THE GOSPEL OF JOHN SECTION B 1:19-5:47

1:19-34 This is the witness (given by John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus). The Jews from Jerusalem, that is the priests and the Levites, sent to ask him "Who are you?" He (the Baptist) confessed and did not deny, saying "I am not the Christ." They asked him "Are you Elias?" He says "I am not." They asked "Are you the prophet?" He answered "No" They therefore said to him "Who are you? Tell us something so we can give an answer to the people who have sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He (the Baptist) said "I am the voice of one who cries out in the desert "Make the way of the Lord straight" as the prophet Isaiah said." Now the people who had been sent were Pharisees. They asked him saying "Why do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet?" John answered them saying "I baptize in water. But amongst you there stands someone whom you do not know. This one is coming after me. I am not even worthy to loosen the thong of his sandal." These things happened in Bethany beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing. 1:35-51 The next day John (the Baptist) again stood (by the Jordan river) with two of his disciples. He was looking at Jesus walking along and said "Look, there is the Lamb of God." The two disciples heard him speaking (on these lines) and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and seeing them following him said to them. "What are you looking for?" They replied to him "Rabbi - (which means teacher), where are you staying?" He says to them "Come and see." They therefore went and saw where he was staying and stayed with him that day. At that time it was about the tenth hour (4 p.m.). One of these two was Andrew the brother of Simon Peter who had been listening to John and so followed (Jesus). The first thing he did was to go and find his brother Simon and say to him "We have found the Messiah - (which means the Christ). (Then) he led him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said "You are Simon the son of John. You will be called Cephas - (which is translated Peter, the rock). On the next day (Jesus) headed towards Galilee and found Philip. Jesus says to him "Follow me." Now Phillip was from Bethsaida which was also the city of Andrew and of Peter. Then Phillip found Nathanael and tells him "We have found the one that was written about in the law of Moses and in the prophets. He is Jesus the son of Joseph from Nazareth. Nathanael said to him. "Can any good come out of Nazareth?" Philip says to him "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael as he approached and said about him "Look here comes a true Israelite. There is no guile in him." Nathanael (on coming up) said to him "How is you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig-tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered him "Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are king of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him. "Do you believe (this) because I told you that I saw you underneath the fig-tree? You will see greater things than this." He (Jesus) said to Nathanael) "Truly truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened up and the angels of God going up and coming down upon to the son of Man." 2:1-11 On the third day (after John the Baptist) pointed him out) there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there. Both Jesus and his disciples had been invited to the wedding. (It turned out) there was not enough wine (there) and the mother of Jesus says to him "They haven't any wine." Jesus says to her. "What concern is that to myself and to you woman? My hour has not yet come." His mother says to the servants. "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water-pots there according to the purifying (rituals) of the Jews. Each of them contained two or three measures (of water). Jesus said to them "Fill the water-pots with water." So they filled them to the top. Then he tells them "Now draw some out and carry it to the master of the feast." And so they took some (to him). When the master of the feast had tasted the water which in fact had become wine, he did not know where it came from. The servants however knew since it was they who had drawn the water to start with. The master of the feast called to the bridegroom and said to him. "People set out the good wine first and when people have drunk it they put out the worst. But you have kept the good wine until now." 2:11-12 What Jesus did in Cana of Galilee was the beginning of his signs. It showed his glory and helped his disciples to believe in him. After this he and his mother and brothers and his disciples went down to Capernaum but they did not stay there many days. 2:13-25 Near the time of the Jewish feast of the Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling oxen and sheep and doves. The coin dealers were also sitting there. Having made a lash out of ropes he expelled all of them out of the temple with both the sheep and the oxen. As for the money changers, he poured out their coins and over-turned the tables. To the people selling doves he said "Take these things out of here. Do not make my Father's house into a market place." (At this time) his disciples remembered that it is written "The zeal for your house will consume me." (But) The Jews reacted to this and said to him "What sort of sign (of authority) can you show us doing these things?" Jesus answered "Destroy this shrine and in three days I will raise it up (again)." The Jews therefore said "It took