The Way - Day 186 (John 5)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
JOHN 5:1-16
John's purpose in writing has been to present Jesus Christ as the Son of God. So far, he has detailed many individuals or groups who were witnesses’ of this fact: John the Baptist (1:19-34), John the Baptist’s disciples (1:35-51), the people in Galilee (2:1-12; 4:43-54), the people in Judea (2:13-3:36), and the people in Samaria (4:1-42). Why did John want people to accept Jesus as the Son of God? He knew that by believing in Him, they could "have life through His name" (John 20:31). In order to further prove Christ's deity, John's gospel features seven miracles Jesus performed. John has already written about Jesus turning water into wine (2:1-11) and His healing of the nobleman's son (4:46-54).

Although people had been skeptical about Jesus' ministry, they were still willing to examine His claims. Beginning in John 5, Jesus begins to experience some major hostility. Much of this conflict stems from the so-called religious leaders of Jesus' day. They rejected Him as the Son of God and adhered to Old Testament ceremonial laws, as well as man-made traditions, to find connection with God. The "religious" leaders of this culture were consumed with the externals and completely ignored the condition of a person's heart. Ultimately, they believed that their outward works brought them favor with God. With these things in mind, John writes about the third miracle or sign which should lead a person to believe in Jesus as the Son of God.

Jesus departs Cana of Galilee to take part in a Jewish feast being held in Jerusalem (5:1). When Jesus entered the city gate, He came to the pool (probably a hot spring) at Bethesda. The water had five surrounding porches and those who were sick would lay nearby (5:2-3a). The sick most likely believed that this particular body of water contained some type of healing power and that the first person who entered the water, after it began moving, would be healed (5:3b-4). John writes about a particular man waiting at this pool who had been paralyzed thirty-eight years (5:5). Jesus sees this man lying there and asks, "Do you want to be made well?” (5:6) Not knowing the identity of the one asking him this question, the man replied, "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" (5:7). Then Jesus says to the paralyzed man, "Rise, take up your bed and walk" (5:8). John writes that "immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath" (5:9).

Most would rejoice in the healing of a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years; however, the Jews were nearby and said to the healed man, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed" (5:10). Instead of celebrating this miracle, they became consumed with this man keeping the law. Although the Old Testament law prohibited working on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11), it seems to imply that a person should not be involved in their natural means of employment. Carrying one's bed would not fall into the category of regular employment, but the Jews had developed some additional rules for the Sabbath, which included not carrying an object from one place to another. These added, man-made rules allowed the Jews to bring a charge against this man. The healed man responded to the Jews' condemnation by revealing that a Man had commanded him to "take up his bed and walk" (5:11). The Jews inquired about the identity of this Man, but he did not know Him (5:12-13).

After this incident, Jesus found the healed man in the temple and said, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you" (5:14). Jesus' statement does not necessarily imply that his sickness was a direct result of sin, but it does show that Jesus was concerned about the man living a life without sin. The man left the temple and told the Jews "that it was Jesus who made him well" (5:15). From this moment, "the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath" (5:16).

Jesus had not caused this man to break any Old Testament laws, but only the man-made traditions which had become so prevalent in the Jews' system of worship. Instead of repenting of sin and having faith in Jesus as their Savior, the Jews embraced obedience to the law as the thing which bound them to God. No matter how hard they tried or how many good deeds they performed, the penalty for sin still demanded the death of the sinner. The Jews, as well as all mankind, are in need of someone to die in their place so that they can have forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Jesus Christ was sent to be their Savior.
"For He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us [sinners], that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

JOHN 5:17-47
Following Jesus' healing of a paralyzed man on the Sabbath (5:1-9), the Jews had become angry at His disregard for their man-made traditions. Although Jesus was not breaking any Old Testament laws, the Jews had developed some additional regulations regarding the Sabbath for which they held men accountable. Breaking these oral traditions always infuriated the Jews. John writes that because of Jesus' failure to adapt to their system of beliefs, they "persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him..." (5:16). In reality, the Jews were angry because they felt Jesus had no authority to perform miracles and ignore their traditions.

In response to the Jews' anger, Jesus makes one of the clearest statements of His deity in all of Scripture. Jesus' declaration can be found in John 5:17-47, where He makes three claims about His equality with God: He is equal with God because of who He is (5:17-18), He is equal with God because of what He does (5:19-21), and He is equal with God because of what He will do (5:22-30). First, Jesus declares that He is equal to God because He is His Son (5:17-18). For the Jew, God had no equal, so this statement would have been blasphemous. Second, Jesus claims that He is equal with God in strength (5:19-21).

"...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. 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" (5:19-20).

These words would be enough for the Jews to put Him to death, but Jesus also adds, "…as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will" (5:21). Jesus was claiming equality with the Father and that He had power over life and death. Lastly, Jesus claims equality with God because of what He will do (5:22-30). In the future, God will entrust all judgment (5:22, 25-30) to His Son; therefore, all people should give Him the same honor as they have given to the Father (5:22-23). Those who would hear and believe what Jesus was saying would receive eternal life and pass "from death to life" (5:24). But, those who reject the witness of the Son would be condemned (5:29b). Jesus concludes His claim to be equal with God by boldly declaring –

"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" (5:30).

Everything done by Jesus fulfilled the will of God, which made His nature the same as God the Father.

According to the Old Testament, witnesses were needed to establish truth (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15). Jesus provides the Jews with four witnesses to the truth of Him being equal with God: John the Baptist (5:31-35), His own supernatural works (5:36), God the Father (5:37-38), and the Scriptures (5:39-47). Although the Jews had searched the Scriptures to find the "secret" to eternal life, they missed that the Scriptures testified about the one and only way to everlasting life, Jesus Christ (5:39-40). Even Moses testified about Jesus in the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 18:15), but they would not listen to his words (5:45-47).

Jesus was not interested in being the type of Messiah that the Jews were expecting. They wanted someone who would deliver them from their current oppression, but Jesus was not consumed with receiving accolades from men (5:41). Jesus was consumed with doing the will of God, which meant that He must be their Savior from sin (Matthew 1:21). Being their Savior meant that Jesus had to take the penalty of sin (death) upon Himself to provide eternal life to all those who would repent and believe in Him (Romans 10:9-10). These same witnesses testify to us, so that we might "…believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31).

Dear God, I believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Thank You for giving me life through His name.