Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



About the middle of the Festival week, Jesus went up into the Temple Courts, and began teaching. The Jews were astonished. "How has this man got his learning," they asked, "when he has never studied?" So, in reply, Jesus said: "My teaching is not my own; it is his who sent me. read more.
If any one has the will to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching is from God, or whether I speak on my own authority. The man who speaks on his own authority seeks honor for himself; but the man who seeks the honor of him that sent him is sincere, and there is nothing false in him. 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?" "You must be possessed by a demon!" the people exclaimed. "Who is seeking to put you to death?" "There was one thing I did," replied Jesus, "at which you are all still wondering. But that is why Moses has instituted circumcision among you- -not, indeed, that it began with him, but with our ancestors--and that is why you circumcise even on a Sabbath. When a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath to prevent the Law of Moses from being broken, how can you be angry with me for making a man sound and well on a Sabbath? Do not judge by appearances; judge justly." At this some of the people of Jerusalem exclaimed: "Is not this the man that they are seeking to put to death? Yet here he is, speaking out boldly, and they say nothing to him! Is it possible that our leading men have really discovered that he is the Christ? Yet we know where this man is from; but, when the Christ comes, no one will be able to tell where he is from." Therefore, Jesus, as he was teaching in the Temple Courts, raised his voice and said: "Yes; you know me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on my own authority, but he who sent me may be trusted; and him you do not know. I do know him, for it is from him that I have come, and he sent me as his Messenger." So they sought to arrest him; but no one touched him, for his time was not come yet. Many of the people, however, believed in him. "When the Christ comes," they said, "will he give more signs of his mission than this man has given?" The Pharisees heard the people whispering about him in this way, and so the Chief Priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him; On which Jesus said: "I shall be with you but a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will look for me, and you will not find me; and you will not be able to come where I shall be." "Where is this man going," the Jews asked one another, "that we shall not find him? Will he go to our countrymen abroad, and teach foreigners? What does he mean by saying 'You will look for me, and you will not find me; and you will not be able to come where I shall be'?" On the last and greatest day of the Festival, Jesus, who was standing by, exclaimed: "If any one thirsts, let him come to me, and drink. He who believes in me--As Scripture says, Out of his heart shall flow rivers of 'Living Water.'" (By this he meant the Spirit, which those who had believed in him were to receive; for the Spirit had not yet come, because Jesus had not yet been exalted.) Some of the people, when they heard these words, said: "This is certainly 'the Prophet'!"; others said: "This is the Christ!"; but some asked: "What! does the Christ come from Galilee? Is not it said in Scripture that it is of the race of David, and from Bethlehem, the village to which David belonged, that the Christ is to come?" So there was a sharp division among the people on account of Jesus. Some of them wanted to arrest him, and yet no one touched him. When the officers returned to the Chief Priests and Pharisees, they were asked: "Why have you not brought him?" "No man ever spoke as he speaks!" they answered. "What! Have you been led astray too?" the Pharisees replied. "Have any of our leading men believed in him, or any of the Pharisees? As for these people who do not know the Law--they are cursed!" But one of their number, Nicodemus, who before this had been to see Jesus, said to them: "Does our Law pass judgment on a man without first giving him a hearing, and finding out what he has been doing?" "Are you also from Galilee?" they retorted. "Search, and you will find that no Prophet is to arise in Galilee!" OMITTED TEXT


And there he saw a man with a withered hand. Some people asked Jesus whether it was allowable to work a cure on the Sabbath- -so that they might have a charge to bring against him. But Jesus said to them: "Which of you, if he had only one sheep, and that sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would not lay hold of it and pull it out? And how much more precious a man is than a sheep! Therefore it is allowable to do good on the Sabbath." read more.
Then he said to the man. "Stretch out your hand." The man stretched it out; and it had become as sound as the other.

Jesus was teaching on a Sabbath in one of the Synagogues, And he saw before him a woman who for eighteen years had suffered from weakness owing to her having an evil spirit in her. She was bent double, and was wholly unable to raise herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said: "Woman, you are released from your weakness." read more.
He placed his hands on her, and she was instantly made straight, and began to praise God. But the President of the Synagogue, indignant that Jesus had worked the cure on the Sabbath, interposed and said to the people: "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come to be cured on one of those, and not on the Sabbath." "You hypocrites!" the Master answered him. "Does not every one of you let his ox or his ass loose from its manger, and take it out to drink, on the Sabbath? But this woman, a daughter of Abraham, who has been kept in bondage by Satan for now eighteen years, ought not she to have been released from her bondage on the Sabbath?" As he said this, his opponents all felt ashamed; but all the people rejoiced to see all the wonderful things that he was doing.

The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. And that was why the Jews began to persecute Jesus--because he did things of this kind on the Sabbath. But Jesus replied: "My Father works to this very hour, and I work also." read more.
This made the Jews all the more eager to kill him, because not only was he doing away with the Sabbath, but he actually called God his own Father--putting himself on an equality with God.

