A Work in Progress Bible Commentary
By: Chip Crush

JOHN
CHAPTER 5

The Healing at the Pool

1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[1] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie--the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.[2] 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
7"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "
12So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?"
13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Life Through the Son

16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." 18For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

This chapter begins a new section in John’s Gospel – with the introduction of Jesus’ monologues, we move from the laver, the ceremonial wash basin, in our tour of the Old Testament Tabernacle to the Tent of Meeting, where the Bread of Presence is kept. In the latter half of the chapter, Jesus refers to four sources of testimony about Himself: John the Baptist, His own works, God the Father, and Scripture itself. Jesus sternly confronts His accusers with their unbelief. He will do this with even more candor in later chapters, namely 6, 8, and 10; so consider this monologue a preview of what’s to come.

  1. V1-4 – John sets the context for Jesus’ miraculous healing. John leaves his timeline behind at this point and gives us no clue how much time passes between chapters 4 and 5. If we presume that it was a matter of days or even weeks, we can argue from the mention of “four months until harvest,” that Jesus mentioned to His disciples in chapter 4 that this is the second of the three major Jewish Feasts, the Feast of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10; 2 Chronicles 8:13) or Feast of the Harvest of the Firstfruits (Exodus 23:16; Numbers 28:26)). Whatever feast it was, Jesus is obedient to the law, which required His attendance and participation in Jerusalem.

    John gives us the context for the miracle he’s about to describe. There was a pool near the sheep gate in Jerusalem, the name of which is hard to translate. You may have a footnote in your translation by Bethesda, which means the place of fishing, with other potential names. These other names mean other things (Betheder means the place of the flock, which fits with “Sheep Gate;” others call it the place of pouring-out). Whatever its name, this pool was a common and well-known place, a busy place with five covered porches for “hanging out,” likely while the sheep to be sacrificed were taken to be watered or where the priests came to get water for cleaning up the Temple area. It was a place, perhaps, for crippled people to beg as passers-by walked to the Temple; it was a place, as John relates to us, of mysterious healing – though it is likely that not many people had been healed there. V3b-4 are included in only a few of the less important manuscripts, so it could be that they were inserted sometime later by someone wanting to add some mystery or some foundation for angel-worship or something. We don’t know. I’ve included it just so we could talk about it. It’s almost like the rumor of the fountain of youth. How many people wasted away waiting for or looking for it? The point is that a great number of disabled people – the blind, lame, and paralyzed – are stuck in this routine of hopelessly hoping in the hopeless.

  2. V5-6 – The invalid man and Jesus’ introductory question. John introduces us now to an invalid man who had been disabled for 38 years. It is likely that this was a typical day for this aging man. Wake up, nothing new, hope to find a way to get to the pool at Bethesda, hope the waters stir that day, hope he gets to fall in first, and hope he is healed. But most days, the water didn’t stir, and even when it did (due to the instability of an underground spring), he was never the first to fall in, and even then, most who fell in when the water stirred went away unhealed. It’s almost hypnotically hopeless. His situation was hopeless. He wanted physical healing and had nothing in mind in terms of spiritual healing. It’s an illustration of the human spiritual condition. Was that you?

    But look who comes to the man in his hopelessness: Jesus. Out of a great number of disabled people, Jesus selects this man to address. John points that out to show us the sovereignty of God in election and grace and mercy. It could be that he was the worst off of that great number of ailing folks. It could be that he was situated most conveniently in Jesus’ path through the area. But I think Jesus chose to come to this man, because this man was eternally loved and chosen before the foundation of the world to be a Son of the Most High Creator God. That’s unconditional election. This man contributed nothing to Jesus’ motive for choosing to heal him. And John gives us a glimpse of that here. He’ll detail it later.

    And notice the question Jesus asks the man: “Do you want to get well?” Is this a silly question, or what? Of course the man wants to get well. He’s been like this for 38 years; he’s been trying to fall into the pool when it stirs; of course he wants to get well! But wait just a minute… Maybe it was the perfect question. Maybe this man had grown accustomed to his condition over his 38 years of invalidity. Maybe he had forgotten why he did his daily routine. Maybe he was just in a rut. And so Jesus is driving at something that’s at the very heart of this man’s problem. His problem was more than just his physical paralysis. His problem lay deep-rooted in his will and desire. He was at the place where healing was possible. He was in the presence of the One who could make that healing possible. And for us, take note that it’s possible to be in a place of possible healing and yet choose not to have the blessing. That’s our problem as well. Let’s stop and ask ourselves what we want. Do we desire to be healed? Do we know what that means? Do we want it? So many people are in the presence of the Healer, but do they really want what He offers? Do we really want to be filled with God’s Spirit? If we are, we will never be the same. Things must change. Do we want that? Jesus asks, “Do you want to get well?”

