Last time we saw a guy lying by a pool. Pool guy (PG). 38 years, he’d been sick, waiting who-knows-how-long to be healed by the waters of this pool. The Bethesda pool. House of Chesed. House of Grace. Famous. Five [stoas] full of hurting people, waiting, hoping for healing. But it’s first-come first-served gets healed, and PG had never made it. No one to help him, either. Until Jesus showed up. Jesus healed him, with just one word - BUT He dared to do it on a Sabbath, on Shabbat, and the Jewish leaders are livid, cuz PG is carrying his mat on Shabbat (which Jesus told him to do). And these Jews are looking for whoever had the audacity to tell PG to do that. Of course it was Jesus. PG learns His name and tells the Jews, and they go ballistic [16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on Shabbat.]. And again, for the Jews, it was [Law/Shabbat above all]… No work at all on Shabbat. You told a guy to break one of our Shabbat rules! No WORKING on Shabbat! No mat-carrying. And NO healing either! [Lk 13.14] Totally devoid of compassion, blind (rules > people), oblivious to what God is doing in the world…
[17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”] Yes, God created the world in 6 days and rested from that work of creation on the 7th day. And yes, He set an example and a standard for people to set aside time when they cease from their own labors and focus on Him. BUT since the beginning of creation it’s also true that God continues to maintain - AND REDEEM - all of creation, 24/7. I.e. He is working, continues to work. Which is a valid point - but Jesus ups the ante. [My Father] (a title He uses 26x in John) is working, and that’s what I’m doing. THE Father is My Father, and I have the authority to do what He does. I.e., not only is Shabbat NOT above all, but in the same way that God the Father transcends and supersedes all these Shabbat rules - so do I. What’s He saying here?
[18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.] Jesus does this deliberately. The Jews are now actually looking to kill Him. They’re enraged! Cuz - according to them - He has just [blasphemed]. Makes Himself EQUAL with God. Which - if He were just a mere man, that charge would be accurate. But already, John has shown us that Jesus is no mere man. Not simply claiming to be something He isn’t. He’s been backing it up. Jesus has already shown us divine attributes of [omniscience] (He knows thoughts/secrets of every heart). [Omnipotence] (He does the impossible, heals with mere words, creates matter out of non-matter). And [omnipresence] (He knows/sees all, and works miracles without needing to be there). Just wait until He rises from the dead…! But going forward, the Jews are out to kill Him.
[19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.] The Jewish leaders reject Jesus’ claim of equality with God, so He gives them His 4th truly truly. Truth truth: I (only) do what I see the/My Father doing [Son-Father, Father-Son]. If you have a problem with Me (Jesus), you have a problem w the Father.
[20 “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. 21 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.] Father-Son, Father-Son. And you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Greater works. Marvelous. And you will marvel: raising the dead back to life, Power over death.
[22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.] Still Father-Son, Son-Father - again mentioned in the same breath. The questions of life & death & judgment & eternity - all those the Father has given to Jesus. It all runs thru Jesus. All judgment. All honor. In fact, there is no way to honor God at all without honoring Jesus.
Double truly truly: [24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.] It all comes down to, do you and I believe what Jesus is saying, that He is THE God•send?
[25-29 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an 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 just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who practiced the foul deeds to a resurrection of judgment.] The [Power over death] - this is unparalleled power. Authority of judgment - it is all given to Jesus. The Son of Man. God the Son Who is fully man. AND He has Life IN Himself. He not only IS alive, He has life IN HIMSELF. He IS LIFE. [In Him is Life] All life - including and especially eternal life - is contingent upon Jesus. And the Son gives life to those who “do the good work” of believing in Him. To whoever He wishes [21][which is the Greek word, thelō]. The Lord WANTS to give eternal life - but this is only for those who HEAR Jesus’ Word and believe Him. Those who don’t seek what they want but seek what God wants. And if you have not yet believed in Jesus, you may think you are alive - but you don’t know you are dead. You are spiritually dead - and you need to hear the voice of the Son, so that you will finally and fully LIVE. You need to listen to His voice and believe…
[30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.] Theléma - the noun form of theló. The want of the God•send-er. What do You want, Lord? That is the question...
[31-39] Believe the witnesses: 1) John (TW), 2) the works I do, 3) the Father, and 4) the Scriptures. And they all Point.To.Me. Life is in Me.
[40 and you are not wanting to come to Me so that you may have life.] I so want to give you eternal life, and I have FOUR witnesses testifying that what I’m telling you is true - but you are UNwanting. Theléma. You DON’T WANT to come to me. And why is that? Two reasons:
[42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.] 1) You do not have the love of God. Let God love you, show you His love. Receive His love…[The story of the Bible, of heaven - all this is one grand love story]-[He made paradise for us to live in and enjoy, to enjoy Him!] And He has gone to indescribable lengths to bring us back into relationship w Him... [3.16/Rom 5.8][the cross]. So first, you do not have His love in 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 you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?] And 2) You receive/care about what people say/think. You care much less about what God thinks.
[45-47 “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 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?”] There is actually a 5th witness! And you DO hope in him - but he points to Me [Dt 18]. I am THE Prophet. But you don’t believe what he said about Me, you don’t believe Me.
They refuse. So blind, and angry. And Jesus just pours fuel on the fire. MOSES accuses you. You do not seek glory from God. You do not have His love in you. You don’t care about what He wants. How they hate Jesus now. How the world hates Him (still). Jesus calls every person to face our sin. Selfishness. Selfrighteousness. Hypocrisy. Hard hearts of unbelief. If only we’d believe… Believe the witnesses. Believe JTW. Believe the Father. Believe the works. Believe the Scriptures. Believe Moses. And don’t forget Pool Guy - you could believe him (6th witness!). Or you could simply believe Me…
Referenced verses
Luke 13:14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
Deut. 18:15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to Him. 18 (The LORD said to me,) ’I will raise up a Prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 ‘It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which He shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.’”
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