5Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem.G3326G5023G2258G1859G2453G2532G2424G305G1519G2414 2Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves.G1161G2076G1722G2414G1909G4262G2861G3588G1951G1447G964G2192G4002G4745 3Hundreds of sick people—blind, crippled, paralyzed—were in these alcoves.G1722G5025G2621G4183G4128G770G5185G5560G3584G1551G2796G5204 4(OMITTED TEXT)G1063G32G2597G2596G2540G1722G2861G2532G5015G5204G3767G4413G3326G5016G5204G1684G1096G5199G3739G1221G3553G2722 5One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years.G1161G5100G444G2258G1563G2192G1722G769G5144G3638G2094 6When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, "Do you want to get well?"G2424G1492G5126G2621G2532G1097G3754G2192G2235G4183G5550G3004G846G2309G1096G5199 7The sick man said, "Sir, when the water is stirred, I don't have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in."G770G611G846G2962G2192G3756G444G3752G5204G5015G2443G906G3165G1519G2861G1161G1722G3739G1473G2064G243G2597G4253G1700 8Jesus said, "Get up, take your bedroll, start walking."G2424G3004G846G1453G142G4675G2895G2532G4043 9The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off. That day happened to be the Sabbath.G2532G2112G444G1096G5199G2532G142G846G2895G2532G4043G1161G1722G1565G2250G2258G4521 10The Jews stopped the healed man and said, "It's the Sabbath. You can't carry your bedroll around. It's against the rules."G2453G3767G3004G2323G2076G4521G1832G3756G1832G4671G142G2895 11But he told them, "The man who made me well told me to. He said, 'Take your bedroll and start walking.'"G611G846G4160G3165G5199G1565G2036G3427G142G4675G2895G2532G4043 12They asked, "Who gave you the order to take it up and start walking?"G3767G2065G846G5101G444G2076G3588G2036G4671G142G4675G2895G2532G4043 13But the healed man didn't know, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.G1161G2390G1492G3756G5101G2076G1063G2424G1593G3793G5607G1722G5117 14A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, "You look wonderful! You're well! Don't return to a sinning life or something worse might happen."G3326G5023G2424G2147G846G1722G2411G2532G2036G846G2396G1096G5199G264G3371G3363G5501G5100G1096G4671 15The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.G444G565G2532G312G2453G3754G2076G2424G3588G4160G846G5199 16That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus—because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath.G2532G1223G5124G1377G2453G1377G2424G2532G2212G615G846G3754G4160G5023G1722G4521 17But Jesus defended himself. "My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I."G1161G2424G611G846G3450G3962G2038G2193G737G2504G2038 18That really set them off. The Jews were now not only out to expose him; they were out to kill him. Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, putting himself on a level with God.G1223G5124G3767G2453G2212G3123G615G846G3754G3089G3756G3440G3089G4521G235G3004G2532G2316G2398G3962G4160G1438G2470G2316 19So Jesus explained himself at length. "I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does.G3767G611G2424G2532G2036G846G281G281G3004G5213G5207G1410G3756G4160G3762G575G1438G3362G5100G991G3962G4160G1063G3739G302G1565G4160G5023G2532G4160G5207G3668 20The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing. "But you haven't seen the half of it yet,G1063G3962G5368G5207G2532G1166G846G3956G3739G846G4160G2532G1166G846G3187G2041G3187G5130G2443G5210G2296 21for in the same way that the Father raises the dead and creates life, so does the Son. The Son gives life to anyone he chooses.G1063G5618G3962G1453G3498G2532G2227G2532G3779G5207G2227G3739G2309 22Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the SonG1063G3761G3962G2919G3762G235G1325G3956G2920G5207 23so that the Son will be honored equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonors the Son, dishonors the Father, for it was the Father's decision to put the Son in the place of honor.G2443G3956G5091G5207G2531G5091G3962G5091G3361G5207G5091G3756G3962G3588G3992G846 