  3. V7-9 – The man’s helplessness and Jesus’ effective response on the Sabbath. Based on the man’s answer to Jesus’ question, we can see clearly that the man didn’t get it. Just as Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman didn’t get it, this man doesn’t get it. When Jesus asks, “Do you want to get well?” He’s asking, “Do you want Me to make you well?” It’s a “Yes” or “No” answer. And the man rambles on, complaining that no one can help him fall in the water and that even when someone is there to help him, another disabled person beats him into the pool. He fails to realize that Jesus can heal him without assistance.

    Jesus, unsurprised by the man’s explanation of his misfortune, illustrates God’s forbearance when we limit God’s work to our own abilities. Take careful note of Jesus’ words: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” Jesus commands the man to do something that he is incapable of doing. This man – for practically as long as he can remember – has been unable to get up and walk. Yet Jesus tells him to do just that. It’s almost cruel. But then we remember that Jesus is the One speaking; Jesus is One without who nothing was made that had been made. Jesus is the One who spoke the universe into existence. By His word, “Let there be light,” there was light. By His word, the universe is sustained. And right here, by His word, this man who had not stood or walked in 38 years, stands and walks. “At once he was cured.”

    It’s an example of sovereign grace. Does God command us to do what we cannot do? Yes. And He makes us able and willing to do it. And thinking about this event recalls my mind to C.S. Lewis’ argument about the Person of Jesus: He’s not just a moral teacher. He’s not a good man, if He says, “Get up,” to a man who cannot stand and cannot work in the man to make Him stand. He’s more than that. He is God Incarnate, or He’s a lunatic. You decide. “Do you want to get well?” Do you trust this Jesus? Do you want this Jesus?

  4. V10-11 – Jewish legalism and blindness; the healed man speaks of Jesus’ authority with a wrong motive. Right at the end of v9, John shows us why this story is important part; this healing took place on the Sabbath; therefore, conflict unfolds between Jesus and the Pharisees over the nature of the Sabbath. Everybody in Jerusalem knows the man who was healed. He had been a city fixture near that pool for 38 years, and now he’s up walking around, no doubt with a smile on his face. And people are pointing, saying, “Wow! Look who it is!” But our friends, the Pharisees, they see this man, and look at v10 to see the first words out of their mouth. “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” Are they correct? What if they are? Jeremiah 17:21 says, “Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day.” You must not do any unnecessary work – no carrying loads to make a profit – on the Lord’s Day. But man was not made for the Sabbath; the Sabbath was graciously made for man – to enjoy and rejoice and bring joy. The Pharisees had no joy and brought no joy, because they knew nothing about grace. Law without grace equals legalism; and by condemning acts of mercy, even the overturning of sickness (which was a result of sin and the curse), on the Sabbath, the Pharisees demonstrated their misunderstanding of the true nature of the Sabbath. The true Sabbath will take place when, after the labor that characterizes this cursed world, God brings His children into a perfect rest in His presence, away from every sickness and disease. Jesus, of course, by healing this miserable man, was fulfilling the very heart of the Sabbath command, and giving a foretaste of the day when He would fulfill it completely and perfectly, in the eternal Kingdom. He also healed on the Sabbath, perhaps to make the miracle more widely known and/or to bring about the occasion to discourse with the Pharisees. We’ll focus more on this conflict as we look at v16-30.

    Lastly here, notice in v11 the man’s response to the Pharisees shameful accusation. “But the Man who made me well said…” There are two ways to look at this. First and positively, the man recognizes Jesus’ authority over that of the Pharisees – even over that of the law (albeit misinterpreted). Negatively however, the man uses “the Man who healed him” – he doesn’t even know who it was – to shift the blame for his disobedience to the law. The Pharisees say, “You’re disobeying.” The man says, “It’s not my fault.” That reminds me of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Adam said, “The woman You put here with me – she gave me some fruit…” And Eve said, “The Serpent deceived me…” The reality is that this man is no better off now than he was as an invalid. He needed spiritual healing, not blame shifting. He needed Jesus, and to know that Jesus healed him, and he needed to tell people about Jesus.

  5. V12-13 – Who was it that healed you? “I don’t know.” John teaches us in these verses a subtle, but important message. Testimony is only useful if it helps others. “I was healed!” By who? How? “I don’t know.” Something’s missing there – the most important thing. How can God be glorified by a healing, by an answered prayer, by a healthy birth, by a peaceful death, if we cannot give Him credit for His blessing? How many people – believers or otherwise – do you know who cannot explain why or how they know they are blessed in some way? Do you ever hear, “I was so lucky,” “It was a coincidence,” “We are so fortunate”? All of these are poor word choices. Instead, we should be unashamed to say, “I was so blessed by the Lord,” “The Lord was watching over me,” “We are so blessed by God’s providence.” And we could probably take it further than this, but the point is Soli Deo Gloria – To God alone be the Glory.

