John Chapter Five
Jesus Healing a Man Near a Pool on a Sabbath
5:1 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.
John sets the stage for the events and discourses recorded in this chapter. Returning to Jerusalem for an unidentified “feast of the Jews,” occurring at some point after healing the official’s son, the feast was likely one of the three mandatory-to-attend festivals (Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, also known as Shavuot, or the Feast of Tabernacles). When reading John’s gospel account, we need to remember that John often “fills the gaps” that were not recorded in any of the synoptic gospels and leaving out some events that were well-documented by the other gospel accounts.
Here John reports Jesus being near a pool that is called in both the Aramaic and Hebrew languages, ‘Bethesda’ (meaning “house of lovingkindness” or “house of mercy”), which was located near the Sheep Gate (see Nehemiah 3:1, 32; 12:39). John further describes the location as having five covered colonnades where many disabled people laid around which included those that were blind, lame, and paralyzed. Note that verse four is missing (as well as an alternate ending of verse three), since the text is not found in early manuscripts and the words used being atypical for John, it is considered to have been added later to aid in understanding the lore behind the practice. Most modern Bible versions omit verse 3b (second half) and 4, which can be found in both the KJV and the NKJV. Here is the New King James Version rendering: “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.” (John 5:3b-4, NKJV)
All of this makes the legend described in John 5:1–18 very understandable. The ingredients are perfect. The Pool of Bethesda, the setting of this passage, was within the environs of Jerusalem. It periodically rippled because of a subterranean spring, and no doubt usually someone who had a disease was in the pool when the water moved. That individual probably concluded he had been healed, and the news of the “miracle” spread over the city and the surrounding countryside. With the Hebrew preoccupation with angelology, it is quite natural that a legend was born. In fact, we find this spurious teaching in the text of the older New Testament translations, though not in the earliest manuscripts. That doubtful addition reads, “An angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the waters, so that whoever first came in after the stirring might be healed.”
As a result, hundreds of people came from the countryside to the Pool of Bethesda to be healed. Five porticoes were even built so that the infirm could keep out of the sun as they waited for the stirring of the waters. Probably someone thrilled with what was taking place donated the money.
What a pathetic sight the crowd around the pool must have been! According to verse 3, “a great number of disabled people” were there. Not just a few, but hundreds of people gathered around those porches at Bethesda. The sick, including those with undiagnosed diseases. Those who were so feverish they had to stay in the shade because the heat of the sun was unbearable. The blind—some congenitally blind, some newly blind. The sightless huddled close to the edge of the pool, hoping someone would lead them into the pool when the waters quivered. The withered. And the lame, who could not make it to the pool on their own. Their only hope to reach the waters was to crawl over others weaker than themselves.
What a pitiful crowd of broken humanity! It does not take much imagination to see those withered, wasted bodies, to smell the stench, to see the filth, and to sense the pathos of the old and young among that impotent, suffering humanity. It had to be a horrible, distressing sight—except for one thing—Jesus was there.[1]
5:5 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.” 9a And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
The narrative then focuses on one man who had been disabled for 38 years. Potentially looking over several suffering individuals, Jesus sees this man, someone who had been there a long time, not just on that day but perhaps had been there daily for many years. Jesus asks an unusual question, “Do you want to be healed?”[2] The man, not knowing who Jesus was, begins to explain his predicament, that whenever the water is stirred up that someone else gets to the water before him. Jesus tells him to get up, take his bed and walk away. Being healed at that time, the man got up and left with his bed.
5:9b 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.” 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.
John records that this event occurred on a Sabbath, a day that prohibited Jews from doing any work. So when other Jews saw the man walking with his bed, instead of noting that he was healed and walking, they chastised him for carrying his bed. They reminded him that it was the Sabbath and that it was unlawful to carry his bed. He answered them saying that he was just doing as he was instructed to do by the one that healed him. They ask him who said these things? Since he did not know who Jesus was, and that the place was crowded and could not point Him out, he could not answer them.
5:14 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. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
Later, Jesus found the man in the Temple and said, “See, you are well!” Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you” (see Considerations below). Afterwards the man went to those that were asking about his healing and told them that it was Jesus that healed him. John inserts a brief explanation of why the Jews were (and continued to plan on) persecuting Jesus was that He was “doing things” on Sabbath days. They believed that no one sent by God could even consider or allow someone to work on a Sabbath day.[3] Jesus told them that, “My Father is working until now and I am working.” Implying that, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) In other words, He and His Father were exempt from this restriction. Thankfully God the Father and Jesus both work full-time, all the time, including working on Sabbath days!
