Author: Nick Booth

John 5. 28-47

‘A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.’ ^{Deuteronomy 19.15}

In the record at the end of John 5 Jesus applies the principle in Mosaic law of accusations being supported by two or three witnesses. Jesus uses it again in Mathew 18.16 when teaching about how to settle disputes between his followers and Paul also does so in 2 Corinthians 13.1 when he warns them about his coming to settle disputes. ‘This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.’ The Jewish leaders accuse Jesus in the name of Moses and Jesus turns it back on them. ‘There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words.’ ^{John 5.45-47}

On the question of belief, a misunderstanding can occur when Jesus was claiming he has the authority to execute judgement on the final day as the dead are raised. ‘And he (the Father) has given him (Jesus) authority to execute judgement, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of Judgement.’ ^{John 5.27-29}

This passage in isolation can be read as salvation or justification by works, that is on balance one is saved if one generally lived a good life. However, previously in verse 24 Jesus said, ‘Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him. Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.’ The “good” then is belief in Jesus as the one sent by the Father and obedience to him. Evil is the rejection of Jesus.

Jesus turns the subject to who are the witnesses that testify that he is the “Son of God”. ^{John 5.25} He turns initially to the testimony of John the Baptist who at this point is still alive and greatly respected, even feared, as a contemporary prophet and hero of the masses, if not liked or welcomed in the circles of Jewish leadership. John had publicly endorsed Jesus as the Messiah. ^John3.22-36 (The famous, “He must increase, but I must decrease” speech.) We see something at this point that is easily overlooked, Jesus remains concerned for the salvation of his accusers even though they are plotting to take his life. The consistency of Jesus’ underserved love continues even as he is dying and prays for the forgiveness of the soldiers who are hammering nails through his flesh and bones. Jesus referred to John’s testimony because the Jewish leaders had been, ‘willing to rejoice for a while in his light.’ ^{John 5.35} For that reason then, they may have been willing to believe in him.

Jesus does not need the testimony of John or any other person. The works of the Father that he accomplishes are testimony in themselves. The miracles of mercy he has performed including the healing of the man at Bethesda and the royal official’s son along with many others were all works of the Father, done in the open for all to see. Jesus calls upon the word of God as a third witness. ‘The Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.’ ^{John 5.37,38} When Jesus spoke of the Father’s voice it is possible he was making reference to the words God the Father spoke at his baptism by John, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’ ^{Mathew 3.17} but he is certainly referring to the whole of the Old Testament scriptures through which the Jewish Leaders accepted that God had spoken. Jesus is making the claim that all scripture points to him.

What the Jewish leaders found difficult to understand and accept was that studying scripture was not intrinsically life giving but that it pointed to Jesus who is. ‘It is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.’ ^{John 5.40}

Finally, Jesus identifies the obstacle that prevents the Jewish leaders from recognising Jesus for who he is. It is their own pride. They want their own expertise as teachers of the law to bring them praise and credit whilst at the same time not realising that the law itself points to Jesus. ^{John 5. 45,46} Jesus spoke plainly when he said, ‘How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God.’ ^{John 5.44} Their pride had become their idol. As we read the bible do we ask the Spirit to reveal to us in what ways it reveals Jesus?What things do we place in our life before seeking the glory that comes from God?What is the evidence we are confident of, that Jesus is the Christ?

Who Is There Like You? – Paul Oakley

John 5.19-29

Mathew’s gospel records the Pharisees accusing Jesus of performing his miracles by the power of the devil. (Mathew 12.22-32) It was at the same time one of the most ridiculous accusations as well as one of the most heinous. A man had been brought to Jesus who was demon possessed, blind and unable to speak. Jesus heals him to the extent that he could both see and talk ^{Matt 12.22} which naturally caused amazement in all those who saw it and knew the man in question.  Jesus puts down the Pharisee’s accusation with the now famous statement, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.’ ^{Matt 12.25} Abraham Lincolns “House divided” speech (1858 on his acceptance of his nomination to the Senate when the nation was profoundly divided over slavery) did not prevent, drawing on this biblical principle, but it did provide the basis for unity following the civil war. In modern times we saw the echo of this in the Peace and Reconciliation process following the abandonment of apartheid in South Africa, led by Bishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.