  6. V14 – Jesus re-introduces Himself to the man and tells him to stop sinning. Although he had been delivered from a physical sickness, the man was still under the weight of a far greater calamity – eternal judgment. Faith in Jesus as a mere provider of physical benefits, without the spiritual knowledge of Him as God and Messiah, was not a saving faith. We’ve seen that over and over in John’s Gospel. So Jesus sought him out, found him at the Temple (suggesting that the man was realizing the magnitude of what had occurred and rightly wanted to worship God), and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Commentators are divided on this statement. Some suggest that Jesus is claiming that the reason for this man’s paralysis was that he had sinned in some way. Others disagree, claiming that we are to infer from Jesus’ statement that the man is now being made spiritually well. “You are well AGAIN.” He was healed twice, both physically and spiritually, both at the words of the Healer. Evidence that this man has truly come to know who Jesus is and loves Him with all his heart, evidence of a changed heart, of a converted life, of a regenerate soul, the evidence of that will be that he will not go on sinning anymore. Not that he will be sinless, but that he will sin less; his desire will be to be free from slavery to sin.

  7. V15 – The man responds by telling the Jews that the Healer was Jesus. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. Again, we get an illustration of the proper course of action when receiving Christ as Savior. The man sought out the Pharisees to make right on his earlier statement. He had said that he didn’t know who healed him. Now he knows, and he wants them to know. He wants to honor Christ for what He has done, as should we. Soli Deo Gloria – To God be the Glory.

  8. V16-18 – The Jews persecute Jesus for healing on the Sabbath; He responds declaring His Father’s will, making Himself equal with God, and draws assassination attempts. Picture the Jews saying harshly to Jesus, “Who do You think You are? You’re coming from the less-respected north region down here to the well-respected southern territory, to Jerusalem. You’re upsetting the traditions – specifically Sabbath observation – that have kept this city together for decades and centuries.” That’s persecution. But with Jesus’ response, He’ll draw death threats. He replies, “My Father is always working, and I am working too.” Jesus is claiming that the One who created the world, the One who gave the Sabbath Day, the One who sustains us and blesses life – even on the Sabbath day – is His Father. And as the unique Son of the Father, by healing the disabled man on the Sabbath, He was imitating the work of His Father. He had not broken the law (John says, “…not only was He breaking the Sabbath…” because that was the opinion of His accusers); rather He was claiming to have upheld it. And the Jews understood what He was saying. “He was making Himself equal with God.” So they stepped up their persecution, trying to put Him to death.

    The conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees over the nature of the Sabbath came into even sharper focus when Jesus explained why He should be healing on the Sabbath. It was because God the Father was constantly at work to accomplish the plan of redemption and usher in the final Sabbath; and so Jesus, as the true Son of the Father, was also constantly at work for the same purpose. By asserting this much, Jesus is claiming that He and God the Father are equally involved in the constant government of the world, and the unfolding of redemptive history – which, as the Pharisees quickly recognized, is a claim to equality with God. Because Jesus had “broken the Sabbath” (although He had actually fulfilled its essential principle) and had made a blasphemous claim to equality with God (according to the Pharisees’ perception that He was a mere man), He deserved to be condemned. The Pharisees saw His miracles, but they did not exhibit saving faith; therefore, their dissension escalated continually throughout Jesus’ ministry.

19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
24"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 30By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

Testimonies About Jesus

31"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. 32There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.
33"You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36"I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39You diligently study[3] the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
41"I do not accept praise from men, 42but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God[4] ?
45"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

  1. V19-21 – Jesus can do only what the Father wills. The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it. Through the rest of this chapter, we see Jesus elaborating on His statement in v17. He is taking the first of several opportunities to teach necessary truths about Himself. Having offended the Pharisees by claiming to work as God works, He describes just how He relates to the Father. Beginning with, “I tell you the truth” (“Truly, truly,” or “Verily, verily”), He’s calling His audience to the closest of attention. And this a bold move, considering how infuriating His claims must have been to the Jews. Instead of backing down at their offense, He enrages them further, effectively saying, “You’re persecuting Me for what I’ve done by healing this man on the Sabbath day? You haven’t seen anything yet! You don’t know anything about Me, so let Me tell you who I am. You want something to get angry about?” And Jesus goes on to make new claims that far exceed the simple statement that first angered the Jews:

    V19 – Jesus never acts independently of the Father; v20 – Jesus possesses intimate knowledge of the Father’s ways; v21 – Jesus is able to give sinners new life; v22 – Jesus is going to judge mankind; and v23 – All this will be for the purpose that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Forget about this healing on the Sabbath day – it’s merely incidental. On that glorious day when the Father is glorified and honored, the Son will be receiving that glory and honor in the same way. Jesus is practically demanding worship from these Jews – and rightly so. It’s offensive to them.