Considerations
As stated several times in this book, the problem of sin is a very serious issue.[4] It literally changed everything and is the source of disease, pain, decay, discomfort, aging, weeds, etc. But what we often chose to neglect are matters of sin in our own lives and the consequences of those sins. The law in the Old Testament clearly taught that there will be horrific repercussions for disobeying God (for example see Leviticus 26:14-46; Deuteronomy 28:15-68). While some might argue that those warnings in the law only pertained to the Israelites, we can see elsewhere in the Bible that unconfessed sin can and will affect people, including believers today. “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” (Psalm 66:18-19) “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” (Proverbs 28:9) “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2) “Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.” (Jeremiah 5:25) “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.” (John 9:31) “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3)
Since Jesus did all the work for our salvation, that is not at risk for believers, however, our relationship and fellowship with Him can be deeply affected by our sin. Could God allow something bad to happen to someone because of their sin? Yes. Not necessarily as punishment (although likely deserved), but more importantly, as a way to call the person back to fellowship with Jesus. Some call this “a rock through the front door window,” being a way to get a person’s attention. Be it an accident or heart attack, don’t wait for something worse, God cannot forgive sin that remains unconfessed, He will, however, accept your request for forgiveness anytime. Always remember Psalm 32!
Jesus Is Equal with God
5:18 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.
John once again stops the narrative to offer explanation, this time to explain why the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. He notes that it wasn’t just because He was perceived as violating the Sabbath, but also that He considered Himself as being equal with God. That He was calling God the Father as His own Father. In the eyes of the Jewish leadership that by claiming to be God, Jesus would not only be called a heretic (teaching something they did not agree with) but also a blasphemer, which was punishable by death (see Leviticus 24:10-16).
Considerations
Many believe that Jesus never said He was God and that He was just a man and not divine. If that is true then what is John talking about here? We need to remember that John provides greater emphasis on Jesus being God than any of the other gospel writers. In this gospel account alone, Jesus regularly stated, both directly and indirectly, that He is God, here are a few examples (emphasis added): 1) “The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:25-26); 2) “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” (John 5:23); 3) “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” (John 5:39); 4) “Jesus said to them, “ I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:35-41); 5) “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58); 6) “ I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30); and 7) “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” (John 14:6-11) Jesus clearly identified Himself as being a member of the Godhead. Another way of looking at this would be to ask if Jesus never claimed to be God, then what ‘crime’ was He crucified for?
While skeptics have often suggested that the concept of the deity of Christ was a late development in church history, both archaeology and early Christian literature suggest otherwise. In 2006, Israeli archaeologists uncovered the oldest mosaic church floor ever discovered at Megiddo in Israel. The Greek inscription in the floor comes from the early second century (c. A.D. 120) and reads, “Our God Jesus Christ” (Biblical Archaeology Review, March-April, 2006).
Among the early church fathers there is a very clear consensus about the deity of Christ. Ignatius (d. 117) referred to Jesus as “Jesus Christ our God.” Polycarp (d. 155), the disciple of the apostle John, referred to the Savior as “our Lord and God Jesus Christ.” An early Christian apology, the Epistle to Diognetus, clearly affirms the eternality of the divine Christ (for references see Enns, p. 211). To be sure, there were deviant heretical conceptions of Christ by the Ebionites, Arians, and Gnostics, but these were never taken seriously by genuine Christians.
One can readily trace the Christian commitment to the deity of Christ through medieval theologians such as John of Damascus (675–749) and great reformers such as Martin Luther (1483–1546) and John Calvin (1509–1564). It was not until the rise of rationalism and the so-called Enlightenment that liberal theologians began to question—and then deny—the deity of Christ.
The theology of the Bible itself represents Jesus as the Son of God (John 5:17-47). He possesses all the attributes of deity. He is eternal (Hebrews 1:10), He is Lord (Romans 10:9), He is omniscient (John 16:30), He is omnipotent (John 11:1-44), He is omnipresent (Matthew 28:20), He is immutable (unchanging, Hebrews 13:8) and most importantly, He is the forgiver of sins (Mark 2:5-6) and the object of worship (John 9:38). Unlike angels and human believers who refused to let people worship them, Jesus clearly invited, welcomed, and received worship. Thus the biblical record ends with all of heaven falling before Him and saying, “Worthy is the Lamb” (Revelation 5:12).
