Flere mirakler i Jerusalem
1Senere tog Jesus igen til Jerusalem for at deltage i en af jødernes højtider. 2Inde i byen, i nærheden af Fåreporten, var der en dam, som var omgivet af fem søjlegange. Den hed Betesda på hebraisk. 3Dér lå der en mængde syge, blinde, lamme og forkrøblede mennesker. De lå og ventede på, at vandet skulle komme i bevægelse.5,3 En del håndskrifter mangler den sidste sætning i vers 3, mens andre mangler hele vers 4. 4En Herrens engel kom nemlig nu og da ned og satte vandet i bevægelse, og den, som derefter først steg ned i det, blev helbredt, lige meget hvad han fejlede. 5En af dem, der lå ved dammen, havde været lam i 38 år. 6Da Jesus så ham og var klar over, at han havde været syg længe, spurgte han: „Vil du være rask?” 7Den syge mand svarede: „Mester, jeg har ingen til at hjælpe mig ned i dammen, når vandet kommer i bevægelse. Når jeg prøver at slæbe mig derhen, er der altid en anden, der kommer først.” 8Jesus sagde til ham: „Rejs dig op, rul din sovemåtte sammen og gå på dine ben!” 9Straks blev manden helbredt. Han rullede måtten sammen og begyndte at gå omkring.
Den første konfrontation med de jødiske ledere
Men da det var sabbat den dag, 10irettesatte de jødiske ledere manden, der var blevet rask. „Du må ikke bære din sovemåtte! Det er jo sabbat.” 11„Jamen, den mand, der helbredte mig, sagde, at jeg skulle tage min måtte og gå!”
12„Hvem var det, der sagde det?” spurgte de.
13Det vidste manden ikke, og Jesus var forsvundet i folkemængden.
14Senere fandt Jesus ham på tempelpladsen. „Nu er du rask,” sagde han, „lev ikke mere i synd, så du ikke bliver ramt af noget endnu værre.”
15Så gik manden hen til de jødiske ledere og fortalte dem, at det var Jesus, der havde helbredt ham. 16Derfor anklagede de Jesus for at overtræde loven ved at arbejde på hviledagen. 17Men Jesus svarede: „Min Far arbejder i dag, så det gør jeg også.”
18Den udtalelse gjorde de jødiske ledere endnu mere opsatte på at slå ham ihjel, fordi han ikke blot overtrådte sabbatslovene, men også kaldte Gud for sin Far og dermed gjorde sig til ét med Gud.
Sønnens fuldmagt til at give evigt liv eller dømme de onde
19Jesus fortsatte: „Det siger jeg jer: Sønnen kan intet gøre af sig selv. Han gør kun det, han ser sin Far gøre. Hvad Faderen gør, det gør Sønnen også. 20For Faderen elsker Sønnen og viser ham alt, hvad han selv gør. Og han vil vise ham endnu større undere end den mands helbredelse, og I vil komme til at undre jer. 21Ligesom Faderen opvækker mennesker fra de døde og giver dem nyt liv, sådan giver også Sønnen nyt liv til hvem, han vil. 22Faderen vil ikke selv dømme nogen, men han har overgivet al domsafsigelse til Sønnen, 23for at alle skal ære Sønnen, ligesom de ærer Faderen. Hvis de ikke ærer Sønnen, som Faderen har sendt, ærer de heller ikke Faderen.
24Det siger jeg jer: De, der tager imod mit budskab og tror på Gud, som sendte mig, de har det evige liv og bliver ikke stillet for domstolen. De er allerede blevet overflyttet fra døden til livet.
25Det siger jeg jer: Den tid kommer—ja, den er her allerede—da de døde skal høre Guds Søns røst og leve. 26Faderen bærer kilden til livet i sig, og han har givet mig den samme magt til at give liv. 27Faderen har også givet mig magt til at dømme, fordi jeg er Menneskesønnen.5,27 Jesus brugte sjældent titlen Messias. I stedet omtalte han sig selv som „Menneskesønnen”.
28-29I skal ikke undre jer over, at de døde engang skal høre Guds Søns røst og stå op fra deres grave. De, der har gjort det gode, vil få det evige liv, mens de, der har gjort det onde, vil få deres dom.
30Jeg kan ikke gøre noget af mig selv, men jeg lytter til min Far, og på det grundlag dømmer jeg. Derfor er min dom retfærdig. Det er jo ikke min egen vilje, jeg vil fremme, men hans vilje, som sendte mig.
Forskellige vidneudsagn om Jesus som Guds Søn
31Hvis jeg anbefaler mig selv, er min anbefaling ikke gyldig. 32-33Men nu er der en anden, som har fortalt jer om mig, og det er Johannes. I har selv forhørt jer hos ham, og jeg kan forsikre jer for, at det, han har sagt om mig, er sandt. 34Jeg er ikke afhængig af menneskers vidneudsagn, men jeg har sagt det her i håb om, at I vil tro på, hvad jeg siger, og få del i det evige liv. 35Johannes var for en tid som lyset fra en lampe, og I var glade for at høre, hvad han havde at sige, 36men jeg henviser til et vidnesbyrd, der er større end hans, nemlig de undere, jeg har gjort. Det er min Far, der giver mig magt til at udføre dem, og de viser, at Faderen har sendt mig.
