But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near!”

As soon as they put out leaves you can see for yourselves and recognize that summer is already near.

In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.

During the day, He was teaching in the temple complex, but in the evening He would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives.

The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called Passover, was drawing near.

Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us, so we can eat it.”

“Where do You want us to prepare it?” they asked Him.

Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover with My disciples?”’

So they went and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way He also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood; it is shed for you.

But look, the hand of the one betraying Me is at the table with Me!

For the Son of Man will go away as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and whoever leads, like the one serving.

For who is greater, the one at the table or the one serving? Isn’t it the one at the table? But I am among you as the One who serves.

I bestow on you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one on Me,

For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in Me: And He was counted among the outlaws. Yes, what is written about Me is coming to its fulfillment.”

He went out and made His way as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple police, and the elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal?

Every day while I was with you in the temple complex, you never laid a hand on Me. But this is your hour—and the dominion of darkness.”

They said, “If You are the Messiah, tell us.”

But He said to them, “If I do tell you, you will not believe.

They began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is the Messiah, a King.”

and said to them, “You have brought me this man as one who subverts the people. But in fact, after examining Him in your presence, I have found no grounds to charge this man with those things you accuse Him of.

Neither has Herod, because he sent Him back to us. Clearly, He has done nothing to deserve death.

Then they all cried out together, “Take this man away! Release Barabbas to us!”

As they led Him away, they seized Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, and laid the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.

Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’

For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

The people stood watching, and even the leaders kept scoffing: “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One!”

An inscription was above Him:

THIS IS

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at Him: “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!”

“He is not here, but He has been resurrected! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,

Then He asked them, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?” And they stopped walking and looked discouraged.

Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb,

Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see Him.”

But they urged Him: “Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.

It was as He reclined at the table with them that He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

So they said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”

And as they were saying these things, He Himself stood among them. He said to them, “Peace to you!”

Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”

He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day,

And look, I am sending you what My Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.”

Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them.

He came as a witness
to testify about the light,
so that all might believe through him.

The Word became flesh
and took up residence among us.
We observed His glory,
the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

No one has ever seen God.
The One and Only Son—
the One who is at the Father’s side—
He has revealed Him.

This is John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

“Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?”

He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord—just as Isaiah the prophet said.”

He is the One coming after me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.”

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’

I didn’t know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on—He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God!”

Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said about him, “Here is a true Israelite; no deceit is in him.”

Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding as well.

And His disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for Your house will consume Me.

So the Jews replied to Him, “What sign of authority will You show us for doing these things?”

This man came to Him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher, for no one could perform these signs You do unless God were with him.”

Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

“But how can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked Him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”

Jesus answered, “I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.

The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.

“This, then, is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi, the One you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan, is baptizing—and everyone is flocking to Him.”

He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete.

The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is earthly and speaks in earthly terms. The One who comes from heaven is above all.

The one who has accepted His testimony has affirmed that God is true.

“How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked Him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.

Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would ask Him, and He would give you living water.”

“Sir,” said the woman, “You don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do You get this ‘living water’?

You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are You? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”

“For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, yet you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews.

But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him.

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them.

The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so the sower and reaper can rejoice together.

For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’

And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

Then He went again to Cana of Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. There was a certain royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum.

By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five colonnades.

“Sir,” the sick man answered, “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”

so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It’s illegal for you to pick up your mat.”

“Who is this man who told you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” they asked.

But Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.”

This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill Him: Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Then Jesus replied, “I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way.

For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing, and He will show Him greater works than these so that you will be amazed.

And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to anyone He wants to.

so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

“I assure you: An hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

For just as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted to the Son to have life in Himself.