Section 12:44–50

Jesus came to save the people

Jesus taught the people about who he was and why he had come into the world. He encouraged people to believe in him and receive his word. He emphasized that he came from God and was obedient to God in everything he said. Here are some other possible titles for this section:

The need to receive Jesus’ word
-or-
Believing in Jesus or rejecting him

12:44a

Then: This word introduces what happened next, a new event in the story.

Jesus cried out: This phrase indicates that Jesus spoke loudly or shouted. He was speaking publicly and announcing something important. See how you translated this word in 1:15 and 7:28. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

Jesus proclaimed (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Jesus shouted out (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
In a loud voice Jesus said (Contemporary English Version)

Whoever: This word refers to any person that believes in Jesus. In some languages it is more natural to follow one of these examples:

The one who (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
Everyone who (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
If you (New Living Translation (2004))

believes in Me: This phrase includes the idea of believing the facts about who Jesus was and what he did. But it also includes the idea of trusting Jesus instead of trusting oneself or someone else. Both ideas are very closely related. If someone believes the facts about Jesus, it should result in trusting him. See how you translated similar phrases in 1:12b, 3:16b, and 12:36a. Here are other ways to translate this idea:

has faith in me (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
trust me (New Living Translation (2004))

12:44b

does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me: This expression emphasizes that faith in Jesus includes faith in God. A person who believes in Jesus also believes in the one who sent him. For example:

believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me (God’s Word)
-or-
you are trusting not only me but also God who sent me (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
is really believing in the One who sent me (New Century Version)

does not believe in Me alone: The word alone is implied in this Greek phrase. You may need to make this word explicit, as the Berean Standard Bible does. See the above examples for other ways to say this. Translate the word believe the same way you did in 12:44a.

but: The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translates as but shows a contrast and emphasizes what follows. As the word “only” was implied in “believes not in me,” so “also” is implied here. The one who believes in Jesus does not only believe in him but also believes in God the Father.

the One who sent Me: This phrase refers to God the Father. In some languages you may want to make that explicit. For example:

God who sent me (New Living Translation (2004))

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