August 6 Daily Devotional

John 5

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there was at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool of water, which is called Bethesda. At this pool there was a building that had five porches; in these lay a multitude of them that were sick, blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. “For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.”

“And now a certain man was there, which had an infirmity for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying, and knew that he had been now so long in that case, he said unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool; but when I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus said unto him, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and he took up his bed, and walked.”

Now this was the sabbath day. So the Jews said to the man that was cured, “It is the sabbath day; it is not lawful for thee to carry th1 bed. He answered them, He that made whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed and walk. Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?” But he knew not who it was, for Jesus had left, and there were so many people there. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said unto him, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

The man went away and told the Jews, that it was Jesus, who had made him well. Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, “He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live … Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”