When the Jews sent some Priests and Levites to John from Jerusalem, to ask--"Who are you?", his statement was this:

"What then?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?" "No," he said, "I am not." "Are you 'the Prophet'?" He answered, "No."

"Who then are you?" they continued; "tell us, that we may have some answer to give to those who have sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

And their next question was: "Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor yet 'the Prophet'?"

But Jesus turned round, and saw them following. "What are you looking for?" he asked. "Rabbi," they answered (or, as we should say, "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"

Then he brought him to Jesus. Fixing his eyes on him, Jesus said: "You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Kephas" (which means 'Peter,' or 'Rock').

"Rabbi," Nathanael exclaimed, "you are the Son of God, you are King of Israel!"

Upon this the Jews asked Jesus: "What sign are you going to show us, since you act in this way?"

"This Temple," replied the Jews, "has been forty-six years in building, and are you going to 'raise it in three days'?"

This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: "Rabbi, we know that you are a Teacher come from God; for no one could give such signs as you are giving, unless God were with him."

You are yourselves witnesses that I said 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I have been sent before him as a Messenger.'

"How is it," replied the Samaritan woman, "that you who are a Jew ask for water from a Samaritan woman like me?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans).

Surely you are not greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us the well, and used to drink from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle!"

"I have no husband," answered the woman. "You are right in saying 'I have no husband,'" replied Jesus,

"For you have had five husbands, and the man with whom you are now living is not your husband; in saying that, you have spoken the truth."

"I see, Sir, that you are a Prophet!" exclaimed the woman.

But a time is coming, indeed it is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father spiritually and truly; for such are the worshipers that the Father desires.

At this moment his disciples came up, and were surprised to find him talking with a woman; but none of them asked 'What do you want?' or 'Why are you talking with her?'

Do not you say that it still wants four months to harvest? Why, look up, and see how white the fields are for harvest!

Afterwards Jesus found the man in the Temple Courts, and said to him: "You are cured now; do not sin again, for fear that something worse may befall you."

Do not wonder at this; for the time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice,

Looking up, and noticing that a great crowd was coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip: "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"

When they were satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples: "Collect the broken pieces that are left, so that nothing may be wasted."

"In truth I tell you," answered Jesus, "it is not on account of the signs which you saw that you are looking for me, but because you had the bread to eat and were satisfied.

"How," they asked, "are we to do the work that God would have us do?"

"What sign, then," they asked, "are you giving, which we may see, and so believe you? What is the work that you are doing?

Yet there are some of you who do not believe in me." For Jesus knew from the first who they were that did not believe in him, and who it was that would betray him;

And we have learned to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."

His brothers said to him: "Leave this part of the country, and go into Judea, so that your disciples, as well as we, may see the work that you are doing.

The world cannot hate you, but it does hate me, because I testify that its ways are evil.

Was not it Moses who gave you the Law? Yet not one of you obeys it! Why are you seeking to put me to death?"

"There was one thing I did," replied Jesus, "at which you are all still wondering.

At this some of the people of Jerusalem exclaimed: "Is not this the man that they are seeking to put to death?

As for these people who do not know the Law--they are cursed!"

"Are you also from Galilee?" they retorted. "Search, and you will find that no Prophet is to arise in Galilee!"

"You are bearing testimony to yourself!" exclaimed the Pharisees, "your testimony is not trustworthy."

"You," added Jesus, "are from below, I am from above; you are of this present world, I am not;

"Who are you?" they asked. "Why ask exactly what I have been telling you?" said Jesus.

So Jesus went on to say to those Jews who had believed him: "If you remain constant to my Message, you are truly my disciples;

"We are descendants of Abraham," was their answer, "and have never yet been in slavery to any one. What do you mean by saying 'you will be set free'?"

I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you are seeking to put me to death, because my Message finds no place in your hearts.

"Our father is Abraham," was their answer. "If you are Abraham's children," replied Jesus, "do what Abraham did.

But, as it is, you are seeking to put me to death--a man who has told you the Truth as he heard it from God. Abraham did not act in that way.

You are doing what your own father does." "We are not bastards," they said, "we have one Father--God himself."

As for you, you are children of your Father the Devil, and you are determined to do what your father loves to do. He was a murderer from the first, and did not stand by the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he does what is natural to him; because he is a liar, and the father of lying.

"Are not we right, after all," replied the Jews, "in saying that you are a Samaritan, and are possessed by a demon?"

"Now we are sure that you are possessed by a demon," the Jews replied. "Abraham died, and so did the Prophets; and yet you say 'If any one lays my Message to heart, he will never know death.'

Are you greater than our ancestor Abraham, who died? And the Prophets died too. Whom do you make yourself out to be?"

"You are not fifty years old yet," the Jews exclaimed, "and have you seen Abraham?"

"You are his disciple," they retorted scornfully; "but we are disciples of Moses.