    When Jesus says, “The Son can do nothing by Himself,” liberal theologians point out that the Son is inferior to the Father; but Jesus’ point is that the Son’s will is united to the Father’s inseparably, such that while the Son is in the flesh, He will certainly and undoubtedly finish the Father’s work He has been given to complete. This work to lose none that the Father gives Him is a great testimony to the eternal covenant of redemption. His intention was to refute the Jews who were endeavoring to contrast Him with God. He therefore affirms that He does nothing by human power, because He has for His guide and director God who dwells in Him. When Jesus says, “The Father shows the Son all He does,” Calvin offers a paraphrase. It is as if Jesus said, “As the Father has given to Me His heart, so He hath poured out His power on Me, that the Divine glory may shine in My works, and – what is more – that men may seek nothing Divine but what they find in Me.” And when Jesus says, “The Father will show Him even greater things than these,” He is pointing out that the healing of the crippled man would pale in comparison to His great work of restoring true life (sinless glory) to all of creation. Of course, we know that most were hardened to the glory of Christ. So when He said, “To your amazement,” He was not prophesying of their awe before Him later in His ministry; rather, He was speaking of the splendor of the demonstration He would give regarding His Sonship to the Father.

    Finally, note v21. Jesus declares Himself to be the Author of life, containing within itself not only righteousness, but all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and every part of our salvation. He raises the dead, and that is wonderful, but it’s not enough. He also gives life. Jesus will later say in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Jesus does not speak of this life as bestowed indiscriminately on all; rather He gives life to whom He is pleased to give it, to whom He will, that is, the elect.

    A simple summary would be what Jesus will later say, “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30). But notice the way Jesus explains that here. He is saying that He has been watching the Father and is only doing what He has seen the Father do. He’s imitating His Daddy. My son does that, and it’s a great feeling. “I wanna be just like You, cause he wants to be just like me.” And the Father has a great feeling seeing His Son do what He does. The Father and Son are so essentially united, that Jesus is unable to do anything but what the Father wills and does. The Son, having seen and been with the Father, knows God’s will, and does it perfectly. The Father loves the Son and gives Him the work of redemption to do. In this work, the Son is accomplishing the will of the Father by doing the same things the Father does, namely as v21 declares, raising the dead and giving life to His chosen ones.

  2. V22-23 – For the sake of honor, the Father gave the Son the right to judge. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father. The Father and Son have perfect unity, yet diversity of offices. The Father makes known His will to the Son, and the Son is authorized to carry out judgment, including the final judgment of mankind. In this realm, along with the Son’s authority to give life to whom He will (v21), it is clear that the Father has given the Son absolute authority and power over all mankind, to condemn those who do not believe in Him and to give life to those who do. Ultimately, this authority will bring the glorification of the Son, as we worship God the Father through the Son, who “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (Hebrews 1:3). Thus, if one honors the Son, he honors the Father also; but if he does not honor the Son, neither does he honor the Father (1 John 2:22-23). We must not try to conceive the Father apart from the Son.

  3. V24 – Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. Again, Jesus begins with, “I tell you the truth,” so listen up! John Calvin summarizes this verse well: “Here is the described way and manner of honoring God, that no one may think that it consists solely in any outward performance, or in frivolous ceremonies. For the doctrine of the Gospel seems as a scepter to Christ, by which He governs believers whom the Father has made His subjects…Christ demands from us no other honor than to obey His Gospel.” Jesus likewise commends the fruit of obedience – eternal life, that we may be more willing to obey. It’s hard for us to imagine being so hardened as to keep from submitting to Christ, when the reward of eternal life is offered, and it is painful to see a great number of people refuse to come to Christ. This truth is both a fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 7:13-14) and a great witness to human depravity. It pains believers that so many choose to perish of their own accord than to surrender to obedience to the Son of God. Yet we humbly acknowledge that our surrender was solely by His grace.

    By saying, “Whoever believes will not be condemned,” Jesus is saying that all are under condemnation and only by believing in Him can we escape these wages for our sin against God (John 3:36; Romans 8:1). When Jesus speaks of the believer having “crossed over from death to life,” does not mean that we will not experience physical death; rather, we are free from the state of death – that is, separation from God – thanks to the life that has only begun in us. Believers are so certain of obtaining this state of eternal life that we ought not fear death; after all, we are united to Him who is the inexhaustible fountain of life.

