CHAPTER V. JESUS AT BETHESDA. Thus far in his history of Christ John has followed the chronological order closely, and there is little difficulty in assigning the approximate date of each event. While he aims to select those events that illustrate his great aim, and often to supply what the other w... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE WAS. FEAST OF THE JEWS. John did not think it important to indicate what feast this was and we cannot certainly tell. It is remarkable that John in this case alone of all his allusions to Jewish feasts should have failed to give its name. Dr. William Milligan, in the International Lesson Comme... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS AT JERUSALEM... A POOL. It has been held that this language proves that John wrote before Jerusalem was destroyed. It only proves that he knew of the existence of such. pool and as far as he knew it still existed. Even if the city was destroyed the pools would mostly survive, and many exis... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THESE LAY. GREAT MULTITUDE. All that follows "waiting" to the beginning of the 5th verse is wanting in the ancient manuscripts and is an interpolation. The efficacy of the pool might have been due to mineral elements, or even to effect on the imagination.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND. CERTAIN MAN WAS THERE, WHICH HAD AN INFIRMITY THIRTY AND EIGHT YEARS. In the porches around this pool. great number of afflicted persons were gathered on account of. belief that the waters had. miraculous virtue. The Scripture does not say (leaving out the interpolation) whether they had or no... [ Continue Reading ]
WILT THOU BE MADE WHOLE? On the Sabbath day, while Jesus was attending the feast, he walked out to the pool of Bethesda, and seeing this poor sufferer and knowing that he had long been there without relief, he asked him the above question. He certainly knew that the man would like to be healed, but... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE NO MAN, WHEN THE WATER IS TROUBLED, TO PUT ME INTO THE POOL. His attention was excited, but his only thought was of being healed by the pool. He explains that he has no man to put him into the pool, and his movements are so slow on account of his infirmity that some one else always anticipates... [ Continue Reading ]
RISE, TAKE UP THY BED, AND WALK. Then came the command to rise and walk. When the Lord commanded there was always prompt obedience. He spoke not as man, but as the Son of God. He healed not by some other power, as did prophets and apostles, but by his own. His commands are always imperative, whethe... [ Continue Reading ]
IMMEDIATELY THE MAN WAS MADE WHOLE. Nature always recognized Jesus at once as her King. There was no slow process of healing, but the cure was immediate. Lazarus came forth at once; the lame walked at his voice. This man at once heard the command, was whole, took up his bed and walked. The result s... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JEWS, THEREFORE, SAID UNTO HIM. "Therefore," points to the fact that he was carrying his bed on the Sabbath day. The term, "the Jews," does not refer to the people, but to the authorities. John always uses it to signify, not the multitude, but the rulers. The man was officially stopped and quest... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT MADE ME WHOLE SAID UNTO ME. The defence of the man is that he was ordered to do it. He knew not who had healed him. Christ had suddenly appeared, spoken the words of healing and then disappeared in the crowd. He had never seen the Lord before, and he was little known at Jerusalem, only havi... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT MAN IS IT THAT SAID UNTO THEE, TAKE UP THY BED, AND WALK? This question betrays the narrow bigotry of these officials. They do not ask, "Who healed thee?" but confine themselves to the charge of Sabbath breaking. They care nothing that the man is healed, and would far rather that he was lying... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR JESUS HAD CONVEYED HIMSELF AWAY. It is explained why the man did not know who healed him. As soon as Jesus spoke the words he disappeared in the multitude, none of whom probably knew him. In the later portion of his ministry crowds attended his footsteps and the whole land rang with his words a... [ Continue Reading ]
AFTERWARD JESUS FINDETH HIM IN THE TEMPLE. The man probably went there, moved with gratitude, to give thanks for the great mercy he had received. Still the temple was the great place of public resort in Jerusalem of all classes; great crowds gathered there, and he may only have wished to see and mi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MAN DEPARTED, AND TOLD THE JEWS THAT IT WAS JESUS. The second time he saw him he learned that it was Jesus. The authorities had demanded to know who it was that told him to "carry his bed;" in obedience to the demand when he had learned he told "who had made him whole." He had probably been cha... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JEWS PERSECUTE JESUS. The word is literally rendered "pursued Jesus." At once they hunted him and attacked him. They did not at first "seek to slay him." This is omitted by the Revision and does not appear in the old manuscripts. But the officials now come to Jesus to learn why he has done this... [ Continue Reading ]