forty-six years to build this shrine and are you going to raise it up (again) in three days? " But in fact he (Jesus) was talking about the shrine of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead (later on) his disciples remembered that he had said this. They believed in both the Scripture passage and what had been said by Jesus. While Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast many people believed in his name on seeing the signs that he was working. But as for Jesus himself He did not commit himself to them because he understood people. Nobody needed to tell him about people because he already knew. 3:1-21 Now there was a man amongst the Pharisees whose name was Nicodemus. He was a Jewish ruler. This man came to (Jesus) at night time and said to him "Rabbi, we know that you have come as a teacher from God. There is no one who can do the signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him "Truly truly I tell you, unless someone is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus says to him "How can a man be born when he is already old? He cannot re-enter the womb of his mother to be born a second time." Jesus answered "Truly truly I tell you unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Whatever has been born of the flesh, is flesh. What has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not wonder because I told you it behooves you to be born from above. The spirit, like the wind, blows where it wants to. You hear its sound but you do not know from where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who has been born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered and said to him " How can these things come about?" Jesus answered and said to him "You are the teacher of Israel and you do not know these things? Truly truly I tell you. We speak about what we know and we give witness to what we have seen. But you have not received our witness. (that of Jesus and disciples?)

If I told you about earthly things and you did not believe are you likely to believe if I tell you about the things of heaven? No man has gone up into heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, that is the son of man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert (when told by God to make a bronze serpent on standard so people looking on it could be saved from the bites of a plague of snakes), so it behooves the Son of man to be lifted up. This is so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son so that everyone believing in him may not perish but may have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge it but (rather) that the world may be saved through him. The one who believes in him is not judged. But the one who does not believe has already been judged because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment (upon such a one). The light has come into the world (but such a one) has loved men and the darkness rather than the light. Thus their works have been evil. Everyone who does evil things hates the light and does not come into the light lest his works are reproved. But the one who does deeds according to the truth comes to the light so that it may be shown that their works have been done in God (that is, in terms of the eternal plan)." 3:22-36 After these things Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea. There they continued (with their ministry) and baptized. John also was baptizing in Ainon near Salim because there were many streams of water there. So they (Jesus and his disciples) came and were baptized. (They were able to do this) because John had not yet been thrown into prison. There was a degree of questioning of the disciples of John by a Jew about the subject of purifying. They (John's disciples) came to John and said to him. "Rabbi the one who was with you beyond the Jordan and to whom you bore witness, behold this man is baptizing and everyone is coming to him. John answered and said. "A man cannot receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves know that I said I am not the Christ. Rather I have been sent before that one. It is the one who has the bride that is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom stands by and on hearing him is happy because this is the voice of the bridegroom. It is therefore with joy that I find my role has been completed. It is right for that one to increase. But as for me (it is right for me) to decrease. The one who comes from above is over all. The one (John himself) who comes from the earth is of earth and speaks of earth. The one from heaven in coming, is over all. What he has seen and heard is what he gives witness to. His witness is such that no one receives it (fully). On the other hand the person who does receive him is sealed in the conviction that God is truly (there). He (Jesus) whom God has sent, speaks the words of God. He gives the Spirit of God fully. The Father loves the Son and has given (him control) of everything - into his hand. The one who believes in the Son (Jesus) has eternal life. On the other hand the one who disobeys the Son will not see life. Rather the wrath of God remains upon him. 4:1-42 When the Lord (Jesus) knew that the Pharisees had heard how he was making and batpizing more disciples than John, though it was his disciples baptizing and not himself, he left Judea and went back into Galilee. It suited him to pass through Samaria. He came therefore to a city of Samaria being called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. There was there a well of Jacob. Therefore Jesus who had become