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Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

John 5


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1After this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.2Now in Jerusalem next to the Sheep Pool there is a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has fiveporticos;3and under these were crowds of sick people, blind, lame, paralysed.45One man there had an il ness which had lasted thirty-eight years,6and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had been in that condition for a long time, he said,'Do you want to be wel again?'7'Sir,' replied the sick man, 'I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while Iam stil on the way, someone else gets down there before me.'8Jesus said, 'Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around.'9The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and started to walk around. Now that dayhappened to be the Sabbath,10so the Jews said to the man who had been cured, 'It is the Sabbath; you are not al owed to carry yoursleeping-mat.'11He replied, 'But the man who cured me told me, "Pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around." '12They asked, 'Who is the man who said to you, "Pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around"? '13The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared, as the place was crowded.14After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said, 'Now you are wel again, do not sin any more, orsomething worse may happen to you.'15The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him.16It was because he did things like this on the Sabbath that the Jews began to harass Jesus.17His answer to them was, 'My Father stil goes on working, and I am at work, too.'18But that only made the Jews even more intent on kil ing him, because not only was he breaking theSabbath, but he spoke of God as his own Father and so made himself God's equal.19To this Jesus replied: In al truth I tel you, by himself the Son can do nothing; he can do only what hesees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too.20For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he himself does, and he wil show him evengreater things than these, works that will astonish you.21Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses;22for the Father judges no one; he has entrusted all judgement to the Son,23so that al may honour the Son as they honour the Father. Whoever refuses honour to the Son refuseshonour to the Father who sent him.24In al truth I tel you, whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternallife; without being brought to judgement such a person has passed from death to life.25In al truth I tel you, the hour is coming -- indeed it is already here -- when the dead wil hear the voiceof the Son of God, and al who hear it wil live.26For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself;27and, because he is the Son of man, has granted him power to give judgement.28Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead wil leave their graves at the sound ofhis voice:29those who did good will come forth to life; and those who did evil will come forth to judgement.30By myself I can do nothing; I can judge only as I am told to judge, and my judging is just, because Iseek to do not my own wil but the wil of him who sent me.31Were I to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be true;32but there is another witness who speaks on my behalf, and I know that his testimony is true.33You sent messengers to John, and he gave his testimony to the truth-34not that I depend on human testimony; no, it is for your salvation that I mention it.35John was a lamp lit and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.36But my testimony is greater than John's: the deeds my Father has given me to perform, these samedeeds of mine testify that the Father has sent me.37Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself. You have never heard his voice, youhave never seen his shape,38and his word finds no home in you because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.39You pore over the scriptures, believing that in them you can find eternal life; it is these scriptures thattestify to me,40and yet you refuse to come to me to receive life!41Human glory means nothing to me.42Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you.43I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if someone else should come inhis own name you would accept him.44How can you believe, since you look to each other for glory and are not concerned with the glory thatcomes from the one God?45Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father: you have placed your hopes onMoses, and Moses wil be the one who accuses you.46If you real y believed him you would believe me too, since it was about me that he was writing;47but if you wil not believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?