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Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, the man he had raised from death.
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They prepared a dinner for him there, which Martha helped serve; Lazarus was one of those who were sitting at the table with Jesus.
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Then Mary took a whole pint of a very expensive perfume made of pure nard, poured it on Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The sweet smell of the perfume filled the whole house.
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One of Jesus' disciples, Judas Iscariot---the one who was going to betray him---said,
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"Why wasn't this perfume sold for three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor?"
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He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would help himself from it.
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But Jesus said, "Leave her alone! Let her keep what she has for the day of my burial.
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You will always have poor people with you, but you will not always have me."
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A large number of people heard that Jesus was in Bethany, so they went there, not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from death.
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So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus too,
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because on his account many Jews were rejecting them and believing in Jesus.
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The next day the large crowd that had come to the Passover Festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
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So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the King of Israel!"
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Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the scripture says,
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"Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Here comes your king, riding on a young donkey."
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His disciples did not understand this at the time; but when Jesus had been raised to glory, they remembered that the scripture said this about him and that they had done this for him.
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The people who had been with Jesus when he called Lazarus out of the grave and raised him from death had reported what had happened.
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That was why the crowd met him---because they heard that he had performed this miracle.
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The Pharisees then said to one another, "You see, we are not succeeding at all! Look, the whole world is following him!"
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Some Greeks were among those who had gone to Jerusalem to worship during the festival.
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They went to Philip (he was from Bethsaida in Galilee) and said, "Sir, we want to see Jesus."
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Philip went and told Andrew, and the two of them went and told Jesus.
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Jesus answered them, "The hour has now come for the Son of Man to receive great glory.
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I am telling you the truth: a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die, then it produces many grains.
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Those who love their own life will lose it; those who hate their own life in this world will keep it for life eternal.
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Whoever wants to serve me must follow me, so that my servant will be with me where I am. And my Father will honor anyone who serves me.
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"Now my heart is troubled---and what shall I say? Shall I say, 'Father, do not let this hour come upon me'? But that is why I came---so that I might go through this hour of suffering.
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Father, bring glory to your name!" Then a voice spoke from heaven, "I have brought glory to it, and I will do so again."
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The crowd standing there heard the voice, and some of them said it was thunder, while others said, "An angel spoke to him!"
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But Jesus said to them, "It was not for my sake that this voice spoke, but for yours.
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Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown.
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When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me."
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(In saying this he indicated the kind of death he was going to suffer.)
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The crowd answered, "Our Law tells us that the Messiah will live forever. How, then, can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"
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Jesus answered, "The light will be among you a little longer. Continue on your way while you have the light, so that the darkness will not come upon you; for the one who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.
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Believe in the light, then, while you have it, so that you will be the people of the light." After Jesus said this, he went off and hid himself from them.
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Even though he had performed all these miracles in their presence, they did not believe in him,
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so that what the prophet Isaiah had said might come true: "Lord, who believed the message we told? To whom did the Lord reveal his power?"
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And so they were not able to believe, because Isaiah also said,
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"God has blinded their eyes and closed their minds, so that their eyes would not see, and their minds would not understand, and they would not turn to me, says God, for me to heal them."
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Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.
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Even then, many Jewish authorities believed in Jesus; but because of the Pharisees they did not talk about it openly, so as not to be expelled from the synagogue.
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They loved human approval rather than the approval of God.
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Jesus said in a loud voice, "Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in him who sent me.
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Whoever sees me sees also him who sent me.
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I have come into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.
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If people hear my message and do not obey it, I will not judge them. I came, not to judge the world, but to save it.
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Those who reject me and do not accept my message have one who will judge them. The words I have spoken will be their judge on the last day!
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This is true, because I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has commanded me what I must say and speak.
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And I know that his command brings eternal life. What I say, then, is what the Father has told me to say."
1
It was now the day before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. He had always loved those in the world who were his own, and he loved them to the very end.
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Jesus and his disciples were at supper. The Devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, the thought of betraying Jesus.
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Jesus knew that the Father had given him complete power; he knew that he had come from God and was going to God.
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So he rose from the table, took off his outer garment, and tied a towel around his waist.
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Then he poured some water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.
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He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Are you going to wash my feet, Lord?"
