John 5

John 5 describes Jesus' healing of a paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, followed by a confrontation with Jewish leaders over the violation of the Sabbath. Jesus defends His actions, revealing His authority as the Son of God, and outlines His relationship with the Father, the role of His works, and the witnesses to His divinity. This chapter underscores themes of faith, healing, judgment, and the divine authority of Christ.

John 5:1-5 (NKJV)
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.

Jesus returns to Jerusalem during a Jewish feast, a time of gathering and religious observance. By the Sheep Gate, there’s a pool known as Bethesda, where many afflicted people gather, hoping for healing. It was believed that an angel would occasionally stir the water, and the first person to enter would be healed. Among them is a man who has been disabled for thirty-eight years, highlighting his desperate need and the long wait he has endured for healing.

John 5:6-9 (NKJV)
6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”
9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

Jesus, seeing the man and understanding his plight, asks if he wants to be healed. The man explains his struggle, emphasizing his lack of help and the impossibility of reaching the pool first. Jesus, however, bypasses the traditional expectation of healing by instructing him to get up and walk. The man is healed instantly, and he obeys. This act is performed on the Sabbath, setting the stage for further conflict with the Jewish leaders.

John 5:10-15 (NKJV)
10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”
11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’”
12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”
13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

The healed man is confronted by the Jewish leaders, who rebuke him for carrying his bed on the Sabbath. He explains that he is following the instructions of his healer. At first, he does not know who healed him, as Jesus had moved away in the crowd. Later, Jesus finds him in the temple and urges him to turn away from sin. This encounter emphasizes Jesus' concern for both physical and spiritual well-being.

John 5:16-18 (NKJV)
16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

The Jewish leaders’ opposition intensifies as they see Jesus’ actions on the Sabbath as a violation of their laws. Jesus, however, claims a divine mandate by declaring that His Father is always at work, thereby justifying His actions. This statement implies His unique relationship with God, and the Jewish leaders interpret it as a claim to equality with God, escalating their desire to put Him to death.

John 5:19-23 (NKJV)
19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.
22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Jesus clarifies His relationship with the Father, emphasizing unity in purpose and action. He explains that His actions mirror those of the Father, indicating divine approval and authority. Jesus also reveals His role in giving life and judging humanity, roles traditionally ascribed to God alone. By placing Himself in such a role, Jesus asserts His divine authority and the necessity of honoring Him as one would honor God.

John 5:24-30 (NKJV)
24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

Jesus assures that those who believe in Him have eternal life, bypassing judgment. He speaks of a future resurrection where all will hear His voice, leading either to life or condemnation. Jesus has been granted life and authority from the Father, underscoring His divine role. In judging, He aligns His will with the Father’s, ensuring fairness and reflecting the Father’s ultimate purpose.

John 5:31-35 (NKJV)
31 “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.
32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.
33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
35 He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.

Jesus acknowledges that if He were testifying solely on His behalf, His claim might be dismissed. However, there are other witnesses to His identity, including John the Baptist, whom the Jewish leaders respected for a time. Though Jesus doesn’t rely solely on human testimony, He mentions John’s witness as a means to help them believe and be saved, emphasizing John’s role as a messenger of truth.

John 5:36-38 (NKJV)
36 But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.

Jesus points to His miraculous works as a powerful testimony to His divine mission. These works, given to Him by the Father, validate His authority and identity. Additionally, the Father Himself testifies to Jesus’ mission, but the Jewish leaders’ inability to recognize this witness stems from their lack of genuine faith in God’s word, which they fail to internalize or truly believe.

John 5:39-40 (NKJV)
39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Jesus acknowledges that the Jewish leaders diligently study the Scriptures, believing they hold the key to eternal life. Yet, they miss the fact that these very Scriptures testify about Him. Their refusal to come to Jesus prevents them from accessing the life that they seek, illustrating the irony of their devotion to the law without recognizing its fulfillment in Christ.

John 5:41-44 (NKJV)
41 I do not receive honor from men.
42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.
43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.
44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

Jesus does not seek human approval, as His mission and identity are rooted in God’s authority. He points out that the leaders lack genuine love for God, demonstrated by their rejection of Him despite His divine origin. They are more inclined to accept those who come with human credentials or self-promoted authority. Their reliance on each other’s approval blinds them to God’s true honor and prevents authentic belief.

John 5:45-47 (NKJV)
45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust.
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.
47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

In closing, Jesus warns that He won’t need to accuse the leaders before God; rather, Moses, whom they revere, will serve as their accuser. He explains that if they truly understood and believed Moses’ writings, they would recognize Him as the promised Messiah Moses spoke of. Their failure to grasp the meaning of the Scriptures they claim to uphold demonstrates a fundamental disbelief that extends to Jesus’ teachings.