John 5
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, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.
3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.
5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”
7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”
9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
The Bethesda Pool was a pagan (Godless) ‘healing center’ or ‘askelepion’ erected by a Grecian cult in honor of their god Asclepius - the god of healing.
The fact that this man had been sitting in this God-forsaken place for 38 years, waiting on a mythical angel to stir up the water - waiting on pagan superstitions instead of on the One true God (Ex.15:26; Is.40:3031) - gives us some insight in to why, in vs. 14 Jesus tells the man to “stop sinning“.
***Note: The pool was in fact, stirred by an underwater spring; one of a few beneath Jerusalem.***
And yet, into this dark and God-forsaken place walks God Himself (ch.20:28) - Jesus the Messiah, the Light of the world (ch.8:12)…And, with an incredible combination of pure power and total undeserved mercy, demonstrates before everyone there, exactly who is the real and Living God! (in a subtle replay of 1Kings 18:20-40).
In this, He also sends a clear message: There is no place too dark…too far fallen that the Lord cannot, and will not reach.
He will send a very similar message in Matthew 16:13-19 at Cesarea Philippi - literally the central hub for pagan worship and the location of what was known as “the gates of Hades”
We are told very little information as to this man’s background. He may have been struck down in this bedridden condition while actually sitting in that exact spot in this deep darkness, 38 years earlier. Whatever the case, we know that if Jesus had not physically healed him, he could not physically have walked out of there and away from the darkness…he could not have “taken up his mat and walked.” When the Lord sets us free, He does so COMPLETELY - if necessary, providing us with a Way we can physically walk out, from whatever demonic situation we find ourselves in.
And so, at this pagan place, just a stone’s throw from the Temple itself, in the heart of Jerusalem, Jesus Christ truly demonstrates Luke 15 vs. 4-6 and Luke 19 vs.10: There is no soul that falls beyond His Saving Grace: He is the Lord our God - even in this “God-forsaken” place.
Now that day was the Sabbath.
10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.”
As we see again and again in the Gospels, these Pharisees are adhering to the letter of the Law, while failing to understand…or even acknowledge the One who wrote the Law:
“I do not know you. Depart from me.” - Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 14:22-27.
They know the Name of God - but they do not know God. (See also Matthew 12:1-14 & 23:23-28)
11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’”
12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”
13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”
15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.
It is not so much that he is breaking God’s Law; it is that he is undermining their authority; and this strikes a nerve.
This is not the first miracle Jesus has performed on the Sabbath - and it will not be the last (Mark 1:21-28; 29-31); This is likely not the first time the Pharisees have persecuted him for doing this - and it will definitely not be the last (Mark 3:1-6). According to the four Gospels, Jesus performed a miracle on the seventh day, seven times…And when we understand what the Sabbath Day represents…and who will fulfill it (see Hebrews 4 & Genesis 2:2)…surely it is right and fitting that Jesus would - not only heal a man - but make him whole on this day, as a foreshadowing of the “Sabbath Rest” he is about to purchase for all humanity. The Greek word used for “well” here is hugiés: meaning Sound, healthy, whole: implying that this man’s stricken condition is more than just physical: Like all of us, this man’s condition is one of the soul.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
Until through the Cross; when he finishes the work and himself becomes our Sabbath Rest: see Hebrews ch. 4 & ch.10:11-13
18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Things have now switched up a gear; from persecuting Jesus because he healed on the Sabbath, to persecuting him also because he claims God to be his Father (i.e equality with God). Whatever reason they give, the underlying reason is the same: Jesus is undermining their final authority over the people - and this makes him a threat.
This is only the second recorded time in John that Jesus refers to God as his Father; the first being to the Samaritan woman.
The Authority of the Son
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
Jesus is enforcing the fact that - as a perfect man - the second Adam - he does not operate under his own authority, but under the authority of God who sent him - His Father…But in doing this, he is also unveiling something that no other human being on the face of the Earth has: His oneness…his union…with God.
He then continues - to drive this home to the listeners:
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.
What are these “greater works”
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
This would have greatly upset the Sadducees, the ruling sect at the time, who only adhere to the first five books of the Scriptures and do not believe in the resurrection of the dead.
These “greater works” - this resurrection from the dead - is Salvation.
And three times on three separate occasions, the Lord will demonstrate incredible foreshadowings of this resurrection (he will raise three people from the dead), while at the same time, showing his authority over sin and its consequences: Death.
See Mark 5:21-43; Luke 7:11-17 & John 11:1-44.
23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Here is the partial revelation (unveiling) of Jesus Christ to the authorities.
He is no longer hiding his deity, but boldly and openly proclaiming it, in the heart of Jerusalem, to these Jewish rulers, who he knows are hard hearted, self-serving and are willfully refusing to believe: He will do this over and over again during the course of his ministry, so that all will hear: Some will repent (Acts 6:7), others will not (Acts 7:51-60) : But Salvation must be proclaimed non-the-less - to all! See John 18:20-21, Matthew 10:27-28.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
See ch.6:37-38, ch.10:9-10, ch.14:6. Jesus is basically pointing to himself as the ONLY WAY to the Father - to Heaven: good news for some; shocking for others; astounding to all!
25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
He has now upset, not only the Sadducees, but the entire attending Council of Elders.