The Bible “shouts” to us that Jesus is God. His life and character displayed His deity in person. Those who knew Him best were most willing to testify of His divine nature. And even His enemies were compelled to admit, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54).[5]
Jesus is indeed God, no human being could ever do what Jesus did for our salvation. As clearly stated in the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20), all authority has been given to Jesus. Perhaps the greatest evidence of that authority is His command and control over life and death.
Jesus Has the Authority of God
5:19 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. 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. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 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. 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.
Jesus explains the relationship between Him and His Father. Jesus first addresses what might be referred to as some ‘restrictions’ or ‘limitations’ to His authority as He points out that He can do nothing on His own. However, this relationship should not be considered a restraint that curbs Jesus’ actions, it is actually a ’synergy’ that provides the ultimate power over all things, visible and invisible. Jesus gives the reason for this interactive relationship as being the love the Father has for His Son. He tells them that greater works (miracles) than this man being healed at the pool (verses 1-9a) will be seen by them in the future, that will lead them to marvel (Greek ’thaumazēte’,[6] to wonder, to be amazed).
Just as God the Father raises the dead and gives them life (see Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6; 2 Kings 5:7), Jesus can also give life to anyone He wants. Jesus then notes that His Father does not judge, that all judgment has been given to Him so that the Son may be honored (recognized, valued, and revered as the highest authority) like His Father. Jesus also noted that anyone who does not honor Him does not honor His Father as He is the One who sent Him. Knowing that He will be victorious on the cross, Jesus presents a summary of the gospel in verse 24. Anyone who hears His message of salvation and believes the Father who sent Him (the promise of deliverance through Christ), has eternal life. That person will never be condemned for their sins as they have passed from certain death to life.
5:25 “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. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
Jesus emphasizes[7] again that an hour is coming and is now here (see John 4:23), signifying two phases. When those that have faith in Jesus die, their ’spirit’ will hear the voice of Jesus and continue to live (“now here”) but their bodies will not be resurrected until later (“hour is coming”). God the Father being alive and having the ability to make life, granted Jesus the same life-giving ability and power.
5:27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 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.
God the Father also gave Jesus authority to execute judgment. He told them to not marvel at this as the time is coming when those who have died will hear His voice and their bodies will come out. Due to the language of “doing good” and the references of resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment seemingly occurring simultaneously, verse 29 is often debated. First, since the word ‘agatha’,[8] translated here as ‘good’, can refer to making a ‘good’ decision, by choosing to believe in Jesus, those that have died will experience the resurrection of life (the rejoining of their body with their spirit, see Job 19:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). They are not saved by their works or “doing good,” but are made righteous by the blood of Jesus. Secondly, the event of the resurrection of life (believers) and the resurrection of judgment (non-believers being judged by Jesus) occur at different times (see Revelation 20:4-6).
Bearing Witness That Jesus is God
5:30 “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.
When this verse is quickly read it sounds like Jesus is admitting to a weakness, that He is not able to do anything without His Father. That is not the message He is conveying, He is saying that everything He does, including judgments past, present and future, are not only just (correct and righteous), they are in alignment with His Father’s will. One might ask why is that important? Many of the Jews, especially the Jewish leadership, believe that Jesus is acting on His own and does not have God’s favor, that what He does is against the will of God. In this discourse, Jesus clearly states that He, in every way, fully and accurately, represents His Father.
5:31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
Here again upon initial reading it appears that Jesus is saying He is an unreliable witness, that is not the case. He is agreeing with His opponents, that His words are indeed not sufficient evidence to support His claims. He then proceeds in the following verses to offer four additional sources of proof that He does speak the truth and that He is who He has been saying He is. The first evidence is the testimony of John the Baptist (verses 32-35); next would be the miracles He has been performing (verse 36); followed by the voice of His Father (verses 37-38); and then finally the fourth being the prophetic word of the Scriptures (verse 39).
5:32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 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.
Jesus lists John the Baptist as His first witness, whose testimony was true. Even though this testimony was from a man, he was considered a prophet from God, something that they themselves believed for a while (the Jews in the Temple, see verse 15). Jesus reminds them that He is saying these things so that they may be saved. John was a bright and shining light that brought the message of hope and salvation that is attainable through Jesus Christ. John the Baptist’s testimony was previously recorded in this gospel account (see John 1:19-34).
5:36 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.
Jesus next notes that all of the supernatural healings and other miracles He has been performing offer greater witness than the words of John the Baptist. Those miracles prove that He has authority and power over all things (including the laws of physics).
5:37 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.
