20. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon! He is mad! Why do you listen to him?”
21. But others were saying, “A man with a demon could not talk like this! How could a demon give sight to blind people?”
22. It was winter, and the Festival of the Dedication of the Temple was being celebrated in Jerusalem.
23. Jesus was walking in Solomon's Porch in the Temple,
24. when the people gathered round him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? Tell us the plain truth: are you the Messiah?”
25. Jesus answered, “I have already told you, but you would not believe me. The things I do by my Father's authority speak on my behalf;
26. but you will not believe, for you are not my sheep.
27. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
28. I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me.
29. What my Father has given me is greater than everything, and no one can snatch them away from the Father's care.
30. The Father and I are one.”
31. Then the people again picked up stones to throw at him.
32. Jesus said to them, “I have done many good deeds in your presence which the Father gave me to do; for which one of these do you want to stone me?”
33. They replied, “We do not want to stone you because of any good deeds, but because of your blasphemy! You are only a man, but you are trying to make yourself God!”
34. Jesus answered, “It is written in your own Law that God said, ‘You are gods.’
35. We know that what the scripture says is true for ever; and God called those people gods, the people to whom his message was given.
36. As for me, the Father chose me and sent me into the world. How, then, can you say that I blaspheme because I said that I am the Son of God?