Challenge to Jesus’ Claims

²² Then came the Feast of Hanukkah at Jerusalem. It was winter. ²³ Jesus was in the temple courtyard walking in Solomon’s Porch. ²⁴ The Jews who were gathered there around Jesus spoke to him. They said, “How long will you keep us waiting? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered, “I did tell you. But you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name are a witness for me. ²⁶ But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never die. No one will steal them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than anyone. No one can steal them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

³¹ Again the Jews who had challenged him picked up stones to kill him. ³² But Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. Which good work are you throwing stones at me for?”

³³ “We are not throwing stones at you for any good work,” they replied. “We are stoning you for saying a very evil thing. You are only a man. But you claim to be God.”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Didn’t God say in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” ’? (Psalm 82:6) ³⁵ We know that Scripture is always true. God spoke to some people and called them ‘gods.’ ³⁶ If that is true, what about the one the Father set apart as his very own? What about this one the Father sent into the world? Why do you charge me with saying a very evil thing? Is it because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? ³⁷ Don’t believe me unless I do the works of my Father. ³⁸ But what if I do them? Even if you don’t believe me, believe these works. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” ³⁹ Again they tried to arrest him. But he escaped from them.

⁴⁰ Then Jesus went back across the Jordan River. He went to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed. ⁴¹ Many people came to him. They said, “John never performed a sign. But everything he said about this man was true.” ⁴² And in that place many believed in Jesus.

Lazarus Dies

11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. ² Mary would later pour perfume on the Lord. She would also wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick in bed. ³ So the sisters sent a message to Jesus. “Lord,” they told him, “the one you love is sick.”

⁴ When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory. God’s Son will receive glory because of it.” ⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So after he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. ⁷ And then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

⁸ “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short time ago the Jews there tried to kill you with stones. Are you still going back?”

⁹ Jesus answered, “Aren’t there 12 hours of daylight? Anyone who walks during the day won’t trip and fall. They can see because of this world’s light. ¹⁰ But when they walk at night, they’ll trip and fall. They have no light.”

¹¹ After he said this, Jesus went on speaking to them. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,” he said. “But I am going there to wake him up.”

¹² His disciples replied, “Lord, if he’s sleeping, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus had been speaking about the death of Lazarus. But his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ For your benefit, I am glad I was not there. Now you will believe. But let us go to him.”

¹⁶ Then Thomas, who was also called Didymus, spoke to the rest of the disciples. “Let us go also,” he said. “Then we can die with Jesus.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

¹⁷ When Jesus arrived, he found out that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary. They had come to comfort them because their brother was dead. ²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him. But Mary stayed at home.

²¹ “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “I wish you had been here! Then my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you anything you ask for.”

²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again. This will happen when people are raised from the dead on the last day.”

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if they die. ²⁶ And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied. “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God. I believe that you are the one who is supposed to come into the world.”

²⁸ After she said this, she went back home. She called her sister Mary to one side to talk to her. “The Teacher is here,” Martha said. “He is asking for you.” ²⁹ When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Jesus had not yet entered the village. He was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ Some Jews had been comforting Mary in the house. They noticed how quickly she got up and went out. So they followed her. They thought she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

³² Mary reached the place where Jesus was. When she saw him, she fell at his feet. She said, “Lord, I wish you had been here! Then my brother would not have died.”

³³ Jesus saw her crying. He saw that the Jews who had come along with her were crying also. His spirit became very sad, and he was troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you put him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

³⁵ Jesus wept.

³⁶ Then the Jews said, “See how much he loved him!”

³⁷ But some of them said, “He opened the eyes of the blind man. Couldn’t he have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸ Once more Jesus felt very sad. He came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone in front of the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad smell. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days.”

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?”

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up. He said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. ⁴² I know that you always hear me. But I said this for the benefit of the people standing here. I said it so they will believe that you sent me.”

⁴³ Then Jesus called in a loud voice. He said, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen. A cloth was around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the clothes he was buried in and let him go.”

The Plan to Kill Jesus

⁴⁵ Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did. So they believed in him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went to the Pharisees. They told the Pharisees what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What can we do?” they asked. “This man is performing many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him keep on doing this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come. They will take away our temple and our nation.”

⁴⁹ One of the Jewish leaders spoke up. His name was Caiaphas. He was high priest at that time. He said, “You don’t know anything at all! ⁵⁰ You don’t realize what is good for you. It is better if one man dies for the people than if the whole nation is destroyed.”

⁵¹ He did not say this on his own because he was high priest at that time. He prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation. ⁵² He also prophesied that Jesus would die for God’s children scattered everywhere. He would die to bring them together and make them one. ⁵³ So from that day on, the Jewish rulers planned to kill Jesus.

⁵⁴ Jesus no longer moved around openly among the people of Judea. Instead, he went away to an area near the desert. He went to a village called Ephraim. There he stayed with his disciples.

