Preface
In this chapter Jesus performs His third miraculous work, the healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda. But as significant as this event may be, it pales in light of the lessons brought to the reader by the “religious” crowd as they confront Jesus Christ over His works of mercy.
Although it has previously been stated in the study, the following fact needs to be repeated. Christianity is not a religion. If one calls himself a Christian, he should then be very careful not to refer to himself as religious. Christianity is a union or relationship with God the Son. Early Christians never referred to themselves as religious. If anything, they were identified as members of the “The Way” (Acts 24:14, 22). This identification was a direct reference to Jesus Christ, who personally claimed to be “the Way” (John 14:6). The Greek word, hodos, is used in all three verses of scripture, and it refers to God’s grace-gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. The only serious difficulties Jesus Christ repeatedly faced during His sojourn on earth were oppositions by the religious crowd. Religion views righteousness as something man can achieve by his own meritorious action, the result of man’s “good works.” Christianity recognizes that the righteousness of God and how it is achieved is totally different. It is a right standing before God that has nothing to do with human merit (human good). And it can only be achieved by faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross of Calvary.
Because there is a distinct difference between religion and Christianity, the world has always been misled regarding organized religion. The world has always seen organized religion as so many centuries of blood thirsty anti-Semites and superstitious simpletons and fanatics. Organized religion, as the world knows it, chronicles obscenely wealthy and corrupt institutions whose leaders have taken advantage of the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. No one can deny that terrible atrocities have been committed in the name of Christ and sanctioned by organized religion during the Dark Ages; but, that this included the true “Church” (Body of Christ) is one of the greatest deceptions of all time, a well-articulated lie fostered by Satan and which people believe to this day.
The true Church (Body of Christ) has never had anything to do with such deceptions or atrocities. The true Church is that union of believers in Jesus Christ, who believe in loving others, saved and unsaved, and in bringing the lost to Jesus Christ. They have existed from the days our Lord walked the earth. They have met in small homes, in dungeons, in pits and behind trees. They have stayed true to God’s Word and have been led of His Spirit in the living of lives of peace and that are pleasing to God. They are far different from that body of “organized religion,” which is controlled by Satan and which opposes the primary doctrine of “faith alone in Christ alone.” Remember! Christianity is not religion!
The other important lesson from this chapter is that due to discussions between Christ and the religious crowd subsequent to and as a result of His miracle at the Pool of Bethesda, the reader has privy to the Lord’s own evaluation regarding His Deity. This in itself was a turning point in the way the religious crowd treated Christ. From that point on the religious Jews persecuted Him without ceasing, until they finally delivered Him up for death (vss. 16-18).
John 5:1-4
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
The Bible does not reveal to the reader which feast of the Jews was taking place at this time. It may have been one of the three great Jewish feasts, i.e., the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:16). Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, called in Hebrew, Bethesda. And on this and other occasions a great many sick, blind and lame individuals came in hopes of being healed by the water of this pool. It is interesting that in many of the “better manuscripts,” the fourth verse that mentions the stirring of the water by the angel is absent. Some suggest that this verse may have been added later by a scribe as a word of explanation. In some translations, such as the New International Version, this verse is completely left out. In or out matters little to the correct interpretation of this passage. It may have been added to clarify why the crowd believed they would be healed. They believed that once the water began to move, they would be healed if only they could make their way down and touch the water. Whether or not those who were healed received their cure psychosomatically, one cannot say. The fact is that many were there hoping and praying to be healed.
John 5:5-9
Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" The sick man answered Him, "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." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.
A man who had been sick from before Jesus was born was by the pool. Jesus knew his history, as He knows the history of every single person born of woman. Jesus asked him if he wanted to be “made well.” Although Jesus already knew the answer, it was important that the man admit it to Christ. This is the same with salvation. Man must come to the place in his life when he admits to Christ his need of Him. The man’s answer was one that clearly revealed that in the past he had always depended on man for his healing. Apparently, the first one who touched the waters once they began to move was healed. The man had always depended on others to bring him down to the waters, but no one was ever available. Under his own power when climbing down to the water, he always failed, since someone would always beat him to it. The lesson is that true healing must come from God, not others or self.
