John Chapter 5 - Commentary

1-16 Healing the Paralytic at Bethesda

Bethesda means ‘house of mercy’. The pool was designed for washing animals.

[4] An angel stirred the water?

[6] Do you want to be made well?

Simple question, but the response was excuses why he “couldn’t” become well. Do we make excuses for why we can’t be made well? Do we really want to become well?

The man was first spiritually sick – avoiding responsibility for being made whole.

He had self-pity – so much so he missed the point of Jesus’ question.

• Jesus calls him to “Get up!”,
• Take up your mat – take responsibility
• Go – make the right faith choices even if you don’t “feel” like it

He immediately faced opposition and persecution (Matthew 5 – blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven).

He grew in knowledge, and witnessed to others. Jesus sought him out to exhort him to sin no more. Jesus seeks us, showing compassion.

Sometimes we wait until we think we have “full knowledge” of God’s will – we get so lost in the seeking that we forget we should be seeking the lost. (Note Chapter 4’s reference to the harvest being white, and he sent us to reap.)

[11] Healing on the Sabbath

Do we have equivalent biases? Do we attack fellow workers in the Kingdom because they aren’t doing something the way we think they should? The Sabbath is not needed by God (Isaiah 40:28 – The Father wearies not).

17-21 Christ and the Father are as One

[17] The Pharisees clearly understood Jesus intent when he refers to “My Father” to mean He claimed Divinity.

[20] Christ is in relationship to the Father –

Christ models the role of a Son to a Father. That relationship should be in our families.

• Submits to the authority of the Father
• Has affection and displays open love for the Son
• They have fellowship
• The Son honors the Father

22-38 Jesus is the Righteous Judge

[22] The Father has committed all judgment to the Son. This makes Jesus equal to God, worthy of worship, and honor.

[24] Avoiding judgment

The only way to escape judgment is given here. In fact, we’re resurrected at that very point. Christ is the giver of life, both here and eternally. This is underscored by Paul in II Corinthians 5:

¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad ¹¹Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men

[30] Qualities of a righteous judge – do any of these apply to earthly judges?

• Authority earthly judges authority is conferred by appointment, and decisions are based on precedents of others’ decisions
• Concerned with right and wrong (law is only a reflection of “justice”. The “dispassionate” judge only interested in the facts is not scriptural.
• Discerns the Truth, and loves wisdom.
• Executes righteous sentence. Correctly chastening sinners to be repentant. Moral indifference, is a sin. God will reveal His righteousness in judgment Rom 2:5.

[38] The Word did not abide in the Pharisees

God isn’t interested in adherence to ceremonial religion. Christ ignored the Talmud, but fulfilled the Torah. The Pharisees display a form of idolatry by holding up man’s rules over God’s plan.

39-47 The Witness to Jesus’ Divine Calling

[39] Why read the Old Testament?

The scriptures attest to Christ – where can you find Him?

Augustine – “the New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed”.

• The Father
• John the Baptist
• Miracles and Signs (not just miracles, but time & place of birth, lineage, etc)
• The description of the coming Messiah in the OT

Some of the witnesses of the Old Testament the Pharisees should have noticed or learned about Jesus:

Line of Judah                Genesis 49:10

Line of Jesse                 Isaiah 11:1

Line of David                2 Samuel 7:12-16

Born in Bethlehem         Micah 5:2

Forerunner (JTB)          Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1

Escaped to Egypt          Hosea 11:1

Herod kills the children  Jeremiah 31:15

Called Emmanuel          Isaiah 7:14

Taught in parables         Psalm 78:2

Zeal for God                Psalm 69:9

Cleansed the temple     Malachi 3:1

Ministry in Galilee         Isaiah 9:1-2

Ministry of Miracles      Isaiah 35:5-6

Would be ridiculed      Psalm 22:7-8

Stumbling block to Jews Psalm 118:22

Rejected and Killed      Isaiah 53

Sold for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12

Crucified with thieves     Isaiah 53

Hands and feet pierced  Isaiah 53

Buried in wealthy tomb  Isaiah 53

[44] Moses serves to condemn unbelievers with the Law

The Old Testament serves as condemnation to those who will not accept Jesus. This puts many in a very awkward position that claim to believe the OT but don’t accept Christ….

There is religion, then there is salvation. The two rarely have any relationship.

Religion is man’s attempt to save himself. Salvation is a trusting relationship is Jesus Christ.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.