In the passage in John’s gospel we have Jesus explaining that his authority comes from God the Father in obedience to him. In doing so he is also claiming equality with God the Father. Jesus is demonstrating the unity of the Godhead. Each has their role. How is this equal partnership worked out?

Jesus, the Son, does what he sees his Father doing demonstrating his divine insight. He limits his own actions to those of his Father’s will. ^{John 5.19} We see Jesus aligning himself to the will of the Father in all he does and in this way he reveals the invisible God to us. God the Father reciprocates by showing all he is doing to the Son. ^John5.20 The basis of this reciprocal relationship is equal love. The relationships within the Godhead are demonstrations of how our relationships with God himself, between members of his church and especially in marriage should be ones of unity and love.

Jesus obedience will lead on to the demonstration of greater works than the disciples and the general public including the Jewish leaders had yet seen.  This includes the raising of the dead that demonstrate that the Son is the life giver. ^{John 5.21} Later Jesus raises from the dead Jairus’ daughter, the son of a widow in Nain and his close friend Lazarus. These of course lived to die again but Jesus’ true divinity and proof he has authority over eternal life is shown by his own resurrection from the dead. The raising of the dead is achievable by God alone.

A second feature of divinity is the right to render final judgement. Here Jesus reveals that the Father has ‘given all judgement to the Son, that all may honour the Son, just as they honour the Father.’ ^{John 5.23} Jesus here is claiming the same honour as the Father meaning he is worthy of the same praise.

The third God defining feature is the authority to raise the dead on the final day and execute judgement. ^{John 5.27} He is able to do this because as God the Father has life within himself and so does the Son. ^{John 5,26} Jesus is able to grant eternal life to those who have believed in him. ^{John 5.24} ‘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. The NIV Study bible explains it in this way. “Hears, includes believing and obeying. ‘My word’ brings either eternal life and cleansing or judgement. Because the Son, in all he says and does, mediates the Father to us placing one’s faith in the Son is placing it in the Father.”

We see in this passage the closest unity between the Father and the Son. This unity is worked out throughout the gospel until it is tested without being broken, to the greatest degree in the Garden of Gethsemene.

Jesus showed the way the people treated him showed how they really treated God the Father. How do we treat Jesus?

Rend Collective – Church Online (Be warned it is a 20 minutes collection

John 5.9-18

We know John included the events around the healing of the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda as the third sign that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. It is not a sign simply because of its miraculous nature but also because of what Jesus said regarding his actions in the follow up to the healing. The day of the healing was the Jewish Sabbath and Jesus’ instruction to the man was to pick up his mat and walk, which he immediately did. ^{John 5.8} There is no record of the man objecting that he couldn’t possibly do that on a Sabbath. He was in receipt of grace and mercy. The pool though was a large crowded place and he was seen by Jewish leaders who challenged him. ‘It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.’ ^{John 5.10}

At this first point the first chasm of understanding is exposed. For the Jewish leaders salvation was dependent on keeping the law meticulously. Salvation in their mind was earned and if one was ‘good’ at keeping the law one was better than those who were not so good at it.  It took a great deal of effort and study to achieve so little. However, being so meticulous and interpreting the law so rigorously, fed their self-righteousness. It also, in their eyes, gave them the right to judge and condemn. Can you see how in adopting these attitudes they were attributing to themselves god like status about their own righteousness and right to both judge and condemn? In their apparent effort to be obedient they were in fact going down the line of idolatry, for only God who is truly righteous is both the one who judges and has the right to condemn.