Jesus wasted no time. He instructed the man to rise up, take up his bed and walk. The man knew immediately that he was healed. The strength and feeling of wholeness flowed through his entire body. He then did as instructed, and it was on the Sabbath that this occurred.
John 5:10-15
The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed” Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'" But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
The religious crowd didn’t miss a beat. They saw the man carrying his bed (mat) down the street and quickly confronted him, informing him that he was performing illegal activity on the Sabbath. They were more interested in the letter of the law, completely overlooking the miraculous gift of healing this man had received. They, as many Christians and all religious persons today, majored on minor issues and minored on major issues. The man was eager to tell his healing story, but he admitted that he couldn’t identify the person who had caused his healing. Jesus had withdrawn due to the multitude in the area. After a spell Jesus came across the man in the temple. He told him to “sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon” him. The implication is dramatic. Although physical sickness can be daunting, sin brings a much more serious and permanent malady. The man later informed the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well on the Sabbath.
John 5:16-18
For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
Here in this passage and the one to follow the major theme of the book and, in fact, of the entire Bible, is stated in crystal clear terms, that Jesus Christ is equal with God Almighty. To put it succinctly, Jesus Christ is God. As Luke presents Christ in His humanity as the Son of Man, John portrays Him in His Deity as the Son of God. Here Jesus Himself is confirming the truth introduced in the first verse of the book, that in the beginning “was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” and (1:14) “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Why? The reason is found in 20:31 of John, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
Here the evil heart of the “religious man” is exposed in the Jews that confronted Christ. These were cold-blooded legalists, more interested in ceremonial observances than in the blessing and welfare of their fellow man. They resented that this miracle of healing had taken place on the Sabbath, never realizing that they were speaking to the One who had set apart the Sabbath in the first place. Christ had not broken the Sabbath, because the Law had only forbidden menial work on that day—not the performance of acts of necessity or mercy. The Jews couldn’t (or wouldn’t) understand that God never intended the Sabbath to impose a hardship on man.
The reply Jesus offered these religionists is most interesting. Its basis went back to His work in the renovation of His creation and the creation of man and other living creatures upon the earth. He had finished His work in renovating the heavens and the earth and creating man and earth’s living creatures in six days. He had then rested on the seventh day—the Sabbath. However, when sin entered the world, His rest was disturbed. From that point on God’s work, which was the work of Christ, became ceaseless in the bringing of mankind back into fellowship with Himself.
This only confirmed to the religious Jews that Jesus made Himself equal with God. Because He not only did acts of mercy on the Sabbath but also claimed equality with God, they became rabid in their desire to kill Him. The Jews claimed Jesus was committing blasphemy, when actually He was only telling the truth. It is important to note that Jesus did not retreat from this conclusion by the religious Jews. He did not apologize. He did not attempt to soften His claim. Instead, in the following passage, He concretely confirmed that He and God are One.
John 5:19-30
Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, 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. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 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.”.
Jesus informs the Jews that He cannot do anything “of Himself” (vs. 19, 30), which on the surface may seem that He is not claiming equality with God. This is not the case. What He is saying is that He and the Father are in fact One, so that neither can act apart from the other. In this scholarly and detailed dissertation by Christ, He confirms that He is God, as is apparent in the following areas:
- He is equal to God in work (v. 19)
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- He is equal to God in knowledge (v. 20)
- He is equal to God in granting physical life (vs. 21, 25, 28, 29)
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- He is equal to God in judgment (vs. 22, 27, 30)
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- He is equal to God in being worthy of honor (v. 23)
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The Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald has these cogent remarks regarding this verse.
Here we have the reason God has given authority to His Son to raise the dead and to judge the world. The reason is so that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. This is a most important statement, and one of the clearest proofs in the Bible of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible we are taught that God alone is to be worshiped. In the Ten Commandments, the people were forbidden to have any god but the one true God. Now we are taught that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The only conclusion we can come to from this verse is that Jesus Christ is God.
