Holman Christian Standard Bible (316 page)

27
 They did not know He was speaking to them about the Father.
28
 So Jesus said to them,
“When you lift up the
•Son
of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own. But just as the Father taught Me, I say these things.
29
 The One who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”

Truth and Freedom

30
 As He was saying these things, many believed in Him.
31
 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him,
“If you continue in My word,
you really are My disciples.
32
 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33
 “We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered Him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can You say,
‘You will become free'
? ”

34
 Jesus responded,
“
•I assure you
: Everyone who commits sin is a
•slave
of sin. 
35
 A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. 
36
 Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.
37
 I know you are descendants
 
of Abraham, but you are trying to kill Me because My word
 
is not welcome among you.
38
 I speak what I have seen in the presence of the Father;
therefore, you do what you have heard from your father.”

39
 “Our father is Abraham! ” they replied.

“If you were Abraham's children,”
Jesus told them,
“you would do what Abraham did. 
40
 But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this!
41
 You're doing what your father does.”
 

“We weren't born of sexual immorality,” they said. “We have one Father — God.” 

42
 Jesus said to them,
“If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I came from God and I am here. For I didn't come on My own, but He sent Me.
43
 Why don't you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to
 
My word. 
44
 You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature,
 
because he is a liar and the father of liars.
 
45
 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46
 Who among you can convict Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why don't you believe Me?
47
 The one who is from God listens to God's words. This is why you don't listen, because you are not from God.”

Jesus and Abraham

48
 The Jews responded to Him, “Aren't we right in saying that You're a
•Samaritan
 and have a demon? ” 

49
 “I do not have a demon,”
Jesus answered.
“On the contrary, I honor My Father and you dishonor Me.
50
 I do not seek My glory; the One who seeks it also judges.
51
 I assure you: If anyone keeps My word, he will never see death — ever! ”

52
 Then the Jews said, “Now we know You have a demon. Abraham died and so did the prophets. You say,
‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death — ever! '
53
 Are You greater than our father Abraham who died? Even the prophets died. Who do You pretend to be? ” 

54
 “If I glorify Myself,”
Jesus answered,
“My glory is nothing. My Father — you say about Him, ‘He is our God' — He is the One who glorifies Me.
55
 You've never known Him, but I know Him. If I were to say I don't know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word.
56
 Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day; he saw it and rejoiced.”

57
 The Jews replied, “You aren't 50 years old yet, and You've seen Abraham? ” 

58
 Jesus said to them,
“I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am.”

59
 At that, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple complex.

John

The Sixth Sign: Healing a Man Born Blind

9
As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth.
2
 His disciples questioned Him: “
•Rabbi
, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? ”

3
 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,”
Jesus answered.
“This came about so that God's works might be displayed in him.
4
 We
 
must do the works of Him who sent Me
 
while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.
5
 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
 

6
 After He said these things He spit on the ground, made some mud from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes.
7
 “Go,”
He told him,
“wash in the pool of Siloam”
 (which means “Sent”). So he left, washed, and came back seeing. 

8
 His neighbors and those who formerly had seen him as a beggar said, “Isn't this the man who sat begging? ”
9
 Some said, “He's the one.” “No,” others were saying, “but he looks like him.”

He kept saying, “I'm the one! ”

10
 Therefore they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened? ”

11
 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me,
‘Go to Siloam and wash.'
So when I went and washed I received my sight.” 

12
 “Where is He? ” they asked.

“I don't know,” he said.

The Healed Man's Testimony

13
 They brought the man who used to be blind to the
•Pharisees
. 
14
 The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. 
15
 So again the Pharisees asked him how he received his sight.

“He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.”

16
 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He doesn't keep the Sabbath! ” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs? ” And there was a division among them.

17
 Again they asked the blind man, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes? ”

“He's a prophet,” he said.

18
 The
•Jews
did not believe this about him — that he was blind and received sight — until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight.

19
 They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see? ”

20
 “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his parents answered.
21
 “But we don't know how he now sees, and we don't know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he's of age. He will speak for himself.”
22
 His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him as
•Messiah
, he would be banned from the
•synagogue
.
23
 This is why his parents said, “He's of age; ask him.”

24
 So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner! ”

25
 He answered, “Whether or not He's a sinner, I don't know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see! ”

26
 Then they asked him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes? ”

27
 “I already told you,” he said, “and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don't want to become His disciples too, do you? ”

28
 They ridiculed him: “You're that man's disciple, but we're Moses' disciples.
29
 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man — we don't know where He's from! ” 

30
 “This is an amazing thing,” the man told them. “You don't know where He is from, yet He opened my eyes!
31
 We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him. 
32
 Throughout history no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. 
33
 If this man were not from God, He wouldn't be able to do anything.” 

34
 “You were born entirely in sin,” they replied, “and are you trying to teach us? ” Then they threw him out.

The Blind Man's Sight and the Pharisees' Blindness

35
 When Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, He found him and asked,
“Do you believe in the
•Son
of Man? ”

36
 “Who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him? ” he asked.

37
 Jesus answered,
“You have seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you.”

38
 “I believe, Lord! ” he said, and he worshiped Him.

39
 Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”
 

40
 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and asked Him, “We aren't blind too, are we? ”

41
 “If you were blind,”
Jesus told them,
“you wouldn't have sin.
But now that you say, ‘We see' — your sin remains.

John

The Ideal Shepherd

6
 Jesus gave them this illustration, but they did not understand what He was telling them.

The Good Shepherd

7
 So Jesus said again,
“I assure you: I am the door of the sheep. 
8
 All who came before Me
 
are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them.
9
 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.
10
 A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

11
 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 
12
 The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn't own the sheep, leaves them
 
and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them.
13
 This happens because he is a hired man and doesn't care about the sheep.

14
 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me,
15
 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep.
16
 But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. 
17
 This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again.
18
 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.”
 

19
 Again a division took place among the
•Jews
because of these words.
20
 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and He's crazy! Why do you listen to Him? ”
21
 Others were saying, “These aren't the words of someone demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? ” 

Jesus at the Festival of Dedication

22
 Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter.
23
 Jesus was walking in the
•temple
complex in Solomon's Colonnade.
24
 Then the Jews surrounded Him and asked, “How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You are the
•Messiah
, tell us plainly.”

25
 “I did tell you and you don't believe,”
Jesus answered them.
“The works that I do in My Father's name testify about Me.
26
 But you don't believe because you are not My sheep.
27
 My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.
28
 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish  — ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.
29
 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
30
 The Father and I are one.”