The Study of the John

When he was 21 years old, a friend of mine was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. When he received the bad news, he was devastated. Instead of seeking help to cope with the disease, he gave up. As a result, he died at a young age.   

5:2-3 … in Jerusalem… there (was) a pool, which (was) called in Hebrew, “Bethesda.” (In that place many) … were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed, waiting for the movement of the water.  William Barclay says, “Beneath the pool, there was a subterranean (underground) stream, and every now and again the stream bubbled up and disturbed the waters of the pool.”

5:4 – for an angel went down at certain times into the pool and stirred up the water. The people believed it was an angel who stirred up the water. They believed the first person who got into the pool after the water was stirred up would be healed. It was a kind of superstition that was common in the ancient world.

5:6 – Jesus asked the sick (lame man) “Do you want to be made well?” After being sick for thirty-eight years the man could have given up hope. He could have become content being an invalid.

“The first essential towards receiving the power of Jesus is the intense desire for it” (William Barclay). If we are living sin-filled lives, do we really want Him to change us? Jesus can change the life of the greatest of sinners and make him or them a new person. One who lives a godly life. Saul was a persecutor of Christians, but on the road to Damascus, his life was drastically changed. His name was changed to Paul. He became the first great missionary to the Gentile world. Our bodies are not designed to last forever, but Jesus has the power to heal us physically. Even when we suffer, the presence of His Holy Spirit within can give us the strength to face any circumstances.

5:8    Jesus said to him, “Arise take up your mat, and walk.” Jesus asked the man to do something that seemed impossible. Nevertheless, the sick (lame) man’s response was immediate.

5:9a – Immediately, the man was made well. He got up and walked. No person can reasonably expect a miracle to happen if he or she does nothing. “We must realize our own helplessness (but), in a very real sense, it is true that a miracle happens when our will and God’s power co-operate to make it happen” (William Barclay).

JESUS SAYS TO US TO GET UP AND WALK

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The (members of the religious establishment determined there were) thirty-nine categories of work that might not be undertaken on the Sabbath; the thirty-ninth of these was the carrying of a load from one dwelling to another. By this standard, the man’s action in carrying his pallet home was a violation of the Sabbath law (F. F. Bruce).

vv. 9b-10 – … “It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to carry the mat.”  By the time Jesus came to earth, Judaism had degenerated into a religious devotion. The hypocrisy enraged   Jesus. The Jews in authority reminded the man who was healed that he was breaking the law. The Old Testament does forbid work on the Sabbath (Read Exodus 20:8-11; Nehemiah 13:15; Jeremiah 17:21).However, the law the Jews in authority were referring to,was in the oraltradition, which was a man-made law.

Jesus ignored the Rabbi’s oral tradition.He intentionally healed on the Sabbath Day to get people to listen to Him. Jesus confronted the Jewish hyper-legalism and their need to repent.

v. 11 – … “He who made me well, the same said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk’.” The lifting of his mat (pallet) was a condition for his cure. You would think the healing of the lame man would have been a time of rejoicing. In Jesus’ eyes, the Sabbath was given to be a blessing and not a burden to human beings.  However, the Jews in authority were more concerned about their man-made rules and regulations. “Jesus “regarded acts of healing … as deeds that should be done on that day” (F. F. Bruce). -Read Mark 2:10-12-                     

John 5:16 says the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him because he did these things (acts of healing) on the Sabbath. The Jews repeatedly persecuted Jesus because of their hatred toward him (read Mark 3:1-6).

 5:14 – Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.”  F. F. Bruce says, “Jesus knew what caused his infirmity. He told the man not to continue in sin because something worse could happen.”

Galatians 6:7-8 says, Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows (morally and spiritually), that he will also reap (receive). For he who sows to his own flesh (evil desires) will from the flesh reap corruption. It is important that we remember sin has its unavoidable consequences. 

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The Pharisees were strict interpreters of the law, but what they said was forbidden on the Sabbath Jesus disregarded. When Jesus was challenged about healing on the Sabbath Day, He said, …The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath… (Mark 2:27).

5:16 – For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus… The Jews continued to be hostile to Jesus because He performed mighty acts of healing on the Sabbath. It could be Jesus deliberately did it to expose the hypocrisy of the Jews. There was no law against doing good on the Sabbath. The Bible also says For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8).

5:17 – … My father is still working, so I am working, too. Jesus is followingGod’s example. God never gets tired. He doesn’t need a day of rest (ReadIsaiah 40:28). Because Jesus works continuously, He must be God.

5:18 – … the Jews sought … to kill him, …  (He) also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God. The same things that apply to God must also apply to Him.