  4. V25-27 – The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and live. The Father and Son have life in Themselves. The Father gave the Son authority to judge because He is the Son of Man. Jesus one more time in this passage begins with, “I tell you the truth.” Pay attention, because this is a critical statement. He goes on: “The dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man and live.” Some commentators suggest He is talking only about physical death, prophesying of Lazarus’ physical resurrection to come (John 11:44), as he heard Jesus’ voice while physically dead; but most agree that He is talking about spiritual death and will add the physical in v28. When Jesus calls our name, we are quickened to spiritual life, and our hearts are opened to receive Christ through the hearing of the Gospel (ala Mary in John 20:16). Note Jesus’ comment that “the dead will hear, and those who hear will live.” There is a double-grace given here – first that the spiritually dead would hear and second that upon hearing the spiritually dead would come alive.

    One more possibly confusing element is found in v25. Jesus says, “A time is coming and has now come” when this will happen. Calvin comments: “He thus speaks of it as a thing which had never before happened; and, indeed, the publication of the Gospel was a new and sudden resurrection of the world. But did not the word of God always give life to men? This question may be easily answered. The doctrine of the Law and the Prophets was addressed to the people of God, and consequently must have been rather intended to preserve in life those who were the children of God than to bring them back from death. But it was otherwise with the Gospel, by which nations formerly estranged from the kingdom of God, separated from God, and deprived of all hope of salvation, were invited to become partakers of life.”

    In v26, we read that the Father and Son have life in Themselves. Certainly this means that They are Self-existent, but it’s more than that. They have the authority and power to grant life. And wrapping up with v27, we learn why Christ was given authority and power and the right to judge. It is because He is the Son of Man. He did not require that title, but it was given Him as the Author of life for us as a result of His humbling and exaltation (Philippians 2:7-10). It can be explained by saying, “What had been hidden in God is revealed to us in Christ as the Son of Man, and life, which was formerly inaccessible, is now placed before our eyes.” The Son of Man, as the Light of life, reveals life to us in the flesh.

  5. V28-30 – Do not be amazed. Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. My judgment is just, for I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me. Jesus said in v25-27 that the spiritually dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man and live. And He adds to that here, speaking of the resurrection of the physical body. Why does Jesus begin here saying, “Do not be amazed”? We tend to be amazed when our eyes see things thought impossible, like raising a physical body from death to life. We often fail to find amazement when things happen miraculously that we cannot perceive in the physical realm, like the conversion of sinner. Jesus has proclaimed His authority to raise the spiritually dead to spiritual life. We might not be amazed when that happens, but we should be. It’s a more impressive miracle than a physical resurrection. Understanding that reality, we should not be amazed that He has the authority to raise the physically dead as well; but we are.

    Like spiritual life-giving, the time is coming for physical body-raising, but unlike spiritual life-giving, for which the time is now at hand, the time for physical body-raising is not yet come. This reality takes into v29, where we perceive that Jesus is speaking of the last day, Judgment Day. “All who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out.” His voice is the Trumpet (Matthew 24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16); it’s the day we long for when we say, “Come Lord Jesus – Maranatha.” And this is a good desire for believers (we yearn to see Him face to face), but we must take note of the consequences for unbelievers (condemnation). Jesus marks believers by their good deeds, and He marks unbelievers by their evil deeds. Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), but evidence of believers’ faith is seen in good works, the hatred of sin, and the desire to live for Christ (James 2:26). Evidence of unbelievers’ lack of faith is seen in their evil deeds, the lust for sin, and the desire to live for self.

    Finally at the beginning of v30, Jesus reaffirms His initial statement, that He is not able to do anything alone, and qualifies it with this extended observation: He is so united with the Father that it is impossible for the Father to will one thing and the Son to do something else. They are perfectly One, and cannot be at odds with each other anymore than God can deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). Notice the shift from third- to first-person. When we read in v30, “My judgment is just,” we ought to note simply that whatever proceeds from God must be right and good and true. And we are likewise reminded that the only rule for acting well is to follow the direction and obey the commandment of God. And if after this the whole world should rise against us, we shall still have this invincible defense: he who follows God cannot go astray. Furthermore, we can know that Jesus’ judgment is just, because He has no disposition that is both unique to His Person and separate from the command of the Father. Praise Him!

