Jesus at the Feast of Dedication
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,
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and Jesus was walking in the temple courts in Solomonâs Colonnade.
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So the Jews gathered around Him and demanded, âHow long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.â
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âI already told you,â Jesus replied, âbut you did not believe. The works I do in My Fatherâs name testify on My behalf.
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But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
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My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
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I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
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My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Fatherâs hand.
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I and the Father are one.â
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At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him.
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But Jesus responded, âI have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?â
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âWe are not stoning You for any good work,â said the Jews, âbut for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, make Yourself out to be God.â
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Jesus replied, âIs it not written in your Law: âI have said you are godsâ ?
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If he called them gods to whom the word of God cameâand the Scripture cannot be brokenâ
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then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?
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If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me.
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But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.â
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At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.
Johnâs Testimony Confirmed
40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.
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Many came to Him and said, âAlthough John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was true.â
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And many in that place believed in Jesus.