The man replies that he has no idea who healed him. This seems to be the most extraordinary lack of curiosity and thankfulness. Jesus had just completely changed his life beyond anything he could have realistically thought and he didn’t even ask Jesus’ name. At this point the object of the Jewish leader’s wrath moves from the healed man to the healer who had instructed him to carry his mat. But this was just the start of an escalating situation. When Jesus later saw the man again he stopped and spoke to him, ‘See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’ ^John5.14 For some reason the man thought it would be a good idea to promptly find the same Jewish leaders and tell them it was Jesus who healed him. The motivation for this is interesting, he was clearly aware that the Jewish leaders were hostile to Jesus for his act of mercy on a Sabbath day but was more interested in keeping in with them than protecting the very person who had healed him. This raises for ourselves the need for self-awareness of our own motivations for the things we do and say.

Our own receipt of God’s mercy can be thrown back in his face whilst at the same time as we continue to benefit from the mercy of God. If we connect that with the warning Jesus gave the healed man, to ‘stop sinning’ ^{John 5.14} it raises the question of how many times we throw Jesus mercy towards us in his face by our own persistence in carrying on sinning. How seriously do we take our continued sin? Jesus’ warning to the man that, ‘something worse may happen to you’ was not a reference to another malady brought on by his sin either administered by God or otherwise but a warning of God’s judgement.

The response to Jesus, who is the one who is genuinely righteous and has the right to judge and condemn, was to set about persecuting him. When the word persecute is used in this context it does not mean say hateful things or make life difficult. It is absolutely clear it means plot to kill Jesus. ^John5.18 In addition to Jesus acting mercifully on the Sabbath was added the charge that he was making himself equal to God.

A second chasm opened at this point was over the identity of Jesus. In response to the Jewish leader’s accusations Jesus spoke directly to them. It confronted their understanding of the Sabbath, a fundamental pillar of their religiosity, and Jesus’ relationship with God the Father. Jesus’ statement that God the Father works on the Sabbath bringing grace, mercy and salvation to people conflicted with their own beliefs about the Sabbath. God, Jesus was saying, does not become detached from the world and people’s need on the Sabbath, he continues to be a merciful and loving God active in people’s lives.

Additionally, no Jew would term God their Father as Jesus did. Jesus by saying God was his Father and he was about his Father’s work was making a statement that Jesus was equal to the Father. He was indeed God incarnate. Jesus was saying he is the Lord of the Sabbath and his healing of the man was evidence that both he and God the Father were at work. He had the right to heal on the Sabbath and to tell the man to carry his mat because he was Lord of the Sabbath.

A divide had arisen, “between God’s Son and God’s historic people who want to kill him”. (John’s Gospel: Read, Mark, Learn. Marshall Pickering.)

Are we comfortable with our own sin?

Is there a danger of succumbing to the idolatry of legalism?

Have we taken in the significance of Jesus’ equality with the Father when we reflect on his words?

Lord Reign in me – Brenton Brown

John 5.1-14

The pool was crowded that day but not with swimmers or children larking about. Instead it was packed with resigned despairing adults waiting for a false hope. The pool itself was impressive, stone built with five colonnades. Steps surrounded the pool leading into the water. Jesus was walking there, picking his way between sat and lying bodies. He had returned to Jerusalem for a festival and made his way to the pool called Bethsaida near the city Sheep Gate. As he looked around he could see a multitude of suffering; the blind, those who could not walk disfigured by illness or accident, a few paralyzed and entirely dependent on others to carry them each day to the pool, all waiting for the water in the pool to be disturbed. This was not a pool for swimming or play but the story went if the water rippled then the first person into the water would be healed. Each time it happened there was a mad scramble as the disabled on their own or aided by friends sought to be the first. This architecturally beautiful pool had become a pool of human tragedy. While people waited there were those begging as their sole source of income.

In the middle of this scene Jesus became aware of one particular man and his story. He had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, longer than many lived in those days. We do not know his name and in a sense his anonymity adds poignancy to the account. Jesus stopped, looked at him and when he spoke he said, ‘Do you want to get well?’ The answer might seem obvious but the man evidently knew nothing of Jesus. Instead of affirming his desire for healing his reply was a resigned complaint. There was not an element of hope within it. “Sir,” the invalid replied. “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Jesus then told him to, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Surprised he undoubtedly was but he did as he was told.