  6. V31-35 – Valid testimony about Jesus. The apostle John esteems the importance of reliable testimony to the Person and works of Jesus, and so he includes this particular portion of Jesus’ monologue for our benefit. Jesus is not saying here that His own testimony is untrue; rather, He recognizes that if He is alone in testifying about Himself, then there is no compelling reason to believe Him – after all, the Law demanded the witness of at least two persons (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15; Matthew 18:16; John 8:16-18; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28). In a court of law, no person is a competent witness in his own cause; every suspect needs an alibi. While we should never demand additional evidence from Jesus, as His word is enough, He surrenders His authority as God Incarnate to testify about Himself, that He may convince His enemies by additional testimony – namely the authority of God. He’s making a distinction between something being true and something being valid in court. There’s a trial going on; the Jews are accusing Jesus of blasphemy, and He is defending Himself. Picture Jesus saying, “If My testimony sounds suspect to you, count it as nothing. Don’t take My word for it. There is other testimony to prove who I am.”

    The first of Jesus’ four reliable witnesses that uphold His claims is John the Baptist. Although Jesus makes clear that He does not need to receive John the Baptist’s testimony (“Not that I accept human testimony”), John’s testimony was valid and reliable testimony, not for Jesus’ sake, but for the salvation of those who had heard and believed him (v34). “I mention it that you may be saved.” Jesus exhibits great care for His people with this statement. It contains a “hina” clause – Jesus mentions John’s testimony as an additional testimony (not one He requires) for the purpose that those who believe John’s testimony would certainly be saved.

    Because eternal life is only in Christ, God was very gracious in sending many reliable witnesses of Christ, that people might have plenty of reasons to believe and so be saved. Although John the Baptist was not the true Light, he was, as we are, a lesser light, in that he pointed people to the true Light, Jesus Christ. The tragic irony is that, although the Jews enjoyed John the Baptist (v35), they despised the Light to which he witnessed. Is that not similar to us as well? Do we have unbelieving friends who like us, who enjoy our company and see us as good people, but who despise our faith? The Jews knew that John the Baptist was a prophet from God, but they despised and disobeyed his message.

  7. V36-37a – Weightier testimony about Jesus. Jesus regards the testimony and witness of John the Baptist as good, but it was only a man’s testimony. And since the Jews did not cherish and heed what John had said about Jesus, He, being God, offers the testimony of three more witnesses, in the coming verses, for this mock trial as fitting evidence that He was and is the Messiah.

    First, His works – not just extraordinary deeds, but the miracles of God – are a divine testimony that He is the Son of God (v36). Recall Jesus’ reasoning with Pharisees in Matthew 12:24-28. If He was doing miracles by Satan’s power, then Satan’s kingdom is divided against itself and must fall – for Christ’s works were always in fulfillment of the Father’s will and in opposition to Satan. But if Jesus has authority to do miracles, and if His authority is always exercised in the accomplishment of the Father’s will, then Jesus must be One with the Father, and the heavenly Kingdom of the Father must be present in the ministry of Jesus. Second, the Father Himself has testified concerning Jesus (v37a) in three ways: (1) through the miraculous works that Jesus does (the power behind them), (2) in the God-breathed Old Testament Scriptures, which very clearly pointed to Jesus (i.e. Isaiah 53), and (3) directly by His voice at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:17), at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), and at the Triumphal Entry (John 12:28-30). Third, Jesus will speak of the Scriptures testifying of Him as well (v39). We’ll look at that in a minute, but note that all of these testimonies are irrefutable. And, thus, there is other reason why the Jews refuse to receive Jesus as the Son of God, as Messiah.

  8. V37b-38 – Righteous accusations fly. Jesus turns now from providing evidence of valid testimony of Himself to accusing the Jews of being utterly estranged from the God they claim to worship. Jesus uses strong metaphorical language – “You have never heard His voice,” “You have never seen His form,” “His Word does not dwell in you” – to basically say to them, “The testimony about Me won’t matter unless you’re hearts are opened to the message of the Gospel. You don’t know the Father, because you don’t accept Me as the Messiah.” Think of the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Luke 16:31 effectively summarizes Jesus’ point here: “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

    The evidence that the Jews have never heard God, nor seen Him, nor had His Word dwell in them, is that they do not believe Jesus. They do not believe His testimony or the testimony about Him that comes from human or divine sources. The veil still covers their faces (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). The Jews had the same problem as the crippled man at the beginning of the chapter. Remember Jesus question, “Do you want to get well?” It’s a problem of the will and of desire. We’ll learn more about this as we continue.