24"It's urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.G281G281G3004G5213G3754G191G3450G3056G2532G4100G3992G3165G2192G166G2222G2532G2064G3756G2064G1519G2920G235G3327G1537G2288G1519G2222 25"It's urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive.G281G281G3004G5213G3754G5610G2064G2532G3568G2076G3753G3498G191G5456G5207G2316G2532G191G2198 26Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself.G1063G5618G3962G2192G2222G1722G1438G2532G3779G1325G5207G2192G2222G1722G1438 27And he has given him the authority, simply because he is the Son of Man, to decide and carry out matters of Judgment.G2532G1325G846G1849G4160G2920G2532G3754G2076G5207G444 28"Don't act so surprised at all this. The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice.G2296G3361G5124G3754G5610G2064G1722G3739G3956G1722G3419G191G846G5456 29Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment.G2532G1607G4160G18G1519G386G2222G1161G4238G5337G1519G386G2920 30"I can't do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I'm not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders.G1473G1410G575G1683G4160G3756G3762G2531G191G2919G2532G1699G2920G2076G1342G3754G2212G3756G1699G2307G235G2307G3962G3992G3165 31If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness.G1437G1473G3140G4012G1683G3450G3141G2076G3756G227 32But an independent witness confirms me, the most reliable Witness of all.G2076G243G3140G4012G1700G2532G1492G3754G3141G3739G3140G4012G1700G2076G227 33Furthermore, you all saw and heard John, and he gave expert and reliable testimony about me, didn't he?G5210G649G4314G2491G2532G3140G225 34"But my purpose is not to get your vote, and not to appeal to mere human testimony. I'm speaking to you this way so that you will be saved.G1161G1473G2983G3756G3141G3844G444G235G5023G3004G2443G5210G4982 35John was a torch, blazing and bright, and you were glad enough to dance for an hour or so in his bright light.G1565G2258G2545G2532G5316G3088G1161G5210G2309G4314G5610G21G1722G846G5457 36But the witness that really confirms me far exceeds John's witness. It's the work the Father gave me to complete. These very tasks, as I go about completing them, confirm that the Father, in fact, sent me.G1161G1473G2192G3187G3141G2491G1063G2041G3739G3962G1325G3427G2443G5048G846G846G2041G3739G1473G4160G3140G4012G1700G3754G3962G649G3165 37The Father who sent me, confirmed me. And you missed it. You never heard his voice, you never saw his appearance.G2532G3962G846G3992G3165G3140G4012G1700G191G3777G191G846G5456G4455G3777G3708G846G1491 38There is nothing left in your memory of his Message because you do not take his Messenger seriously.G2532G2192G3756G846G3056G3306G1722G5213G3754G3739G1565G649G5129G5210G4100G3756 39"You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!G2045G1124G3754G1722G846G5210G1380G2192G166G2222G2532G1565G1526G3140G4012G1700 40And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want.G2532G2309G3756G2064G4314G3165G2443G2192G2222 41"I'm not interested in crowd approval.G2983G3756G1391G3844G444 42And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda.G235G1097G5209G3754G2192G3756G26G2316G1722G1438 43I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms.G1473G2064G1722G3450G3962G3686G2532G2983G3165G3756G1437G243G2064G1722G2398G3686G1565G2983 44How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?G4459G1410G5210G4100G2983G1391G3844G240G2532G2212G3756G1391G3844G2316G3441 45"But don't think I'm going to accuse you before my Father. Moses, in whom you put so much stock, is your accuser.G1380G3361G1380G3754G1473G2723G5216G4314G3962G2076G2723G5216G3475G1519G3739G5210G1679 46If you believed, really believed, what Moses said, you would believe me. He wrote of me.G1063G1487G4100G3475G4100G302G1698G1063G1565G1125G4012G1700 47If you won't take seriously what he wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?"G1161G1487G4100G3756G1565G1121G4459G4100G1699G4487
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