5:19 – … the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing.  It suggests the Son (Jesus) is the only One who can do what the Father does. Therefore, He is as great as the Father.

5:20 – … he will show him greater works than these… the greater works are the raising of the dead. Through Elijah God healed the widow’s son (Read I Kings 17:17-24).  

5:21 – For as the Father raises the dead and (He) gives them life … the Son also gives life to whom he desires.  “(Jesus) does not claim simply to be an instrument in God’s hand for restoring the dead to life… He asserts that authority has been given him to raise the dead … (and to give) life of the age to come (F. F. Bruce).  

5:22 – …the Father has given all judgment to the Son. Jesus has the authority to execute the final judgment.

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5:24 – …  he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. To “believe” is to trust what God says about Jesus. To have an intimate relationship with God, living the kind of life which Jesus offers us. At times, it may require a lot of faith but within, we have peace and joy that the world cannot take away.

5:25 – … the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live. We who know Jesus as our Savior and Lord are born-again.

We have gone from being spiritually dead to being spiritually resurrected (Read Colossians 2:13). In the future, we also have the promise of a physical resurrection (Read Philippians 3:20-21).

5:26 – For as the Father has life in himself, even so, he gave to the Son also to have life in himself. God the Father has given His Son the right to grant life. John 1:4 says, In him… was the light of men. The light of men means the light which shines for men to give them the means of recognizing the giver of life (The Interpreter’s Bible).

5:27 – (The Father) … also gave him (Jesus) authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man. Matthew 28:18 says All authority has been given to me (Jesus) in heaven and on earth.

5:28 – … for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice. We who have been spiritually resurrected look forward to the bodily resurrection when the end of the age comes. The evidence of Jesus having the power with His voice to raise the dead from the grave is given in the raising of Lazarus (Read John 11:39-44).

5:29 – …  those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. Those who have done good, are those who believe in the Son. They receive a new nature which produces good works. Those who have done evil are those who reject the Son. They are guilty of evil deeds.  

                 THE DAY WILL COME WHEN ETERNITY INVADES TIME.

                                  ARE WE PREPARED FOR THAT DAY?

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5:30 – Jesus says, I can of myself do nothing. That statement indicates Jesus had an intimate relationship with His Father. He was perfectly submissive to His Father. In this verse, a special reference is made to Jesus being a righteous judge.

5:31 – If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid. Someone said, “a testimonial to oneself is no testimonial.” But Jesus’ testimony was true because of His Father’s testimony (Read John 8:18).  The message in John 1:7 was domineering in the Gospel of John.

5:32 – It is another who testifies about me. God the Father, through His Spirit, worked through the prophets to describe the person, the Messiah. Jesus’ argument with His opponents was, You search the scriptures, … and these are they which testify about me (John 5:39). Why do you not understand?

5:33 – You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him (John 1:7). This is a domineering message in the Gospel of John. The people respected the witness of John the Baptist. His prophecy about the Messiah took place before he saw Jesus.

5:34 – But the testimony which I receive is not from man. Jesus did not have to rely on a human testimony because of the mighty works He accomplished.

5:35 – He was the burning and shining lamp. John was sent that he might testify about the light (John 1:8). He was a lamp that burned brightly.

5:36 – But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John. Jesus’ works and miracles prove nothing less than He had unlimited power.

5:37 – The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. The people never physically saw the Father or audibly heard His voice but, from the mouths of the prophets, they did.

5:38 – You do not have his word living in you; because you do not believe him whom he sent. You believe the Scriptures are God’s Word, but you have not hidden His Word in your heart that you might not sin against Him (Read Psalms 119:11).

          -All Scripture Passages are based on the World English Bible (WEB)-

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In the 1980s, a hit song by Johnny Lee was “Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places.” Well, the Pharisees were guilty of “looking in all the wrong places” to find eternal life.

5:39 – 40– You search the Scriptures. – They believed the Scriptures would lead them to eternal life. To the Pharisees, the Scriptures were all in all. He who has acquired the words of the Law has received eternal life. The Pharisees failed to recognize Christ when he came. They were conscientious about the details in the Scriptures but rejected Jesus Christ. How could that happen? They were looking for a Messiah with political and military power.

5:41-42 – I know you don’t have God’s love in yourselves. 1 John 5:3 says, for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. 1 John 3:23 says, His commandment is that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ. John 2:25 says Jesus knew what was in man. He knew the Pharisees’ devotion to God was not genuine.

5:43-44 – If another comes in His name, you will receive them. (Why don’t you) seek the glory that comes from the only God? Mark says for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he’ and will lead many astray (Mark 13:6). “There were several pretenders (men who claimed to be the promised Messiah) in the period between AD 30 and 70” (F. F. Bruce).