  9. V39-40 – Jesus is found through diligent study of the Scriptures, yet some refuse to come to Him. V39 can be viewed differently. Imperative or not? First, as the NIV translates, Jesus appears to say that the Jews do indeed diligently study the Scriptures to gain eternal life. And this is commendable. Jesus is saying, “Good! You diligently study the Scriptures, because you think that by them you possess eternal life. And you’re right, because these Scriptures testify about Me, the Author and source of life. I am the giver of life, as I’ve been saying.” Second, viewed without the “You” as the Greek actually reads, we see Jesus commanding the Jews to study the Scriptures diligently, because they will lead them to eternal life in Christ. Either way, Jesus is correcting their fault in this endeavor. However diligent they were with Scriptures, it wasn’t enough, because they weren’t getting it. V40b says that they refused to come to Jesus, the source of life to which the Scriptures point, as Jesus declared in v40a. The Scriptures offer additional divine testimony to His Person, and the Jews didn’t grasp that in their efforts.

    A lesson for us here is that if we wish to know Christ, we must seek Him in the Scriptures. Any attempt to define Him apart from the Word of God will lead to speculative falsehood. We have these bracelets that remind us to ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” And shame on us when we try to answer that question in our circumstance without seeking what Scripture has to say. The Word – all of which points to Christ and teaches us about Him – is our guide, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

    The Jews refuse to come to Jesus, in v40, because they don’t want to come to Him. Their own malice hinders them from becoming partakers of the life offered in the Scriptures. Jesus admonishes them harshly; for when He says that they “will not,” He imputes the cause of their ignorance and blindness to wickedness and obstinacy. They are blinded by their own pride and hardness of heart, and so they cannot believe. The problem, again, is willingness and ability. I’ve offered an analogy in the past: I am – by the grace of God – willing and able to read the Bible. I am willing to run a mile in less than a minute, but I am physically unable. I am able to jump from a cliff to my likely demise, but I am unwilling. I am both unwilling and unable to touch the core of the earth. These are all physical things. And a summary might be, “I would if I could; but I can’t, so I won’t.” And it’s similar spiritually, but the summary is a little different. “I could if I would; but I won’t, so I can’t.” That’s the Jews predicament. And it was ours too, until we were made, by the grace of God through regeneration, willing and able to come to Jesus.

  10. V41 – Jesus accepts no praise from men. Jesus gives us an example to follow here. In case the Jews were to accuse Him of saying all this so that He might deceive men into worshipping Him, Jesus says He doesn’t accept praise from men. He doesn’t need it, nor does He say these things to earn it. Jesus is about the Father’s business and longs only to receive praise from Him. We should exhibit a holy jealousy for the name and glory of God when men do not render to God the honor due Him. It should pain us to see the world reject Jesus Christ.

  11. V42-44 – Jesus continues to admonish the Jews. When Jesus says, “I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts,” He is giving additional reason for the Jews’ refusal to accept the testimony about Him. He is also accusing them of failing to keep the command of Moses to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). No one can love God without admiring and submitting to His authority. On the other hand, when the love of God does not act within a person, there can be no desire on their part to obey Him. For an audience who is persecuting Jesus to the point of seeking His death, this reprimand is enraging. They believed that their love for God was such that they were upholding the glory of His name by silencing folks like Jesus. But they failed to appraise Jesus correctly. And Jesus was separating the sheep from the goats. This was His purpose in telling parables. He came to divide the insiders and the outsiders, and then to unite the insiders as one body.

    When Jesus says that He came in His Father’s name, He is testifying both that He is the Son of God and also that He is completing perfectly the work that the Father has given Him. This teaches us that we ought to reject all teachers who exalt themselves, and claim authority over souls in their own name – consider Catholicism, which claims the authority to forgive sin and transfer souls from purgatory to heaven through prayer. Jesus continues, saying that the Jews do not accept the One who comes in the name of the Lord, but that they do accept false teachers and prophets who come in their own names. This is proof that the love of God is not in their hearts. Moses himself explained this test to the Jewish people (Deuteronomy 13:3 “You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul”). And we must watch for this as well. How often have the commands of God fallen on our deaf ears while the temptations of Satan sink right in? Hearts that love and fear God are inclined to produce obedience.

    V44 begins with Jesus’ question to the Jews, “How can you believe?” Calvin comments rightly:

    As it might be thought harsh to say that those who were from their childhood the trained disciples of the Law and the Prophets, should be charged with such gross ignorance and declared to be enemies of the truth, and as this might even be thought to be incredible, Christ shows what it is that hinders them from believing. It is because ambition has deprived them of sound judgment; for He speaks, in a peculiar manner, to the priests and scribes, who, swelled with pride, could not obey God. This is a remarkable passage, which teaches that the gate of faith is shut against all whose hearts are preoccupied by a vain desire of earthly glory. For he who wishes to be somebody in the world must become wandering and unsteady, so that he will have no inclination towards God. Never is a man prepared to obey the heavenly doctrine, until he is convinced that his principal object, throughout his whole life, ought to be, that he may be approved by God. But it may be thought that the wicked confidence, by which hypocrites exalt themselves in the presence of God, is a greater obstacle than worldly ambition; and we know that this was also a disease with which the scribes were deeply infected. Christ intended to tear from them the false mask of sanctity, by which they deceived the ignorant multitude. He therefore points, as with the finger, to the grosser vice, by which it may be made manifest to all that nothing is farther from their true character than what they wished to be reckoned. Besides, though hypocrisy exalts itself against God, still, in the world and before men, it is always ambitious; nay, more, it is this vanity alone that swells us with false presumption, when we rely more on our own judgment, and that of others, than on the judgment of God. He who in reality presents himself before God as his Judge, must, of necessity, fall down humbled and dismayed, and finding nothing in himself on which he can place reliance. There is no other way in which men can be prepared for receiving the Gospel than by withdrawing all their senses from the world and turning them to God alone. We need not wonder why, then, that the Gospel in the present day finds so few persons willing to be taught, since all are carried away by ambition.

    To summarize, the Jews, contrary to Jesus (v41), are enslaved by a desire to receive the praise of men. They delight in receiving glory from men, who admire their sharp precision in understanding the law. They are not even averse to giving glory to other men who are equally discerning. But they refuse to accept God’s own testimony about Christ, and hence will not believe in Him. Even the scholars who had studied the Scriptures all their lives, when they were confronted with the One who fulfilled the Scriptures, did not believe, but “stumbled over the stumbling Stone” (Isaiah 8:14; 1 Peter 2:6-8).

    We would do well to learn from this example: if even the Pharisees, who devoted their lives to studying the Scriptures, were condemned for their blindness in failing to see Jesus at the center of those Scriptures; then how much greater will our condemnation be, when we have the whole New Testament in which the disciples preached Christ from the Old Testament, having been taught by Christ Himself (Luke 24:44-48), and inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16) – if we are in so may ways better off than they, how much more indicting will Christ’s accusation be against us, if we fail to see Christ at the center of all the Old Testament Scriptures?

  12. V45-47 – Jesus reminds the Jews of the Judgment, but He will not condemn them. If they had believed Moses, they would have believed Jesus, but they didn’t so they couldn’t. Despite the Jews’ failure to come to Him, despite their sinful desires and corrupted wills, Jesus will not condemn them. Instead He says that Moses does. Scripture does. Scripture condemns them. It points to Jesus, and they deny it. Jesus does not have to condemn them – Moses has already condemned them, for they had read what Moses wrote of Christ, and still did not believe. And it is quite natural that, if they did not listen to Moses, who wrote of Christ, then neither would they listen to Christ himself, who spoke the same things as Moses, only more clearly and authoritatively. Jesus did not have to condemn the Jews. He just exposed their true, evil natures, and showed that they were condemned already. Their hopes were set on Moses in the sense that he was their hero. But Christ needs to be the hero. He is the King of kings and Lord or lords. And He reminds them of the Day of Judgment. This is the way in which we ought to deal with obstinate and hardened persons, when they learn nothing by instruction and friendly warnings. They must be summoned to the judgment-seat of God. Yet notice the pain-laden question at the end. How sure are you of your stance, knowing that judgment is around the corner? Will you stand on your own righteousness before God? Or will you rest on Christ’s?

    They did not believe because they could not believe. Sin had so enslaved them, so brought their hearts and their wills to bondage, that they weren’t at liberty to believe. That’s how serious sin is. That’s how serious a thing it is to be an unbeliever. To be an unbeliever means that you cannot believe, unless God in His sovereign grace and mercy does something extraordinarily powerful to change our hearts and minds and wills to enable us to believe and respond. And if you didn’t see that here in chapter 5, you’ll see it with more force in chapter 6, and again in chapter 8, and again in chapter 10. The sign of a good teacher – the apostle John recording the Words of Jesus by the Spirit’s inspiration – is repetition. And we’ll get this message repeated so we can understand that true saving faith comes only by the grace of God to the elect. It’s a hard message, but a message that brings us to our knees before the God of salvation. “Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.” The great question in this chapter is, “Who is Jesus?” He is the one at whose feet you bow with Thomas and exclaim, “My Lord and My God.” That, John in saying, is the only real issue.

Footnotes

  1. 5:2 Some manuscripts Bethzatha; other manuscripts Bethsaida
  2. 5:3 Some less important manuscripts paralyzed--and they waited for the moving of the waters. 4 From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had.
  3. 5:39 Or Study diligently (the imperative)
  4. 5:44 Some early manuscripts the Only One

Bible text from Gospelcom.net.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

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