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
This is clearly a reference to the Resurrection: His own…and also those who would follow Him (See Revelation 20:4-6) :for “In him was Life and that Life was the Light of men.” Ch.1:4-5. See also chapters: 10:17-18 & 11:23-25
“He is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and this visible image will perform the greatest sign imaginable (John 10:17-18), through the greatest act of Love known to mankind (John 15:12-13)
Jesus continues, without ceremony, to unveil and proclaim his deity:
27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
Who can judge but God alone? How can this “Son of man” also be the Son of God? All we know is what the Word tells us: that “He is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us” (ch.2:18-19)
From the beginning man was given authority over the Earth. Up until this point, this authority had and was continually being usurped by Satan: Until - enter the Second Adam - Christ Jesus, who just happens to be “the fullness of God in a human body”. Now it is no longer fallen man that Satan is dealing with: Now, in Jesus, he is dealing with Almighty God Himself. The Lord has become one of us…to come down to where we are…to fight for us…to rescue us from our adversary, defeat him thoroughly, through baring the weight of our judgment himself…and through his perfection, purchase us back to be with him forever! For all who would believe and repent: Here again, is the message of the Gospel.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18-19).
Now He - as the Perfect Man, has taken back that authority, on behalf of all of us (Revelation 1:18)…now HE holds the keys of Death and Hades!
28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Again he is referring to the resurrection: Not the first, but the second. For he is Lord and judge over both:
Whether we have turned to God or not, all without exception will be resurrected by the Lord to face the judgment seat. Whether we face the first resurrection (mercy - see Revelation 20:4-6) or the second (judgment: see Revelation 20:11-14) will depend upon one thing: Was our faith in Christ’s death and resurrection? And did we follow Him? Or was it in something else. For example: if like the Pharisees our faith was in our ability to keep the Law perfectly, then we will be judged by that same perfect Law (see Matthew 5:17-48 & Galatians 4) : If our faith is in Christ Jesus and his perfect life and perfect Sacrifice, then our righteousness has been fulfilled and our judgment has already been taken - by Him: And we can NEVER take this lightly.
30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Is this not how Adam was supposed to function - in submission and communion with the Lord? Jesus the Last Adam has done it for all of us - perfectly! (See Matthew 26:39)
see Daniel 7:13-14
Jesus, the fullness of God in a human body, functions as a man, putting himself entirely under the servitude and into the hands of God (his Father), will, as the perfect “man” also become the spotless Lamb - the Perfect Sacrifice for the imperfect human being.
31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
Deuteronomy 19:15 tells us clearly that by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.; As the one who wrote the Law and knows the Law, he will 100% uphold the Law - this is why John was sent as a witness before him.
33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
34 Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.
35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
Everything has been carried out according to Biblical order: The prophets bore witness to the will and testament of the Lord and the Jewish authorities appear on the surface to believe them - even building tombs in honor of them. (See Matthew 23:29-31)
It seems however, that they neither believe nor honor the One they were all the prophets were pointing towards - Jesus Christ. Which tells us that their honoring of the prophets - and consequently, of the entirety of Scripture - is false. If they truly believed the words of the prophets, they would have believed and recognized the Word - Jesus Christ.
36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.
This was exactly the purpose of the miracles of Jesus: the raising of 3 people from the dead; the deliverance of a demoniac, the healing of ten lepers and a man born blind…his multiplying of food…his calming the storm…his walking on water: It all took place to show the people that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be. We should also remember this whenever the Lord in his grace works a miracle through us: It is all to draw people to Jesus Christ, for his glory and their salvation.
37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,
38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
It is the Scriptures themselves - the Old Testament that bares witness to Jesus Christ (also ch.1:1,8)
So how could they - so learned in the Scriptures - be so blind? Because they thought they already had all the answers: There attention really wasn’t on God - it was in themselves. Their faith wasn’t in God, but in themselves and their ability to “keep the Law”. (Matthew 23) Their pride is what blinded them - yet they thought they could see. (See Ch.9:38-41)
41 I do not receive glory from people.
42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.
43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
The same problem exists within the Church today: Do we have the love of God in us? Do we value the praises and opinions and affirmations of people over God? Or worse still; are we looking to people for answers (eg: the prophetic word for the season , or the month, or the year) when we should be looking to God through his written Word? The truth is, we have set people up on pedestals, just as the Pharisees were: But we will never truly know and experience the Lord as he desires us to…as they did in the Book of Acts, as long as we continue to give our focus and attention to people.
45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.
47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Contrast these teachers of the Law, who study the Scriptures and yet remain blind, to Nathanael in Ch.1 - who studied the Scriptures and was suddenly able to see!
Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Ch.1:49
Again: this is why the first place we should be going for answers is the Word of God: If we truly, genuinely want to know him, this is how: Because he wrote it…and it is all about him.
Footnotes:
{John 5:4 is not included in most versions of the Bible because it is not found in any of earliest manuscripts; causing most scholars to agree that this was not part of the original text of John: It also raises serious questions about the Goodness of God: Does he favor the strong over the weak? Does he torment people, by dangling a carrot on a stick? Must we work…compete…scramble over one another, to win this “carrot”?
This goes utterly against the character of God, as revealed in Christ Jesus, and not only turns him against us, but turns us against one another.}
The seven sabbath healings:
Mark 1:21-28
Mark 1:29-31
Mark 3:1-6
Luke 13:10-17
Luke 14:1-6
John 5:1-18
John 9:1-16
Chapter 1 of Mark’s Gospel tells us that Jesus performed two of his first miracles on the same Sabbath Day: But it wasn’t until sundown - i.e the beginning of the next day - that the flood gates really began to open! (Read Mark 1:32-34)
We could say: “It was on the Sabbath Day that Jesus opened the Way!
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