Many people claim to worship God, but deny that Jesus Christ is God. They say that He was a good man or more godlike than any other man who ever lived. But this verse puts Him on an absolute equality with God, and requires that men should give Him the same honor which they give to God the Father. If a person does not honor the Son, then he does not honor the Father. It is useless to claim a love for God if one does not have the same love for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have never realized before whom Jesus Christ is, then ponder this verse carefully. Remember that it is the Word of God, and accept the glorious truth that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh.
- He is equal to God in granting spiritual life (v. 24)
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Here is a clear and concise presentation of the plan of salvation by Christ Himself. He says most assuredly that anyone [meaning everyone] who hears His word and believes God’s testimony about His Son [that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God and that upon the cross He paid the penalty-price for sin, was buried and rose again to life everlasting] has [not “will have” but present possession—right at the time of the act of faith] everlasting [spiritual] life. And that person will never be condemned [judged], because he has passed [permanently] from spiritual death to spiritual life.
- He is equal to God in self-existence (v.26)
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This verse explains how the Son is able to grant everlasting life to those who believe in Him. He, as the Father, is the source of all life. This in itself is another concrete confirmation that the Lord Jesus Christ is God. He is the great “I AM.” When one makes the conscious decision [exercise of personal will] to believe in Jesus Christ, He is baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit and thereby becomes forever (irrevocably, irretrievably and irreversibly) united with Him and His Life.
John 5:31-47
"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish--the very works that I do--bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you--Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"
In this remaining passage of the book Christ describes the various witnesses to His Deity. They are as follows:
- John the Baptist (vs. 32-35).
- The works of Christ (v. 36).
- God the Father (vs. 37, 38)
- Old Testament (vs. 39-47)
There is debate as to whom Christ is referring to in verse 32, John the Baptist or God the Father. The reader may determine. This writer believes that due to the Greek construction of this verse and the next one, Christ is referring to God the Father. A better translation of verse 33 would be, “As for you, you have sent [men] to John . . . ,” which would indicate a contrast between the Person in verse 32 and John the Baptist.
He reminded the Jews that they first heard John the Baptist, as one sent from God, and that he testified that Jesus Christ was indeed the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He informs them that even though John testified about him, His claim to Deity was not solely based on the testimony of man. He then adds that He Himself makes the claim so that all would know that He has come to provide spiritual salvation for all mankind. But apart from His personal testimony, He informs them that for a time they did listen to John the Baptist, who was a “burning and shining lamp.” This was a great compliment paid to John the Baptist, one which all Christians should strive to obtain from their Savior.
But in addition to John’s testimony, Christ informs the Jews that His miraculous works confirm His Deity. Although miracles in themselves are not proof-positive of deity, the miraculous works of Christ were different in source, scope and number. While others may have been given power from God to do miracles, Christ had the power from within. He furthermore had the ability, unlike any others, to confer His power to perform miracles to others, e.g., His apostles.
In addition to His works, He informs the Jews that God Himself declared His Deity. This was in fact done at the time Christ came up out of the baptismal waters. But then He adds that the religious Jews never heard God’s testimony. Why? Because even though they read the Scriptures, they fail to understand and absorb them. The meaning of all Scripture centers on Jesus Christ. The Bible is composed of 66 books by over 40 different human authors (as led by one Author—the Holy Spirit), which were written over thousands of years. Yet all, from the beginning to the last, testify of Jesus Christ. Christ again confirms that Bible doctrine points to Him and those who accept Him have eternal life. But the religious Jews did not have this life, because they were unwilling to come to Christ.
Jesus further informs the Jews that He was not in the world to receive the praise of men. He was not dependent on man’s recognition. He especially realized and so informed them that they were incapable of properly recognizing Him. Even though He came by the authority of God Almighty, they would not acknowledge Him as God. They would readily give recognition to other men, but to the Son of God their minds were closed.
He concludes by saying that eventually the very scriptures, the words of Moses, would condemn them. Moses spoke of Christ, but they refused to understand this. The time would come that Moses, the one they said they had trust in, would accuse them. If they would have believed Moses, they would have believed Christ. And this is true of many churches and peoples today. They claim to believe the Bible. They read the Bible. But they refuse to understand and accept the One whom the Bible points to from its beginning to its end—the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. To refuse Jesus Christ, His Deity and His work on Calvary, is to refuse God and His Word.
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