weary from the journey sat by the well. It was about midday. A woman of Samaria came along to draw water. Jesus says to her "Give me a drink." His disciples had gone away meanwhile into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said. "How is it that you, who are a Jew ask me, a woman who is a Samaritan for a drink? Jews do not associate with Samaritans." Jesus answered and said to her. "If you knew the gift of God and who the one is who is asking you "Give me a drink", it would be yourself doing the asking and he would have given you living water." She said to him "Sir you do not have a bucket. And the well is deep. How then could you have living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well and drank of it himself as well as his sons and his cattle." Jesus answered and said to her "Everyone who drinks this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I give to them will by no means thirst again until the end of the age. The water that I will give will become a fountain within that person and it will well up into eternal life." The woman says to him "Give me this water so that I will not be thirsty again nor need to come here to draw up water." He says to her "Go and tell your husband to come here." The woman answered and said "I do not have a husband." Jesus says to her "Well said by saying "I do not have a husband." Indeed you have had five husbands and the man who is with you now is not your husband. You have spoken truly." The woman says to him "Sir I perceive that you that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain and you say that Jerusalem is the place where one should worship." Jesus says to her "Believe me woman, the hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know because salvation (is to come) from the Jews. But an hour is coming and indeed has come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Indeed the Father is looking for those who will worship him (in this way). God is spirit and it behoves those who worship in spirit and in truth to worship him (this way)." The woman says to him "I know that the Messiah is coming. He is the one who is called Christ. When this one comes he will tell us everything." Jesus said to her "I am that one who is talking with you (here and now)." With this the disciples came upon him and they marvelled that he was talking with a woman. However nobody said "What are you looking for or why are you speaking with her?" Rather, the woman left her water pot and went away into the city. She said to the men there. "Come and see a man who has told me everything I have done. Would this not be the Christ?" They therefore went out of the city and came to him. In the meantime his disciples asked him saying "Rabbi (will you not) eat?" But he said to them "I have food to eat that you do not know about." The disciples therefore said to one another "Has someone brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them "My food is to the will of the one who has sent me a so that I may finish his work. Do you not say that in four months there will be the harvest? Look I tell you, lift up your eyes and see the fields. They are white and ready to harvest (now). Already the one who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to eternal life. So that the one who sows may rejoice together with the one who reaps. In this way the word is true that one person sows while another one reaps. I have sent you to reap what you have not laboured for. Others have laboured and you have entered into their labour." Meanwhile many people out of that Samaritan city believed in him because of the word of the woman who gave witness

in saying "He told me everything that I have done." Therefore when the Samaritans came they asked him to stay with them and he did stay there for two days. There were more still, who believed because of his word(s). To the woman they said "We no longer believe because of what you say. We have heard for ourselves and we know that this man is truly the Saviour of the world." 4:43-50 After the two days (in the Samaritan city) He went on into Galilee. Jesus himself gave witness that a prophet is not honoured in his own native place. When therefore he came into Galilee the Galileans received him, having seen the things he did in Jerusalem at the feast. For they also had gone to the feast. He therefore came again to Cana of Galilee where he had made the water into wine. Now there was a certain courtier (there) whose son was in Capernaum and was ill. This man heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee and he went to him and asked if he would come down and cure his son for he was about to die. Jesus therefore said to him. "Unless you see signs and wonders you do not believe." The courtier said to him "Sir come down before my child dies." Jesus tells him "Go your son will live." The man believed in the word which was said to him by Jesus and went. 4:51-54 While he was going down (to Capernaum) his slaves met him saying that his boy was alive. He therefore asked at what hour the boy got better. They said to him "Yesterday at the seventh hour (1 pm) the fever left him." The father therefore knew that it was in that hour that Jesus had said to him "You son lives." Thus he believed as did the whole of his household. This was a second sign that Jesus did on having come out of Judea into Galilee. 