John testified to Him and cried out, for this was the one who said, "The One who is coming after me has been put before me, because He existed before me."

Now this is the testimony which John gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem, to ask him, "Who are you?"

This took place at Bethany on the farther side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

This is the One about whom I said, 'After me there is coming a man who has already been put before me, because He existed before me.'

Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him.

The two disciples heard him say this, and so they followed Jesus.

Jesus answered him, "Do you believe in me because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this."

Jesus performed this, the first of His wonder-works, at Cana in Galilee. By it He showed His glorious power, and so His disciples believed in Him.

After this Jesus went home to Capernaum, with His mother and brothers and disciples, and stayed there for a few days.

Then the Jews addressed Him and asked, "What sign can you show us that you have authority to act in this way?"

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this sanctuary, and I will raise it in three days."

Then the Jews retorted, "It took forty-six years to build this sanctuary, and you are going to raise it in three days!"

So after He had risen from the dead, His disciples recalled that He had said this, and so believed the Scripture and the statement that He had made.

Then Nicodemus answered by asking, "How can this be?"

Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel and do not know this?

And the ground for the sentence is this, that the light has come into the world, and yet, because their actions were evil, men have loved darkness more than the light.

After this, Jesus and His disciples went into Judea, and for some time He stayed there with them and kept baptizing people.

It is the bridegroom who has the bride, but the bridegroom's friend, who stands outside and listens to him, is very happy to hear the bridegroom's voice. So this happiness of mine is running over.

You are not greater than our forefather Jacob, are you, who gave us this well, and drank from it himself, with all his sons and flocks?"

Jesus answered her, "Anyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again;

The woman said to Him, "Give me this water at once, sir, so I may never get thirsty again, nor have to come so far to draw water."

Our forefathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship Him."

Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

For in this matter the adage is true, 'One sows, another reaps.'

This is the second wonder-work that Jesus performed after He had come back from Judea to Galilee.

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

This is why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He persisted in doing such things on the Sabbath.

It was on account of this that the Jews tried all the harder to put Him to death, because He not only persisted in breaking the Sabbath, but also kept on saying that God was His Father, and so was making Himself equal to God.

Stop being surprised at this, for the time is coming when all that are in the graves will listen to His voice,

However, I do not accept mere human testimony, but I am saying this that you may be saved.

After this Jesus went to the other side of the sea of Galilee, or Tiberias.

He was saying this to test him for He knew Himself what He was going to do.

When the people, therefore, saw the wonder-works that He performed, they began to say, "This is surely the prophet who was to come into the world."

Jesus answered them, "The work that God demands of you is this, to believe in the messenger whom He has sent."

Now the will of Him who sent me is this, that I should lose none of all that He has given me, but should raise them to life on the last day.

I am this living bread that has come down out of heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my own flesh."

This is the bread that comes down out of heaven; not as your forefathers ate the manna, and yet died. Whoever continues to eat this bread will live forever."

He said this as He taught in the synagogue at Capernaum.

So many of His disciples, when they heard it, said, "This teaching is hard to take in. Who can listen to it?"

But as Jesus naturally knew that His disciples were grumbling about this, He said to them, "Is this shocking to you?

So He continued, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me, unless it is granted to him by my Father."

As a result of this many of His disciples turned their backs on Him and stopped accompanying Him.

After this, Jesus went on moving about in Galilee; He would not do so in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill Him.

for no one does anything in secret when he is trying to be known to the public. If you are going to do this, show yourself publicly to the world."

He told them this and stayed on in Galilee.

The Jews were dumbfounded and said, "How can this uneducated man know the Scriptures?"

Then some of the people of Jerusalem said, "Is not this the man they are trying to kill?

But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, however, no one will know where He is from."

The Pharisees heard the people whispering this about Him, and so the high priests and Pharisees sent some officers to arrest Him.

By this He referred to the Spirit that those believing in Him were going to receive -- for the Spirit had not yet come, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

So some of the people, when they heard this, said, "This is surely the prophet."

Others said, "This is the Christ." But still others said, "The Christ does not come from Galilee, does He?

But this mob, which knows nothing about the law, is bound to be accursed!"

they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

They were asking this to trap him so that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped and began to write in the dirt with his finger.

And she said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go. Stop sinning from this point on."

He continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this present world; I do not belong to this present world.

Even while He was saying this, many believed in Him.

Whoever is sprung from God listens to what God says. This is why you do not listen to me: you are not sprung from God."

At this the Jews took up stones to stone Him, but Jesus made His way out of the temple unperceived.

So His disciples asked Him, "Teacher, for whose sin was this man born blind, his own or that of his parents?"

On saying this He spit on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes,

Now his neighbors and those who saw that he was formerly blind, kept saying, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?"

Then some of the Pharisees said, "This man does not come from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a sinful man perform such wonder- works?" So there was a difference of opinion among them.

and asked them, "Is this your son, and do you affirm that he was born blind? If so, how is it then that he now can see?"

His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind.

His parents said this, because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone owned Jesus as the Christ, he should be shut out of the synagogues.

This is why his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."

So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know this man is a sinner."

We do know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this fellow comes from."

The man answered them, "Well, there is something strange about this! You do not know where He comes from! And yet He has made my eyes to see!

It has never been heard of in this world that anyone ever made the eyes of a man who was born blind to see.

If this man had not come from God, He could not have done anything like this."

Then Jesus said, "I have come into this world to judge people, so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind."

Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and asked Him, "We are not blind, are we?"

Jesus told them this allegory, but they did not understand what He meant by it.

This is because he is a hired man and does not care a straw for the sheep.

I have other sheep too that do not belong to this fold. I must lead them too, and they will listen to my voice, and all my sheep will become one flock with one shepherd.

This is why the Father loves me, because I am giving my own life to take it back again.

No one has taken it from me, but I am giving it as a free gift. I have the right to give it and I have the right to take it back. I have gotten this order from my Father."

And many people came to Him and kept on saying, "John did not perform any wonder-works, but everything he ever said about this man was true."

So the sisters sent this message to Jesus, "Lord, listen! the one you love so well is sick."

When Jesus received the message, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death but is to honor God, that the Son of God through it may be honored."

Jesus answered, "Does not the day have twelve hours? If a man travels in the daytime, he does not stumble, for he can see the light of this world;

He said this, and after that He added, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him."

and no person who continues to live and believe in me will ever die at all. Do you believe this?"

On saying this she went back and called her sister Mary, whispering to her, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you."

But some of them said, "Could not this man, who made that blind man see, have kept Lazarus from dying?"

Jesus said, "Slip the stone aside." The dead man's sister, Martha, said to Him, "Lord, by this time he is offensive, for he has been dead four days."

yes, I knew that you always listen to me. But I have said this for the sake of the crowd that is standing by, that they may come to believe that you have sent me."

On saying this, He shouted aloud, "Lazarus, come out!"

So the high priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and began to say, "What are we to do? For this man is certainly performing many wonder-works.

If we let Him go on this way, everybody will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and blot out both our city and nation."

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing about this;

Now he did not say this on his own authority, but because he was high priest that year he uttered this prophecy from God, that Jesus was to die for the nation,

It was for this reason that Jesus no more appeared in public among the Jews, but He left that part of the country and went to the district near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and stayed there with His disciples.

"Why was this perfume not sold for sixty dollars and the money given to the poor?"

He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and as the carrier of the purse for the Twelve he was in the habit of taking what was put into it.

His disciples at the time did not understand this, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that this had been written about Him and that they had fulfilled it in His case.

This is why the crowd went out to meet Him, because they had heard that He had performed this wonder-work.