There he saw before him a man who was suffering from dropsy. "Is it allowable," said Jesus, addressing the Students of the Law and the Pharisees, "to work a cure on the Sabbath, or is it not?" They remained silent. Jesus took hold of the man and cured him, and sent him away. read more.
And he said to them: "Which of you, finding that his son or his ox has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath Day?"

"There was one thing I did," replied Jesus, "at which you are all still wondering. But that is why Moses has instituted circumcision among you- -not, indeed, that it began with him, but with our ancestors--and that is why you circumcise even on a Sabbath. When a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath to prevent the Law of Moses from being broken, how can you be angry with me for making a man sound and well on a Sabbath? read more.
Do not judge by appearances; judge justly."


"For my part," answered Jesus, "I have spoken to all the world openly. I always taught in some Synagogue, or in the Temple Courts, places where all the Jews assemble, and I never spoke of anything in secret.

They came to Jerusalem again. While Jesus was walking about in the Temple Courts, the Chief Priests, the Teachers of the Law, and the Councillors came up to him. "What authority have you to do these things?" they said. "Who gave you the authority to do them?" "I will put one question to you," said Jesus. "Answer me that, and then I will tell you what authority I have to act as I do. read more.
It is about John's baptism. Was it of divine or human origin? Answer me that." They began arguing together; "If we say 'divine,' he will say 'Why then did not you believe him?' Yet can we say 'human'?"--They were afraid of the people, for everyone regarded John as undoubtedly a Prophet. So their answer to Jesus was--"We do not know." "Then I," replied Jesus, "refuse to tell you what authority I have to do these things."

While Jesus was teaching in the Temple Courts, he asked: "How is it that the Teachers of the Law say that the Christ is to be David's son? David said himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit-- 'The Lord said to my lord: "Sit at my right hand, Until I put thy enemies beneath thy feet.'" David himself calls him 'lord,' how comes it, then, that he is to be his son?" The mass of the people listened to Jesus with delight. read more.
In the course of his teaching, Jesus said: "See that you are on your guard against the Teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and to be greeted in the streets with respect, And to have the best seats in the Synagogues, and places of honor at dinner. They are the men that rob widows of their homes, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier." Then Jesus sat down opposite the chests for the Temple offerings, and watched how the people put money into them. Many rich people were putting in large sums; But one poor widow came and put in two farthings, which make a half-penny. On this, calling his disciples to him, Jesus said: "I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others who were putting money into the chests; For every one else put in something from what he had to spare, while she, in her need, put in all she had--everything that she had to live on."

I have been among you day after day in the Temple Courts teaching, and yet you did not arrest me; but this is in fulfillment of the Scriptures."

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." The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. And that was why the Jews began to persecute Jesus--because he did things of this kind on the Sabbath. read more.
But Jesus replied: "My Father works to this very hour, and I work also."

About the middle of the Festival week, Jesus went up into the Temple Courts, and began teaching. The Jews were astonished. "How has this man got his learning," they asked, "when he has never studied?" So, in reply, Jesus said: "My teaching is not my own; it is his who sent me. read more.
If any one has the will to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching is from God, or whether I speak on my own authority. The man who speaks on his own authority seeks honor for himself; but the man who seeks the honor of him that sent him is sincere, and there is nothing false in him. 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?" "You must be possessed by a demon!" the people exclaimed. "Who is seeking to put you to death?" "There was one thing I did," replied Jesus, "at which you are all still wondering. But that is why Moses has instituted circumcision among you- -not, indeed, that it began with him, but with our ancestors--and that is why you circumcise even on a Sabbath. When a man receives circumcision on a Sabbath to prevent the Law of Moses from being broken, how can you be angry with me for making a man sound and well on a Sabbath? Do not judge by appearances; judge justly." At this some of the people of Jerusalem exclaimed: "Is not this the man that they are seeking to put to death? Yet here he is, speaking out boldly, and they say nothing to him! Is it possible that our leading men have really discovered that he is the Christ? Yet we know where this man is from; but, when the Christ comes, no one will be able to tell where he is from." Therefore, Jesus, as he was teaching in the Temple Courts, raised his voice and said: "Yes; you know me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on my own authority, but he who sent me may be trusted; and him you do not know.

It was winter; and Jesus was walking in the Temple Courts, in the Colonnade of Solomon, 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." "I have told you so," replied Jesus, "and you do not believe me. The work that I am doing in my Father's name bears testimony to me. read more.
But you do not believe me, because you are not of my flock. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me; And I give them Immortal Life, and they shall not be lost; nor shall any one snatch them out of my hands. What my Father has entrusted to me is more than all else; and no one can snatch anything out of the Father's hands. The Father and I are one." The Jews again brought stones to throw at him; And seeing this, Jesus said: "I have done before your eyes many good actions, inspired by the Father; for which of them would you stone me?" "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"'? If those to whom God's word were addressed were said to be 'gods'--and Scripture cannot be set aside-- 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'? If I am not doing the work that my Father is doing, do not believe me; If I am doing it, even though you do not believe me, believe what that work shows; so that you may understand, and understand more and more clearly, that the Father is in union with me, and I with the Father."