Read today’s text in John 5. Jesus had gone to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the Jewish religious festivals, though the Bible does not tell us which festival. Our story takes place near the Sheep Gate at a pool called Bethesda. The Sheep Gate is an entrance in the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. Located in the northeastern wall, it got its name from ancient times when sheep and lambs were brought through it to be sacrificed at the Temple. The gate's location is closely tied to the Pool of Bethesda. It was believed at that time that occasionally, an angel would descend and stir the waters of the pool, and the first person touching the water after the angel had stirred it would be healed of their diseases. Many disabled people would lie near the pool hoping for the opportunity to be healed.
When Jesus went to the pool, there was a man there who had been disabled for 38 years. This man probably came to the pool regularly. It would have been a good place to beg for money and he probably was hoping for the opportunity to be healed. Jesus saw him and asked him whether he wanted to get well. The man replied that he didn’t have anyone who could help him into the pool when the water was stirred, so someone always got there before him.
Jesus did not waste time or energy discussing the stirring of the pool nor did He address the man’s complaints about not having someone to help him get into the pool. He simply assessed the man’s need and cured him. Jesus told the man to pick up his mat and walk. The man obeyed immediately and was healed. Jesus had taken compassion on the man, healed him, and then disappeared into the crowd.
It just so happened that this occurred on the Sabbath day and the Jewish Law forbid carrying a load on the Sabbath day (Jer 17:21). The Sabbath was a day of rest and no work was allowed to be accomplished on that day. The Jewish leaders who had witnessed Jesus healing this man interpreted carrying his mat as ‘carrying a load’ and judged this to be in violation of the Law. In defense, the man claimed that he was just doing what he was told to do. When asked who told him to do it, the man did not know, as Jesus had slipped away into the crowd. Clearly, Jesus had not healed the man for the notoriety it would bring him. It was simply a compassionate act.
Jesus found the man later at the Temple and told him to stop sinning or something worse may happen to him. Jesus has attended to the man’s physical health and put it in order, but now He addresses the man’s lifestyle. Here we see a warning to leave behind a destructive lifestyle which could lead to something bad occurring. We are not told what dangerous vice this man was into, but Jesus knew and made a point to find the man and speak to him about it. As a result of this, the man now knew who had healed him and he went and informed the Jewish leaders.
Review verses 16-18. Because this happened on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute Jesus. In His defense, Jesus told them that, because His Father is doing His work on the Sabbath, He is too. Now the leaders really wanted to kill Him. In their eyes, He had done something worthy of the death penalty. Jesus had claimed that if God could do His work on the Sabbath, He could too. He was exercising Divine Right to do God’s work on the Sabbath. And He had claimed God as His own Father. Why, Jesus was claiming equality with God. In the eyes of the Jewish leaders, this was blasphemy and Jesus deserved death.
Now let’s look at verses 19-27. Jesus told the religious leaders that the Son doesn’t do anything on His own. The Son does what He sees the Father doing (John 14:10). The Father loves the Son and shows Him what He is doing (John 3:35). And there will be even greater things than have already been seen. The Father can raise the dead to life and the Son also. In addition, the Father has given the task of all judgment to the Son. When we go before the judgment seat, it will be Christ before whom we stand. This is so that the Son will be honored as the Father is honored. Raising the dead to life and judging the dead are tasks which belong to the Father yet He has given them to the Son. Whoever does not honor the Son does NOT honor the Father (I John 2:23). In these verses, Jesus is claiming more than His Divine Right over the Sabbath. He is claiming authority over eternal life. He can do what God does because of who He is (John 10:30).
In verses 28-30 Jesus spoke of a time when the dead in the graves will hear His voice and will come out to be judged (Acts 17:31). They will then go into either eternal reward or eternal punishment (John 11:25-26). Jesus said that His judgment is just, seeking not to please Himself but to please the Father who sent Him (John 6:38, 8:28).
In the remaining verses of this chapter, Jesus then presents His own qualifications. Under Old Testament Law, a man could not be condemned on the basis of one witness. A claim needed to be corroborated. Jesus, who will judge mankind at their death, used these remaining verses to provide corroborating evidence of His qualifications as the Messiah. Jesus called out the following as corroborating testimony:
- John the Baptist – John 1:15
- The miracles and works which Jesus had done – Luke 5:17-26
- The Father in Heaven – Matt 3:17
- The Scriptures – Isa 9:6
- Moses -Deut 18:15
What do you make of this corroborating evidence Jesus presented? Do you believe that He is the Son of God?
Record 1 John 5:7 in your journal.
Responding to God: Praise God for His compassion and healing power. Worship Him for His righteousness and the fact that He is just yet merciful. Thank Him that Jesus alone will be our judge. Ask God to give you more compassion for the helpless. Seek to honor Him in all things.
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