26 "In truth I tell you," answered Jesus, "it is not on account of the signs which you saw that you are looking for me, but because you had the bread to eat and were satisfied. Work, 27 not for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for Immortal Life, which the Son of Man will give you; for upon him the Father-God himself-has set the seal of his approval. 66 How," they asked, "are we to do the work that God 28 would have us do?" 30 "The work that God would have you do," answered Jesus, 29 "is to believe in him whom God sent as his Messenger. "What sign, then," they asked, are you giving, which we may see, and so believe you? What is the work that you are doing? Our ancestors had the manna to eat in the desert; as Scripture says— 'He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.'" 31 32 33 "In truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "Moses did not give you the Bread from Heaven, but my Father does give you the true Bread from Heaven; for the Bread that God gives is that which comes down from Heaven, and gives Life to the world.” "Master," they exclaimed, "give us that Bread always!" "I am the Life-giving Bread," Jesus said to them; "he 35 that comes to me shall never be hungry, and he that believes in me shall never thirst again. But, as I have said already, 36 you have seen me, and yet you do not believe in me. All 37 34 those whom the Father gives me will come to me; and no one who comes to me will I ever turn away. For I have come down 38 from Heaven, to do, not my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and his will is this--that I should not lose one of all 39 those whom he has given me, but should raise them up at the Last Day. For it is the will of my Father that every one who 40 sees the Son, and believes in him, should have Immortal Life;} and I myself will raise him up at the Last Day." Upon this the Jews began murmuring against Jesus for 41 saying 'I am the Bread which came down from Heaven.' "Is not this Jesus, Joseph's son," they asked, "whose father 42 and mother we know? How is it that he now says that he has come down from Heaven?" "Do not murmur among yourselves," said Jesus in reply. "No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him to me; and I will raise him up at the Last Day. It is said in the Prophets 'And they shall all be taught by God.' 43 44 45 Every one who is taught by the Father and learns from him comes to me. who is from God-he has seen the Father. In truth I tell you, 47 he who believes in me has Immortal Life. I am the Life-giving 48 Bread. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, and 49 yet died. The Bread that comes down from Heaven is such 50 that whoever eats of it will never die. I am the Living Bread 51 that has come down from Heaven. If any one eats of this Bread, he will live for ever; and the Bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I will give for the Life of the world." Upon this the Jews began disputing with one another : How is it possible for this man to give us his flesh to eat?" 52 53 "In truth I tell you," answered Jesus, "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you have not Life within you. He who takes my flesh for his food, and 54 drinks my blood, has Immortal Life; and I will raise him up at the Last Day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood true 55 drink. He who takes my flesh for his food, and drinks my 56 blood, remains united to me, and I to him. As the Living 57 Father sent me as his Messenger, and as I live because the Father lives, so he who takes me for his food shall live because I live. That is the Bread which has come down from 58 Heaven-not such as your ancestors ate, and yet died; he who takes this Bread for his food shall live for ever." All this Jesus said in a Synagogue, when he was teaching in 59 Capernaum. On hearing it, many of his disciples said: 60 "This is harsh doctrine! Who can bear to listen to it?" But Jesus, aware that his disciples were murmuring about it, 61 said to them: It is the In the teach 62 63 64 "Is this a hindrance to you? What, then, if you should see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? Spirit that gives Life; mere flesh is of no avail. ing that I have been giving you there is Spirit and there is Life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe in me. For Jesus knew from the first who they were that did not believe in him, and who it was that would betray him; and he 65 added: "This is why I told you that no one can come to me, unless enabled by the Father." फु After this many of his disciples drew back, and did not go 66 about with him any longer. So Jesus said to the 67 Twelve: "Do you also wish to leave me?" But Simon Peter answered: "Master, to whom shall we 68 go? Immortal Life is in your teaching; and we have learnt 69 to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God." "Did not I myself choose you to be the Twelve?" replied 70 Jesus; "and yet, even of you, one is playing the 'Devil's' part.”, 69 Ps. 16. 10. 70 Esther 7. 