⁵⁵ It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Many people went up from the country to Jerusalem. They went there for the special washing that would make them pure before the Passover Feast. ⁵⁶ They kept looking for Jesus as they stood in the temple courtyard. They asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷ But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders. They had commanded anyone who found out where Jesus was staying to report it. Then they could arrest him.

Mary Pours Perfume on Jesus at Bethany

12 It was six days before the Passover Feast. Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. Lazarus was the one Jesus had raised from the dead. ² A dinner was given at Bethany to honor Jesus. Martha served the food. Lazarus was among the people at the table with Jesus. ³ Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard. It was an expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the sweet smell of the perfume.

⁴ But Judas Iscariot didn’t like what Mary did. He was one of Jesus’ disciples. Later he was going to hand Jesus over to his enemies. Judas said, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this perfume sold? Why wasn’t the money given to poor people? It was worth a year’s pay.” ⁶ He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor. He said it because he was a thief. Judas was in charge of the money bag. He used to help himself to what was in it.

⁷ “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “The perfume was meant for the day I am buried. ⁸ You will always have the poor among you. But you won’t always have me.”

⁹ Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there, so they came. But they did not come only because of Jesus. They also came to see Lazarus. After all, Jesus had raised him from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus too. ¹¹ Because of Lazarus, many of the Jews were starting to follow Jesus. They were believing in him.

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

¹² The next day the large crowd that had come for the feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ So they took branches from palm trees and went out to meet him. They shouted,

¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it. This is just as it is written in Scripture. It says,

¹⁶ At first, Jesus’ disciples did not understand all this. They realized it only after he had received glory. Then they realized that these things had been written about him. They realized that these things had been done to him.

¹⁷ A crowd had been with Jesus when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead. So they continued to tell everyone about what had happened. ¹⁸ Many people went out to meet him. They had heard that he had done this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “This isn’t getting us anywhere. Look how the whole world is following him!”

Jesus Tells About His Coming Death

²⁰ There were some Greeks among the people who went up to worship during the feast. ²¹ They came to ask Philip for a favor. Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went to tell Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

²³ Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to receive glory. ²⁴ What I’m about to tell you is true. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only one seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it. But anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it and have eternal life. ²⁶ Anyone who serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

²⁷ “My soul is troubled. What should I say? ‘Father, keep me from having to go through with this’? No. This is the very reason I have come to this point in my life. ²⁸ Father, bring glory to your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven. It said, “I have brought glory to my name. I will bring glory to it again.” ²⁹ The crowd there heard the voice. Some said it was thunder. Others said an angel had spoken to Jesus.

³⁰ Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. ³¹ Now it is time for the world to be judged. Now the prince of this world will be thrown out. ³² And I am going to be lifted up from the earth. When I am, I will bring all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to show them how he was going to die.

³⁴ The crowd spoke up. “The Law tells us that the Messiah will remain forever,” they said. “So how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

³⁵ Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light. Do this before darkness catches up with you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶ While you have the light, believe in it. Then you can become children of light.” When Jesus had finished speaking, he left and hid from them.

Some Jews Believe and Some Don’t

³⁷ Jesus had performed so many signs in front of them. But they still would not believe in him. ³⁸ This happened as Isaiah the prophet had said it would. He had said,

³⁹ For this reason, they could not believe. As Isaiah says in another place,

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

⁴² At the same time that Jesus did those signs, many of the Jewish leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees, they would not openly admit they believed. They were afraid they would be thrown out of the synagogue. ⁴³ They loved praise from people more than praise from God.

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only. They also believe in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵ The one who looks at me sees the one who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world to be its light. So no one who believes in me will stay in darkness.

⁴⁷ “I don’t judge a person who hears my words but does not obey them. I didn’t come to judge the world. I came to save the world. ⁴⁸ But there is a judge for anyone who does not accept me and my words. These words I have spoken will judge them on the last day. ⁴⁹ I did not speak on my own. The Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have said. ⁵⁰ I know that his command leads to eternal life. So everything I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

13 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world. It was time for him to go to the Father. Jesus loved his disciples who were in the world. So he now loved them to the very end.

² They were having their evening meal. The devil had already tempted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. He had urged Judas to hand Jesus over to his enemies. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put everything under his power. He also knew he had come from God and was returning to God. ⁴ So he got up from the meal and took off his outer clothes. He wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a large bowl. Then he began to wash his disciples’ feet. He dried them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter. “Lord,” Peter said to him, “are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You don’t realize now what I am doing. But later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter. “You will never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you can’t share life with me.”

⁹ “Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet! Wash my hands and my head too!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “People who have had a bath need to wash only their feet. The rest of their body is clean. And you are clean. But not all of you are.” ¹¹ Jesus knew who was going to hand him over to his enemies. That was why he said not every one was clean.