MY FATHER WORKETH HITHERTO, AND. WORK. The answer of Jesus to his accusers goes to the very root of the matter. The basis on which the Sabbath rested was that God had ceased his creative labors on the seventh day. Jesus shows that God's rest was not idleness. His government, providence, and directi... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE HE NOT ONLY HAD BROKEN THE SABBATH. The Pharisees were horrified, not only at what they deemed the breaking of the Sabbath, but at the high ground on which the Lord placed his defence. They could not understand how the Sabbath could be kept without placing the soul under bondage to outward... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GLORY OF THE SON. 19. Then answered Jesus. To their charge that he was guilty of blasphemy in making himself equal with God. In his answer he abates nothing from the high claims he has just made, but he meets their thoughts and purposes by. justification. THE SON CAN DO NOTHING OF HIMSELF. H... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WILL SHOW HIM GREATER WORKS THAN THESE. The miracle of healing that has just occurred shall be followed by greater works which, on account of the love of the Father, the Son will be permitted to do.... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THE SON QUICKENETH WHOM HE WILL. The Father is the fountain of life, and can restore life to the dead. The Son possesses the same power and will show it forth.... [ Continue Reading ]
HATH COMMITTED ALL JUDGMENT TO THE SON. In the 20th, 21st and 22d verses are given three proofs of the exaltation of the Son, all introduced by "for." The Son is loved of the Father, shall quicken the dead, and shall judge the world.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT HONORETH NOT THE SON, HONORETH NOT THE FATHER. Because the Son speaks the words, does the works, and is the manifestation of the Father.... [ Continue Reading ]
HATH EVERLASTING LIFE. The conditions of eternal life are (1) knowledge of the revelation of the Son; (2). belief of it such as to cause its acceptance.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DEAD SHALL HEAR THE VOICE... AND LIVE. Primarily the reference is to those spiritually dead. They shall hear and the Son will give them eternal life. It was already true that these heard his words and were made alive. It shall also be true of those in the graves at the resurrection (verse 28).... [ Continue Reading ]
SON OF MAN. These verses affirm that God has not only given to the Son to have life in himself, or to be. fountain of life, but has also made him, the judge of mankind, BECAUSE HE IS THE SON OF MAN, a judge who can share the nature of those called to judgment.... [ Continue Reading ]
MARVEL NOT AT THIS. What marvel that the Son should give spiritual life to those dead in sins and sit as Judge, when even those in their graves shall come forth at his command? He who had power to rescue Lazarus from the grave, surely has the power to give life to the soul and to confer immortality... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SHALL COME FORTH. At the general resurrection all shall come forth from the tomb; those who have wrought good to life eternal; the evil doers to damnation. It is clear from this passage that there is. judgment beyond the grave.... [ Continue Reading ]
AS. HEAR,. JUDGE. The judgment of the Son is based on. perfect knowledge of the will of the Father. It is the Father's will that moves him, his own will being merged in the will of the Father.... [ Continue Reading ]
IF. BEAR WITNESS OF MYSELF. _I_ is the emphatic word and is equivalent to "I only." He' cites other witnesses that these Jews ought to heed.... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS ANOTHER THAT BEARETH WITNESS OF ME. I believe the reference is to the Father, referred to again in verse 37.. think that verse 34 shows that he does not mean John.... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SENT UNTO JOHN AND HE BARE WITNESS. See John 1:19. John had borne positive testimony and the Jews, in great part, believed him to be. prophet of God. Jesus did not receive human testimony, but referred them to John's witness that "they might be saved.... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE GREATER WITNESS. His works. Christ's life and deeds were. proof that the Jews could not answer. See John 3:2.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE FATHER HIMSELF... HATH BORNE WITNESS. God hath borne witness in the prophecies that were so wonderfully fulfilled in Christ, he also bore witness in the power he gave to Christ, and he bore witness by his voice at his baptism, and after this date, at the transfiguration, though these Jews h... [ Continue Reading ]
YE HAVE NOT HIS WORD ABIDING IN YOU. The proof of it was that they did not believe the one whom God had sent, though the word bore continual witness to him.... [ Continue Reading ]
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES. Or rather, "ye search the Scriptures" for eternal life. Yet those Scriptures were full of the testimony of Christ. Of him had all the prophets borne witness. He of whom the Scriptures spoke was the Life, yet they refused to come to him that they MIGHT HAVE LIFE (verse 40).... [ Continue Reading ]
MIGHT HAVE LIFE. They turned away from the life that was in their own Scriptures. The word _search_ implies painstaking, exhaustive examination.... [ Continue Reading ]
RECEIVE NOT HONOR FROM MEN. This seems to connect itself with. thought which he detected in their hearts that he had rebuked them from disappointment.... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOW YOU. He read their hearts. THE LOVE OF GOD. Love of God is always manifest in obedience to his will. The rejection of Christ, who came in the Father's name, was proof that they were without the love of God. They rejected the Christ of God, but would readily follow. human deceiver. This was v... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW CAN YE BELIEVE? They sought human glory and elevation, and hence could not be of the contrite and lowly spirit needful for belief.... [ Continue Reading ]
DO YOU THINK THAT. WILL ACCUSE YOU? Moses will be their accuser. They had failed to keep the spirit of the law, or to accept his testimony.... [ Continue Reading ]
HAD YE BELIEVED MOSES, YE WOULD HAVE BELIEVED ME. Moses recorded various prophecies that were fulfilled in Christ, and all the types, shadows and symbols pointed to him. Had they believed Moses they ought to have accepted Christ. The reader should note the reverence with which Christ always alludes... [ Continue Reading ]