Christmas Plan

¹⁶Therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

¹⁷Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.”

¹⁸This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill him: Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God.

¹⁹Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things.

²⁰For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him greater works than these so that you will be amazed.

²¹And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants.

²²The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son,

²³so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

²⁴“Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.

²⁵“Truly I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself.

²⁷And he has granted him the right to pass judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice

²⁹and come out — those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of condemnation.

³⁰“I can do nothing on my own. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

⁴⁸The Jews responded to him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you’re a Samaritan and have a demon?”

⁴⁹“I do not have a demon,” Jesus answered. “On the contrary, I honor my Father and you dishonor me.

⁵⁰I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and judges.

⁵¹Truly I tell you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

⁵²Then the Jews said, “Now we know you have a demon. Abraham died and so did the prophets. You say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’

⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham who died? And the prophets died. Who do you claim to be?”

⁵⁴“If I glorify myself,” Jesus answered, “my glory is nothing. My Father — about whom you say, ‘He is our God’ — he is the one who glorifies me.

⁵⁵You do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say I don’t know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word.

⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷The Jews replied, “You aren’t fifty years old yet, and you’ve seen Abraham?”

⁵⁸Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”

⁵⁹So they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple.

¹⁷After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness got worse until he stopped breathing.

¹⁸She said to Elijah, “Man of God, why are you here? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death?”

¹⁹But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.

²⁰Then he cried out to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?”

²¹Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again!”

²²So the LORD listened to Elijah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived.

²³Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upstairs room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.”

²⁴Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the LORD’s word from your mouth is true.”