5:45 – There is one who accuses you, even Moses, or whom you have set your hope. They were devoted to Moses and his writings (The Pentateuch – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The scribes and Pharisees also had another problem. They could not listen to the voice of God because they compared themselves to their fellow man. That made them self-satisfied.

5:46– If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me. They searched the books of Moses and believed they would find life. But Yahweh (the Lord) said to Moses I would raise them a prophet from among their brothers, like you. I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him (Deuteronomy 18:18).There are seven ways Moses can be compared with the Lord: (1) His life was spared when he was an infant, (2) Moses identified himself with his enslaved brothers, (3) He was a man filled with love

and he was compassionate, (4) Moses spoke to God face to face, (5) He was a great prophet, (6) Moses was a mediator of the covenant, and (7) He was a leader of the people.

We need to ask ourselves, Lord, what do we look like compared to you? If we feel self-satisfied, it kills faith. It is because faith comes out of a sense of need, for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise (John 12:43).

          -All Scripture passages are based on the World English Bible (WEB)-

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n the Gospel of John, the feeding of the five thousand more clearly stresses the creative power and deity of Christ. This miracle was the fourth sign that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.

6:3-4 – Jesus went up into the mountain, and he sat there with his disciples. The “Mountain may refer to the sloping hills of the Golan Heights. (It was common for Jesus to sit) down with His disciples, probably to teach (Read Matthew 5:1-2). This Passover would have been one year before Jesus’ crucifixion. The Passover commemorated the deliverance of Israel from the Egyptians through Moses, and messianic hopes ran high during this festival” (The Moody Bible Commentary).   

6:5-7 – Jesus, seeing that a great multitude was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, that these might eat?” The disciple who should have known where to buy bread was Philip. He had lived in the neighboring town of Bethsaida (Read John 1:44). Philip’s attitude was there wasn’t enough money to feed the crowd. He should have been confident that the Messiah would provide enough food to feed the multitude.   

6:8-9 – Andrew said to him (Jesus), “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.”  Jesus could have provided the food from nothing. However, He carried out a miracle similar to one carried out by the prophet Elisha (Read 2 Kings 4:42-44). Elisha’s miracle verified that he was sent by God. The miracle Jesus carried out verified that He is the prophet sent from God. In the Old Testament, there was no prophet who was as great as Moses. The promise of a

prophet like Moses remained unfulfilled (Read Deuteronomy 18:15). The promise of the Messiah’s coming was still in the future.

6:11 – Jesus took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to the disciples and the disciples to those who were sitting down; likewise also of the fish as much as they desired.

6:12-13 –“Gather up the broken pieces which are left over, that nothing be lost.”  It is a reminder that Jesus can always provide us with more than we need. In the Greek language, the word “leftover” means “abundance” (Read John 10:10).

6:14 –When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, “This is truly the prophet who comes into the world.” Unfortunately, the 5000+ followed Jesus because they wanted a Messiah who would take care of their physical needs. They did not realize life on earth is a preparation for eternity. What is more important for you? To have your physical needs met or your spiritual needs met? One last only temporarily. The other last eternally.

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In the story of Jesus walking on the water, John’s purpose was to show that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. This miracle proves Jesus has a divine nature and He has power over the laws of nature.

6:16-17 – When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, and they entered the boat and were going over the sea to Capernaum.Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side. (Then) he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them.

6:18-19 –The sea (of Galilee) was tossed by a great wind blowing. When therefore they rowed about 25 or 30 stadia (approximately three to four miles) they were in the middle of the sea (Read Mark 6:47). The disciples were not afraid of the storm, but they were afraid of Jesus walking on the sea. Mark 6:49 tells us they supposed it was a ghost. Mark 6:50 says, for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he immediately spoke with them, and said to them, “Cheer up!

6:20-21 – “It is I! (It literally means I Am.) Don’t be afraid.” When the disciples realized it was Jesus’ voice, they felt reassured. Their fear faded away, and they willingly received Jesus into the boat. In the Old Testament, the sea often represented anarchy and disorder. It was God who brought it under control (Read Psalms 65:5-7; 93:1-4). “Immediately” the boat was at the land where they were going. Theologians have a difference of opinion on what the word translated “immediately” means. Was it just a passing comment? Was it another miracle? The same story is told in Matthew 14:22-27 and Mark 6:47-51, but they don’t mention the word “immediately.” However, “The passage is useful as teaching that despite opposing forces, Jesus will enable His people to achieve the goals He has set for them, including heaven itself” (The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: New Testament). 