¹² When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes. Then he returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You are right. That is what I am. ¹⁴ I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet. So you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example. You should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ What I’m about to tell you is true. A slave is not more important than his master. And a messenger is not more important than the one who sends him. ¹⁷ Now you know these things. So you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus Tells What Judas Will Do

¹⁸ “I am not talking about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this will happen so that this passage of Scripture will come true. It says, ‘The one who shared my bread has turned against me.’ (Psalm 41:9)

¹⁹ “I am telling you now, before it happens. When it does happen, you will believe that I am who I am. ²⁰ What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who accepts someone I send accepts me. And anyone who accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

²¹ After he had said this, Jesus’ spirit was troubled. He said, “What I’m about to tell you is true. One of you is going to hand me over to my enemies.”

²² His disciples stared at one another. They had no idea which one of them he meant. ²³ The disciple Jesus loved was next to him at the table. ²⁴ Simon Peter motioned to that disciple. He said, “Ask Jesus which one he means.”

²⁵ The disciple was leaning back against Jesus. He asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is the one I will give this piece of bread to. I will give it to him after I have dipped it in the dish.” He dipped the piece of bread. Then he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷ As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” ²⁸ But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. ²⁹ Judas was in charge of the money. So some of the disciples thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the feast. Others thought Jesus was talking about giving something to poor people. ³⁰ As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Peter Will Say He Does Not Know Jesus

³¹ After Judas was gone, Jesus spoke. He said, “Now the Son of Man receives glory. And he brings glory to God. ³² If the Son brings glory to God, God himself will bring glory to the Son. God will do it at once.

³³ “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me. Just as I told the Jews, so I am telling you now. You can’t come where I am going.

³⁴ “I give you a new command. Love one another. You must love one another, just as I have loved you. ³⁵ If you love one another, everyone will know you are my disciples.”

³⁶ Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going you can’t follow now. But you will follow me later.”

³⁷ “Lord,” Peter asked, “why can’t I follow you now? I will give my life for you.”

³⁸ Then Jesus answered, “Will you really give your life for me? What I’m about to tell you is true. Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me!

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God. Believe in me also. ² There are many rooms in my Father’s house. If this were not true, would I have told you that I am going there? Would I have told you that I would prepare a place for you there? ³ If I go and do that, I will come back. And I will take you to be with me. Then you will also be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus Is the Way to the Father

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. So how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father also. From now on, you do know him. And you have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father. That will be enough for us.”

⁹ Jesus answered, “Don’t you know me, Philip? I have been among you such a long time! Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father? Don’t you believe that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. The Father lives in me. He is the one who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say I am in the Father. Also believe that the Father is in me. Or at least believe what the works I have been doing say about me. ¹² What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who believes in me will do the works I have been doing. In fact, they will do even greater things. That’s because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do anything you ask in my name. Then the Father will receive glory from the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name. I will do it.

Jesus Promises That the Holy Spirit Will Come

¹⁵ “If you love me, obey my commands. ¹⁶ I will ask the Father. And he will give you another friend to help you and to be with you forever. ¹⁷ That friend is the Spirit of truth. The world can’t accept him. That’s because the world does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you like children who don’t have parents. I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore. But you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father. You will know that you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Anyone who has my commands and obeys them loves me. My Father will love the one who loves me. I too will love them. And I will show myself to them.”

²² Then Judas spoke. “Lord,” he said, “why do you plan to show yourself only to us? Why not also to the world?” The Judas who spoke those words was not Judas Iscariot.

²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them. We will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. The words you hear me say are not my own. They belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵ “I have spoken all these things while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ I leave my peace with you. I give my peace to you. I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled. And do not be afraid.

²⁸ “You heard me say, ‘I am going away. And I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad I am going to the Father. The Father is greater than I am. ²⁹ I have told you now before it happens. Then when it does happen, you will believe. ³⁰ I will not say much more to you. The prince of this world is coming. He has no power over me. ³¹ But he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father. They must also learn that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me to do.

“Come now. Let us leave.

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am the true vine. My Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch joined to me that does not bear fruit. He trims every branch that does bear fruit. Then it will bear even more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain joined to me, just as I also remain joined to you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain joined to the vine. In the same way, you can’t bear fruit unless you remain joined to me.

⁵ “I am the vine. You are the branches. If you remain joined to me, and I to you, you will bear a lot of fruit. You can’t do anything without me. ⁶ If you don’t remain joined to me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and dries up. Branches like those are picked up. They are thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain joined to me and my words remain in you, ask for anything you wish. And it will be done for you. ⁸ When you bear a lot of fruit, it brings glory to my Father. It shows that you are my disciples.

⁹ “Just as the Father has loved me, I have loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love. In the same way, I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that you will have the same joy that I have. I also want your joy to be complete. ¹² Here is my command. Love one another, just as I have loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than the one who gives their life for their friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I do not call you slaves anymore. Slaves do not know their master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends. I have told you everything I learned from my Father. ¹⁶ You did not choose me. Instead, I chose you. I appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit that will last. I also appointed you so that the Father will give you what you ask for. He will give you whatever you ask for in my name. ¹⁷ Here is my command. Love one another.