The voice of God the Father was heard on more than one occasion offering praise for His Son. Words like, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17b, see also Matthew 17:5; John 12:28; 2 Peter 1:17), giving witness to those that heard, that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus then strongly rebuked this group by saying that not only did they not hear His Father’s voice, nor see His form, they do not have His Word abiding in them, as they do not believe Him (Jesus), the One that was sent by His Father.
5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
Jesus tells them that they regularly search the Scriptures because they think that in the Word of God they will find what they need to do in order to obtain eternal life. But instead of something that needs to be done by them (works), the salvation they seek can only be obtained through Him. Jesus notes that the entire Bible points to Him as the source for salvation, every page bears witness to Him.
5:40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.
Even with all of this evidence, they refuse to accept Jesus as the way to salvation. Jesus tells them that He does not receive glory from people, as people can be fickle, often changing their loyalties and affection. The Greek word ‘doxan’,[9] translated here as ‘glory’ is a word that is often misunderstood perhaps due to its frequent use. The word comes from a root word that means “to think.”
Etymologically, the word primarily means thought or opinion, especially favorable human opinion, and thus in a secondary sense reputation, praise, honor (true and false), splendor, light, perfection, rewards (temporal and eternal). Thus the dóxa of man is human opinion and is shifty, uncertain, often based on error, and its pursuit for its own safety is unworthy. But there is a glory of God which must be absolutely true and changeless. God’s opinion marks the true value of things as they appear to the eternal mind, and God’s favorable opinion is true glory. This contrast is well seen in John 5:44 as the Lord speaks of the glory that the people were receiving among themselves and the only glory that comes from God (see John 12:43). Glory, therefore, is the true apprehension of God or things. The glory of God must mean His unchanging essence. Giving glory to God is ascribing to Him His full recognition. The true glory of man, on the other hand, is the ideal condition in which God created man. This condition was lost in the fall and is recovered through Christ and exists as a real fact in the divine mind. The believer waits for this complete restoration. The glory of God is what He is essentially; the glory of created things including man is what they are meant by God to be, though not yet perfectly attained (Heb. 2:10; Rom. 8:18–21).[10]
Jesus then reveals an astonishing fact, that this group that externally look and sound like godly people have no love for God. That their ‘religious exterior’ is just that, a facade. Their love is reserved only for themselves, that their hypocritically pious lifestyle is nothing more than a pursuit of self-righteousness, being the exact opposite of a God-fearing person.
5:43 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.
Jesus tells them that He came in His Father’s name, in other words He came on behalf of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Old Testament, the same One that these people claim they know and follow. The last half of the verse is often debated, some believe that Jesus is referring to the vast number of people that regularly claim to be the Messiah (see Matthew 24:4-5, 24). While others believe Jesus is referring to a future event when a certain world leader appears in the Tribulation period known by theologians as the ‘Antichrist’ (although the Bible does not use that title) who will be quickly accepted by the Jews. Either way, they accept a phony and reject the actual Messiah.
5:44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 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?”
Jesus then explains why they can’t believe, their inward-focus in the pursuit of self-righteousness prevents them from seeing the truth. Such behavior leads to only recognizing and promoting similar conduct from other like-minded individuals. The more glory they receive from others effectively neutralizes any interest in seeking glory from the only true God.
Jesus further explains that He doesn’t need to accuse them of their sin, Moses already has done that. Even though they revere Moses, they have not listened to him. Jesus tells them that if they believed Moses they would have believed in Him, as Moses wrote about Him (see Genesis 3:15; 12:3; 22:8, 18; 26:4; 28:14; 49:10; Exodus 3:14; 12:3-6, 13, 21-27, 46; Numbers 9:12; 21:8-9; 24:16-17; Deuteronomy 18:15-19; 21:13). Jesus then points out a fundamental insight of truth, if they did not believe in the writings of Moses (the first five books of the Bible), how can they possibly now believe Jesus’ words?
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[1] Hughes, R. K. (1999). John: that you may believe (pp. 145–146). Crossway Books
[2] See Considerations under Matthew 20:29-34 regarding "Why Ask?"
[3] See Considerations under Matthew 12:1-8 regarding the Sabbath.
[4] See “The Problem of Sin” under “What is a Gospel” in the Introduction.
[5] Hindson, E., & Caner, E. (2008). The popular encyclopedia of apologetics: surveying the evidence for the truth of christianity. Harvest House Publishers.
[6] Strong’s Greek 2296.
[7] See Considerations under John 3:9-15 regarding "Truly, Truly."
[8] Strong’s Greek 18.
[9] Strong’s Greek 1391.
[10] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.