That question, ‘Do you want to get well?’ has a much wider significance and application than for this one man and event. There were potential costs and implications for his identity arising from being healed after thirty-eight years. How were family and friends going to respond? Was he going to accused of being a fraud all these years? How was he going to make money and live now? What was going to happen to his state of mind? His life was about to change radically, had he become content with his disability and accepted it as his lot in life with the hope of healing just being an excuse to beg?

We have no idea about what eventually happened to this anonymous man, it would appear that despite being the recipient of the third sign of Jesus being the Messiah in John’s gospel, he did not become a follower of Jesus.

The question, do you want to change, is a bottom line question when it comes to discipleship and being a Christian. It may be that you know you need to change but actually you like what you know is wrong or undesirable and you are too attached to it to change. The cost may be too much and you are unwilling to pay.

Jesus repeatedly made it very clear there is a real cost to following him. Discipleship is not a call to easy street. Amongst other things it costs changes in behaviour and for that to happen you need to want it. On one occasion Jesus explained to his disciples that the cost they bear is one he shares with them.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” ^{John 15.18-25} 

What do want in life?

Has Jesus challenged you and are you prepared for the consequences?

Whatever your answer this is God the Father’s promise – ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ ^{John 3.16}

Look Up Child – Lauren Diagle

John 4.43-54

How would we describe a superficial faith in Jesus today? It may be that Jesus is recognised as an important historical figure whose teachings have had a positive impact on our society and even influenced how one lives individually. It could be that one wants to include Christian landmarks in our lives such baptising a child, getting married in church and a church or Christian led funeral. For some it may be that Christian theology is of interest even fascination in a purely intellectual way. Other’s might really like visiting Christian architecture on holiday or love classic Christian art and music. They may pray occasionally usually at a particular point of need. At no point though would a person with superficial faith or interest say that Jesus was at the centre of their lives in a continual way. This is at least in part because they are not convinced about the identity of Jesus.

Above all John’s gospel is written so that people will understand who Jesus is, ‘Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.’ ^{John 20.30,31} John’s gospel above all is an evangelistic gospel, written first to Jews spread out across the world so that they would know who Jesus is and have life in him. He recorded Jesus’ healing of the son of the royal official as the second sign ^{John 4.54} of who Jesus is (note present tense) so that they could enjoy the same life as the official and his whole household.

He records an interesting contrast between the Samaritans who believed and the Galilean welcome. The Samaritans believed, ‘because of his word’ ^{John 4.41} they had been convinced by his teaching and his prophetic insight and recognised him as the promised Messiah. The Galileans were fascinated by his miracles which they had witnessed in Jerusalem but had not made the connection as to his identity as the promised Messiah, the Son of God. They were sensation seekers.

Jesus was now in Cana the place of his first sign, as to who he was, at a wedding. He was approached by a royal official from Capernaum, some 16 miles away. He was part of Herod Antipas’ court and almost certainly a Gentile. He was a man in great distress because he believed his son was about to die of an unspecified disease. He was desperate that Jesus came immediately to his home to heal his son. ^{John 4.47} Jesus first response was not to the official but directed to Galileans around him, saying that faith for them relied on signs and wonders ^{John 4.48} the implication being, how many more do you need to see? Jesus was not being careless of the official’s distress however he was always conscious and focused on his mission of revelation and salvation.

Up to this point the official was a superficial believer, he believed and wanted to believe that Jesus was in some way a healer because he had heard of him healing many. He thought that for Jesus to heal he would have to be in the presence of his son. Then Jesus spoke, ‘Go, your son will live.’ ^{John 4.50} There was something about the authority of Jesus coming from his divinity that the official grasped. He believed the words of Jesus and went on his way. On his return his belief was confirmed by the news that his son recovered at the exact time Jesus spoke. ^{John 4.53} What an awesome moment. It was then that he completed his move from superficial faith to deep faith and not only him but his whole household, probably including servants as well as family members.

Deep faith occurs when the words of Jesus strike deep into our hearts and our lives change.

What will it take to believe?

Has deep faith in Jesus, recognising him as the Son of God, occurred in our lives?

How do people now hear the words of Jesus?

I See the Lord (Live) – Ron Kenoly