37Også Faderen selv har vidnet om mig, men I har aldrig set eller hørt ham. 38Og fordi I nægter at tro på den, han har sendt, har hans ord ikke slået rod i jer.
39Skriften fortæller også om mig. I studerer Skriften, fordi I tror, at I finder det evige liv dér. Og selv om Skriften fortæller om mig, 40er I alligevel ikke villige til at komme til mig for at få livet.
41Jeg er ikke ude efter menneskers anerkendelse. 42Jeg ved, hvordan I er, og at I ikke har kærligheden til Gud i jer. 43Jeg er kommet, fordi min Far har sendt mig, men I vil ikke høre efter, hvad jeg siger. Men folk, der ikke er sendt af ham, og som kun anbefaler sig selv, dem lytter I gerne til. 44I søger efter anerkendelse fra hinanden, men den anerkendelse, som kommer fra den eneste sande Gud, den er I ikke interesseret i. Hvordan skulle I da kunne tro på mig?
45I skal ikke tro, det er mig, der vil anklage jer over for Faderen. Nej, det bliver Moses, ham som I har sat jeres lid til. 46Hvis I virkelig troede Moses, ville I også tro på mig, for det er om mig, han har skrevet. 47Men hvis I ikke tror på hans skrifter, hvordan skulle I så kunne tro på mig?”
Jesus Heals a Man at the Pool
1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish feasts. 2In Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate is a pool. In the Aramaic language it is called Bethesda. It is surrounded by five rows of columns with a roof over them. 3-4Here a great number of disabled people used to lie down. Among them were those who were blind, those who could not walk, and those who could hardly move. 5One person was there who had not been able to walk for 38 years. 6Jesus saw him lying there. He knew that the man had been in that condition for a long time. So he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7“Sir,” the disabled man replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when an angel stirs up the water. I try to get in, but someone else always goes down ahead of me.”
8Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9The man was healed right away. He picked up his mat and walked.
This happened on a Sabbath day. 10So the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath day. The law does not allow you to carry your mat.”
11But he replied, “The one who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12They asked him, “Who is this fellow? Who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13The one who was healed had no idea who it was. Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple. Jesus said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.” 15The man went away. He told the Jewish leaders it was Jesus who had made him well.
The Authority of the Son
16Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath day. So the Jewish leaders began to oppose him. 17Jesus defended himself. He said to them, “My Father is always doing his work. He is working right up to this day. I am working too.” 18For this reason the Jewish leaders tried even harder to kill him. According to them, Jesus was not only breaking the law of the Sabbath day. He was even calling God his own Father. He was making himself equal with God.
19Jesus answered, “What I’m about to tell you is true. The Son can do nothing by himself. He can do only what he sees his Father doing. What the Father does, the Son also does. 20This is because the Father loves the Son. The Father shows him everything he does. Yes, and the Father will show the Son even greater works than these. And you will be amazed. 21The Father raises the dead and gives them life. In the same way, the Son gives life to anyone he wants to. 22Also, the Father does not judge anyone. He has given the Son the task of judging. 23Then all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
24“What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. They will not be judged. They have crossed over from death to life. 25What I’m about to tell you is true. A time is coming for me to give life. In fact, it has already begun. The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. Those who hear it will live. 26The Father has life in himself. He has allowed the Son also to have life in himself. 27And the Father has given him the authority to judge. This is because he is the Son of Man.
28“Do not be amazed at this. A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice. 29They will all come out of their graves. People who have done what is good will rise and live again. People who have done what is evil will rise and be found guilty. 30I can do nothing by myself. I judge only as I hear. And my judging is fair. I do not try to please myself. I try to please the one who sent me.
Being a Witness About Jesus
31“If I am a witness about myself, what I say is not true. 32There is someone else who is a witness in my favor. And I know that what he says about me is true.
33“You have sent people to John the Baptist. He has been a witness to the truth. 34I do not accept what a person says. I only talk about what John says so that you can be saved. 35John was like a lamp that burned and gave light. For a while you chose to enjoy his light.
36“What I say about myself is more important than what John says about me. I am doing the works the Father gave me to finish. These works are a witness that the Father has sent me. 37The Father who sent me is himself a witness about me. You have never heard his voice. You have never seen what he really looks like. 38And his word does not live in you. That’s because you do not believe the one he sent. 39You study the Scriptures carefully. You study them because you think they will give you eternal life. The Scriptures you study are a witness about me. 40But you refuse to come to me and receive life.
41“I do not accept praise from human beings. 42But I know you. I know that you do not have love for God in your hearts. 43I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me. But if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44You accept praise from one another. But you do not seek the praise that comes from the only God. So how can you believe?
45“Do not think I will bring charges against you in front of the Father. Moses is the one who does that. And he is the one you build your hopes on. 46Do you believe Moses? Then you should believe me. He wrote about me. 47But you do not believe what he wrote. So how are you going to believe what I say?”