4. He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who was about to 71 betray him, though he was one of the Twelve. Jesus and his Brothers. I 7 After this, Jesus went about in Galilee, for he would not do so in Judaea, because the Jews were eager to put him to death. When the 2 Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, his brothers said to him: 3 Leave this part of the country, and go into Judaea, so that your disciples, as well as we, may see the work that you are doing. For no one does a thing privately, if he is seeking 4 to be widely known. Since you do these things, you should shew yourself publicly to the world." For even his brothers did not believe in him. 5 "My time," answered Jesus, "is not come yet, but your 6 time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it does 7 hate me, because I testify that its ways are evil. Go yourselves 8 up to the Festival; I am not going to this Festival yet, because my time has not yet come. After telling them this, he stayed on in Galilee. But, when his brothers had gone up to the Festival, Jesus also went up not publicly, but privately. The Jews were looking for him at the Festival and asking 'Where is he?'; and there were many whispers about him among the people, some saying He is a good man;' others: 'No! he is leading the people astray.' No one, however, spoke freely about him, for fear of the Jews. at the Festival About the middle of the Festival week, Jesus Jesus teaches went up into the Temple Courts, and began of Tabernacles teaching. The Jews were astonished. "How has this man got his learning," they in Jerusalem. asked, when he has never studied?" So, in reply, Jesus said: 9 ΙΟ II 12 13 14 15 16 If 17 18 My teaching is not my own; it is his who sent me. 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 honour for himself; but the man who seeks the honour 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 19 obeys it! Why are you seeking to put me to death?" แ 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, are all still wondering. But that is why Moses has instituted 233 24 25 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 27 is from; but, when the Christ comes, no one will be able to tell where he is from." 26 Therefore, Jesus, as he was teaching in the Temple Courts, 28 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 29 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 30 time was not come yet. Many of the people, however, 31 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 32 way, and so the Chief Priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him; on which Jesus said: 33 "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 34 find me; and you will not be able to come where I shall be." 66 'Where is this man going," the Jews asked one another, 35 "that we shall not find him? Will he go to our countrymen abroad, and teach foreigners? What does he mean by saying 36 'You will look for me, and you will not find me; and you will not be able to come where I shall be '?" The 'Living He 38 On the last and greatest day of the Festival, 37 Water.' Jesus, who was standing by, exclaimed: "If any one thirsts, let him come to me, and drink. 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 39 him were to receive; for the Spirit had not yet come, because Jesus had not yet been exalted.) when they heard these words, said: . 'This is certainly the Prophet'!"; the Christ!"; but some asked: "What! does the 38 Jer. 2. 13; Enoch 17, 4. Some of the people, 40 others said: "This is 41 Christ come from Galilee? Is not it said 42 40 Deut. 18. 15. 41 Ps. 2. 2. 42 Ps. 89. 3-4; Mic. 5. 2. 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 43 Jesus. Some of them wanted to arrest him, and yet no one 44 touched him. When the officers returned to the Chief Priests and Pharisees, 45 they were asked: Why have you not brought him? "No man ever spoke as he speaks!” they answered. 46 48 "What! have you been led astray too?" the Pharisees 47 replied. "Have any of our leading men believed in him, or any of the Pharisees? As for these people who do not know 49 the Law- they are cursed!" But one of their number, Nicodemus, who before this had 50 been to see Jesus, said to them: "Does our Law pass judgement 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 !" The 'Light of Jesus again addressed the people. "I am the Light of the World," he said. He the World.' who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life." 51 52 *12 8 13 "You are bearing testimony to yourself!" exclaimed the Pharisees, "your testimony is not trustworthy. "Even if I bear testimony to myself," answered Jesus, "my 14 testimony is trustworthy; for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from, nor where I am going. You judge by appearances; I judge no one. Yet, even if I were to judge, my judgement would be trustworthy; because I am not alone, but the Father who sent me is with me. Why, in your own Law it is said that the testimony of two persons is trustworthy. I, who bear testimony to myself, am one, and the Father who sent me also bears testimony to me. "Where is your father, then?” they asked. "You know neither me nor my Father," replied Jesus. "If you had known me, you would have also known my Father." These statements Jesus made in the Treasury, while teaching in the Temple Courts. Yet no one arrested him, for his time had not then come. Jesus defends his Mission Jesus again spoke to the people. "I am going away," he said, and you will and Authority. 1ook for me, but you will die in your sin; you cannot come where I am going. 17 Deut. 17. 6. * (See page 210). 156 17 18 19 20 21 |