Charles Box Commentaries
John 5 - Introduction
The Healing Of The Lame Man John Five
The healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda was a wonderful miracle. "Bethesda" is a real and exact location in Jerusalem. Sadly, as a result, of the miracle the Jews rejected Jesus and tried to kill Him. They could not deny that a great miracle had been performed. They were angry because Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath Day and that He made himself equal with God. Jesus said, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." Jesus healed a man who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years. He told the man to take up his bed and walk. During the turmoil Jesus just slipped away into the crowd. In healing the lame man Jesus told the people that He was only doing what God told Him to do. Later Jesus found the man in the Temple and told him, "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." Jesus desired that this man and we also have a proper understanding of punishment for sins. God made His Son the judge of everyone. (John 5:22) There is a coming time when those who have done evil will be raised from the dead and be condemned. (John 5:28-29)
The message that Jesus gave to the Jew was that He worked and did things like the Father would do. He taught them that the Father was working through Him. Jesus wanted it understood that those who hear Him will live forever. "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." (John 5:25) Jesus explained that John was one who bore witness of Him that He is the Messiah. He said, "He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." (John 5:35) Jesus now tells them that He has an even greater witness than John. "The Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me." (John 5:37) The Jews wanted to kill Him for claiming to be the Messiah.