"You," they retorted, "were born totally depraved; and are you trying to teach us?" So they expelled him.

Hearing this, some of the Pharisees who were with him said: "Then are we blind too?"

When the Jews gathered round him, and said: "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us so frankly."

But you do not believe me, because you are not of my flock.

The Father and I are one."

"It is not for any good action that we would stone you," answered the Jews, "but for blasphemy; and because you, who are only a man, make yourself out to be God."

"Are there not," replied Jesus, "these words in your Law--'I said "Ye are gods"'?

Do you say of one whom the Father has consecrated and sent as his Messenger to the world 'You are blaspheming,' because I said 'I am God's Son'?

"Rabbi," they replied, "the Jews were but just now seeking to stone you; and are you going there again?"

"Are not there twelve hours in the day?" answered Jesus. "If a man walks about in the day-time, he does not stumble, because he can see the light of the sun;

"Yes Master," she answered; "I have learned to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, 'who was to come' into the world."

Upon this the Chief Priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the High Council, and said: "What are we to do, now that this man is giving so many signs?

If we let him alone as we are doing, every one will believe in him; and the Romans will come and will take from us both our City and our Nationality."

"You are utterly mistaken. You do not consider that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, rather than the whole nation should be destroyed."

So the Pharisees said to one another: "You see that you are gaining nothing! Why, all the world has run after him!"

When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said: "You, Master! Are you going to wash my feet?"

"He who has bathed," replied Jesus, "has no need to wash, unless it be his feet, but is altogether clean; and you," he said to the disciples, "are clean, yet not all of you."

For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said 'You are not all clean.'

"You yourselves call me 'the Teacher' and 'the Master', and you are right, for I am both.

Now that you know these things, happy are you if you do them.

And it was then, after he had received it, that Satan took possession of him. So Jesus said to him: "Do at once what you are going to do."

"Where are you going, Master?" asked Peter. "I am going where you cannot now follow me," answered Jesus, "but you shall follow me later."

In my Father's Home there are many dwellings. If it had not been so, I should have told you, for I am going to prepare a place for you.

"We do not know where you are going, Master," said Thomas; "so how can we know the way?"

"What has happened, Master," said Judas (not Judas Iscariot), "that you are going to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?"

He who does not love me will not lay my Message to heart; and the Message to which you are listening is not my own, but that of the Father who sent me.

You are already clean because of the Message that I have given you.

I am the Vine, you are the branches. He that remains united to me, while I remain united to him--he bears fruit plentifully; for you can do nothing apart from me.

If any one does not remain united to me, he is thrown away, as a branch would be, and withers up. Such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and are burnt.

And you are my friends, if you do what I command you.

Yes, and you also are to bear testimony, because you have been with me from the first.

I did not tell you all this at first, because I was with you. But now I am to return to him who sent me; and yet not one of you asks me--'Where are you going?'

Although your hearts are full of sorrow at all that I have been saying to you.

Yet when he--The Spirit of Truth--comes, he will guide you into all Truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of all that he hears; and he will tell you of the things that are to come.

Jesus saw that they were wanting to ask him a question, and said: "Are you trying to find out from one another what I meant by saying 'In a little while you will not see me; and then in a little while you will see me indeed'?

You, in the same way, are sorry now; but I shall see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy.

"At last," exclaimed the disciples, "you are using plain words and not speaking in figures at all.

Now we are sure that you know everything, and need not wait for any one to question you. This makes us believe that you did come from God."

"Listen! a time is coming--indeed it has already come--when you are to be scattered, each going his own way, and to leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

I intercede for them; I am not interceding for the world, but for those whom thou has given me, for they are thy own--

Now I am to be in this world no longer, but they are still to be in the world, and I am to come to thee. Holy Father, keep them by that revelation of thy Name which thou has given me, that they may be one, as we are.

I have given them the honor which thou has given me, that they may be one as we are one--

Jesus, aware of all that was coming upon him, went to meet them, and said to them: "For whom are you looking?"

"I have already told you that I am he," replied Jesus, "so, if it is for me that you are looking, let these men go."

So the maidservant said to Peter: "Are not you also one of this man's disciples?" "No, I am not," he said.

Meanwhile Simon Peter was standing there, warming himself; so they said to him: "Are not you also one of his disciples?" Peter denied it. "No, I am not," he said.

After that, Pilate went into the Government House again, and calling Jesus up, asked him: "Are you the King of the Jews?"

"So you are a King after all!" exclaimed Pilate. "Yes, it is true I am a King," answered Jesus. "I was born for this, I have come into the world for this--to bear testimony to the Truth. Every one who is on the side of Truth listens to my voice."

This made Pilate anxious to release him; but the Jews shouted: "If you release that man, you are no friend of the Emperor! Any one who makes himself out to be a King is setting himself against the Emperor!"

"Why are you weeping?" asked the angels. "They have taken my Master away," she answered, "and I do not know where they have laid him."