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Jesus answered him, "You do not understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later."
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Peter declared, "Never at any time will you wash my feet!" "If I do not wash your feet," Jesus answered, "you will no longer be my disciple."
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Simon Peter answered, "Lord, do not wash only my feet, then! Wash my hands and head, too!"
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Jesus said, "Those who have taken a bath are completely clean and do not have to wash themselves, except for their feet. All of you are clean---all except one."
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(Jesus already knew who was going to betray him; that is why he said, "All of you, except one, are clean.")
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After Jesus had washed their feet, he put his outer garment back on and returned to his place at the table. "Do you understand what I have just done to you?" he asked.
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"You call me Teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am.
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I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet.
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I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you.
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I am telling you the truth: no slaves are greater than their master, and no messengers are greater than the one who sent them.
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Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!
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"I am not talking about all of you; I know those I have chosen. But the scripture must come true that says, 'The man who shared my food turned against me.'
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I tell you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe that 'I Am Who I Am.'
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I am telling you the truth: whoever receives anyone I send receives me also; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me."
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After Jesus had said this, he was deeply troubled and declared openly, "I am telling you the truth: one of you is going to betray me."
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The disciples looked at one another, completely puzzled about whom he meant.
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One of the disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus.
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Simon Peter motioned to him and said, "Ask him whom he is talking about."
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So that disciple moved closer to Jesus' side and asked, "Who is it, Lord?"
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Jesus answered, "I will dip some bread in the sauce and give it to him; he is the man." So he took a piece of bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
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As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "Hurry and do what you must!"
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None of the others at the table understood why Jesus said this to him.
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Since Judas was in charge of the money bag, some of the disciples thought that Jesus had told him to go and buy what they needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.
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Judas accepted the bread and went out at once. It was night.
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After Judas had left, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man's glory is revealed; now God's glory is revealed through him.
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And if God's glory is revealed through him, then God will reveal the glory of the Son of Man in himself, and he will do so at once.
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My children, I shall not be with you very much longer. You will look for me; but I tell you now what I told the Jewish authorities, 'You cannot go where I am going.'
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And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
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If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples."
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"Where are you going, Lord?" Simon Peter asked him. "You cannot follow me now where I am going," answered Jesus; "but later you will follow me."
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"Lord, why can't I follow you now?" asked Peter. "I am ready to die for you!"
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Jesus answered, "Are you really ready to die for me? I am telling you the truth: before the rooster crows you will say three times that you do not know me.
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"Do not be worried and upset," Jesus told them. "Believe in God and believe also in me.
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There are many rooms in my Father's house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so.
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And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.
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You know the way that leads to the place where I am going."
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Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; so how can we know the way to get there?"
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Jesus answered him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.
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Now that you have known me," he said to them, "you will know my Father also, and from now on you do know him and you have seen him."
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Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father; that is all we need."
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Jesus answered, "For a long time I have been with you all; yet you do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Why, then, do you say, 'Show us the Father'?
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Do you not believe, Philip, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I have spoken to you," Jesus said to his disciples, "do not come from me. The Father, who remains in me, does his own work.
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Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. If not, believe because of the things I do.
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I am telling you the truth: those who believe in me will do what I do---yes, they will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father.
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And I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son.
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If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.
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"If you love me, you will obey my commandments.
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I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever.
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He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive him, because it cannot see him or know him. But you know him, because he remains with you and is in you.
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"When I go, you will not be left all alone; I will come back to you.
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In a little while the world will see me no more, but you will see me; and because I live, you also will live.
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When that day comes, you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me, just as I am in you.
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"Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. My Father will love those who love me; I too will love them and reveal myself to them."
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Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "Lord, how can it be that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?"
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Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and my Father and I will come to them and live with them.
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Those who do not love me do not obey my teaching. And the teaching you have heard is not mine, but comes from the Father, who sent me.
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"I have told you this while I am still with you.
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The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.
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"Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.
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You heard me say to you, 'I am leaving, but I will come back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father; for he is greater than I.
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I have told you this now before it all happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.
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I cannot talk with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me,
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but the world must know that I love the Father; that is why I do everything as he commands me. "Come, let us go from this place.
