Lectionary Calendar

Wednesday, December 4th, 2024
the First Week of Advent

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The Healing at Bethesda

¹ After these things there was ^(C1)a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

² Now there is in Jerusalem by ^(C1)the sheep gate a pool, which is called ^(C2)in ^(F1)Hebrew ^(F2)Bethesda, having five porticoes.³ In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, ^(F1)[waiting for the moving of the waters;⁴ for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever sickness with which he was afflicted.]⁵ And a man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years.⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been sick a long time, He ^(*)said to him, "Do you wish to get well?"⁷ The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when ^(C1)the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me."⁸ Jesus ^(*)said to him, "^(C1)Get up, pick up your mat and walk."

⁹ And immediately the man became well, and picked up his mat and began to walk. ^(C1)Now it was the Sabbath on that day.¹⁰ So ^(C1)the Jews were saying to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and ^(C2)it is not lawful for you to carry your mat."¹¹ But he answered them, "He who made me well was the one who said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'"¹² They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your mat and walk'?"¹³ But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place.¹⁴ Afterward Jesus ^(*)found him in the temple and said to him, "Behold, you have become well; do not ^(C1)sin anymore, ^(C2)so that nothing worse happens to you."¹⁵ The man went away, and disclosed to ^(C1)the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.¹⁶ And for this reason ^(C1)the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.¹⁷ But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."

Jesus' Equality with the Father

¹⁸ For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

¹⁹ Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(C1)the Son can do nothing from Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever ^(F1)the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same manner.²⁰ "^(C1)For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him ^(C2)greater works than these, so that you will marvel.²¹ "For just as the Father raises the dead and ^(C1)gives them life, even so ^(C2)the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.²² "For not even the Father judges anyone, but ^(C1)He has given all judgment to the Son,²³ so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. ^(C1)He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

²⁴ "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and ^(C1)believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and ^(C2)does not come into judgment, but has ^(C3)passed out of death into life.

Two Resurrections

²⁵ "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.²⁶ "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;²⁷ and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.²⁸ "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,²⁹ and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

³⁰ "^(C1)I can do nothing from Myself. As I hear, I judge; and ^(C2)My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but ^(C3)the will of Him who sent Me.

³¹ "^(C1)If I alone bear witness about Myself, My witness is not ^(F1)true.³² "There is ^(C1)another who bears witness about Me, and I know that the witness which He gives about Me is true.

Witnesses to Jesus: The Father and the Scriptures

³³ "You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.³⁴ "But the witness I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.³⁵ "He was the lamp that was burning and shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.³⁶ "But the witness I have is greater than the witness of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness about Me, that the Father has sent Me.³⁷ "And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness about Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.³⁸ "And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.³⁹ "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that bear witness about Me;⁴⁰ and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.⁴¹ "I do not receive glory from men;⁴² but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.⁴³ "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him.⁴⁴ "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the only God?⁴⁵ "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope.⁴⁶ "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.⁴⁷ "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"