Martin Luther said, “Is it not a shame that we are always afraid of Christ, whereas there was never in heaven or earth a more loving or milder man, in words and works. We serve a very gracious yet very human Christ. But the Scriptures make it plain that those who lived with him were conscious that there was also in him something awesome, tremendous, superhuman, something that awoke in them a kind of (fear).” Do we lack a kind of fear and reverence toward the One who sacrificed His life for us? He (Jesus) arose from the grave so that we can be forgiven of our sins and inherit eternal life!

         -All Scripture passages are based on the World English Bible (WEB)-

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6:25-26 – “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.” Their motive was inexcusable. They “sought Him not because they saw signs which could lead them to faith” (The Moody Bible Commentary). They should have realized God was the One who gave them bread.   

6:27–Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life. Physical hunger can only be satisfied by physical food, but spiritual hunger will never be satisfied by physical food. The Jews were only interested in physical satisfaction. One kind of food perishes. The other kind of food lasts eternally. The manna in the wilderness lasted only a day (Read Exodus 16:19-21). For God, the Father has sealed him. “Sealed” means “has solemnly attested (seriously or genuinely) confirmed the statement “God is true” (Word Studies in the New Testament). God sealed the Son as the giver of eternal life.”

6:28-29 – They said therefore to him, “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” “When Jesus said, “the works of God,” the Jews immediately thought of doing good works. They believed if they lived a good and moral life, they could earn God’s favor. “The work which God (wants us to do is) to believe (to be persuaded of or to trust) in Him who God has sent” (William Barclay). The Apostle Paul says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not that of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

6:30-31 – What then do you do for a sign, that we may see, and believe you? The skeptics had seen Jesus’ previous signs. The question made it clear they were spiritually blind. For many, the feeding of the multitude marked Jesus out as the second Moses (Read 6:14), but the skeptics wanted more evidence.

6:32-33 – Jesus said, I tell you, it wasn’t Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread. The bread given by Moses in the wilderness was temporal.  Jesus said His Father gives you the true heavenly bread. The bread of God that gives life to the world.

The feeding of the five thousand should have been a sufficient sign to show Christ’s deity (divinity). But the skeptics demanded that Jesus had to do more if they were to believe in Him.

DOES JESUS HAVE TO PERFORM GREATER MIRACLES BEFORE YOU WILL                                                 BELIEVE IN HIM?

        -All Scripture passages are based on the World English Bible (WEB)-

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Can we know for sure that we have eternal life and a home in heaven someday?

6:35 – I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. In this verse, the words “hungry” and “thirsty” are symbolic of physical hunger and physical thirst. He is in himself the giver of life and sustains life in such a way there is no unsatisfied desire that remains to frustrate the believer. If we take the spiritual food Jesus offers, we will come to believe (to be persuaded of, to place confidence) in Him. And he who

believes in me will never be spiritually thirsty. In the Greek language, there is an emphasis on “will not be hungry’ and “will never be thirsty.” It is evident that eternal life is permanent.

6:36 –You have seen me, and yet you don’t believe. The multitude saw Jesus feed the 5,000+, but they did not understand the true significance of it. They did not come to Him with the kind of belief that was necessary. 

6:37 – All those who the Father gives me will come to me. His desire is expressed in John 3:16For God so loved the world (all mankind), that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes (to be persuaded of, to place confidence) in him should not perish but have eternal life. “Him who comes to me I will in no way throw out” is about how He will keep people who believe in Him.

6:38 – Christ’s purpose in coming to earth was to do the will of the Father who sent Him (Read John 4:34;5:30;8:29).

6:39 – For whom he foreknew (Romans 8:29). “Not a reference simply to God’s omniscience (knowing all things) – that in eternity past He knew who would come to Christ. It speaks of a predetermined choice to send His love on us established an intimate relationship – or his election” (John MacArthur). The last day refers to the resurrection and the final judgment (The Moody Bible Commentary).

6:40 – everyone who sees the Son and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. “Verse 40 emphatically repeats verse 39. No clearer verses can be found that affirms the ultimate safekeeping of the believer. Our eternal security depends on Jesus fulfilling the will of the father, which he will never fail to do” (The Moody Bible Commentary). “This verse emphasizes human responsibility in salvation. Although God is sovereign (supreme in power and authority), He works through faith, so that a man must believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God who alone offers the only way of salvation (Read John 14:6). However, even faith is a gift of God” (Read Romans 12:3; Ephesians 2:8-9).

                                        To His believers Jesus says,

     REJOICE THAT YOUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN (Luke 10:20).

          -All Scripture Passages are based on the World English Bible (WEB)-