5:1-24 After these things (the cure of the courtier's son etc in Capernaum Galilee) there was a Jewish feast and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem at the sheep gate, there is a pool of water with five porches. It is called in Hebrew Bethzatha. In these (porches) lay a crowd of people with ailments - people who are blind, lame, withered (etc). Now there was a certain man who had been there for thirty-eight years with his ailment. When Jesus saw this man lying there he already knew how long he had been there. He says to him "Would you like to be made whole? The invalid said "Sir, when the water is troubled (by a healing angel) I do not have anyone to put me into the pool. While I am coming towards it someone else goes down (to the pool) before me." Jesus says to him "Get up, take your mattress and walk." Immediately the man became cured and he took his mattress and walked. That day it was a Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to the one who had been healed. "Today it is a Sabbath day. It is not lawful for you to carry a mattress." But the one who was cured answered them saying "The man who cured me said to me "Pick up your mattress and walk." They asked him "Who is the man who told you to "Pick up (the mattress) and walk?" The one who was cured did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn from the place because there was a crowd there. (However) after these things Jesus found (the one cured) in the temple and said to him. "Behold now you are whole (again) do not sin anymore in case something worse happens to you." The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him whole. The Jews therefore criticised Jesus because he had done these things on a Sabbath. But he answered them (saying) "My Father works right now (on a Sabbath) and I also work." Because of this therefore the Jews sought to kill him, not only because he (apparently) broke the Sabbath (day) but also because he had referred to God as his Father. By doing this he was making himself equal to God. Jesus therefore answered and said to them "Truly truly I tell you the son cannot do anything from himself except what he sees the Father doing. Whatever things (the Father) does the Son does these things as well. The Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he does. Indeed he will show him even greater works than these that you may marvel (about it). For, just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to those whom he wills. Also, it is not the Father who judges. Rather he has given all judgment to the Son so that all people may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. The one who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who has sent him. �Truly truly I tell you the person who hears my word and who believes in the one who has sent me, has eternal life. They will not come into judgement but rather pass over out of death into life.� 5:25-47 "Truly, truly I tell you an hour is coming and if fact is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear it will live. Just as the Father has life in himself so he has given life to the Son so that he has this within himself. He has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this because an hour is coming when all those in the tombs will hear his voice and those who have done good things will come forth into a resurrection of life. Those who have done evil things (on the other hand) will go to a resurrection of judgment (instead). I cannot do anything from myself. I judge according to what I hear and my judgment is just because I do not seek to do to what I want but rather (I seek to do) the will of the One who has sent me. If I give witness about myself, my witness is not true. (But) there is another who witnesses concerning me (that is, God) and I know that the witnesses that he gives concerning me is true. You have sent (people to observe) John and he has given witness to the truth. But I do not receive the witness given about me from people. (Rather) I tell you these things so that you can be saved. That man (John the Baptist) was a burning and shining lamp and you were willing to bask for an hour in his light. But I have a witness who is greater than John. It is the works which the Father has given me to do and to finish, that give witness concerning me and the fact that the Father has sent me. It is the One who has sent me, the Father, who has given witness about me. (But) you have never heard his voice and you have never seen his form. His word no longer remains in you because you do not believe in the one that he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think them to have eternal life within them. Yet they (the Scriptures) are what give witness concerning me. And, you do not want to come to me in order to have eternal life. I do not receive glory from men. But I have known you (well enough to know) you do not have the love of God within yourselves. I have come in the name of my Father and you do not receive me. If someone else comes in his own name you will receive that one. How is it you believe you can receive glory from somebody else and yet (true) glory, which only comes from the only God, you do not seek? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father (Rather) the one who is accusing you is Moses in whom you have hoped. If you did believe Moses you would have believed me for it is about myself that (Moses) wrote. But, if you do not believe the writings of that one (Moses) how are you going to believe my words?" (Note: Text is mainly a paraphrase of the Literal translation in the RSV Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, 1988) (Note: Text is mainly a paraphrase of the Literal translation in the RSV Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, 1988)