John 5
John 5:1 After
this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to
The Bible is always
correct when it mentions elevations. For example, our text says Jesus went up
to
Daniel 9:27 Then he
shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering…
In the last week of
Daniel’s prophecy, Jesus began His ministry, and each day represents one year.
In the middle of that week is when Jesus died on the cross and took away animal
sacrifices. Based on Daniel’s prophecy, this was the Passover Jesus was
attending since it is necessary to establish His 3 ½ year ministry. Daniel’s prophecy
shows how important the Old Testament is for the Christian today because it
allows us to have a deeper understanding of the New Testament.
John 5:2 Now
there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in
Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3
In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting
for the moving of the water. 4
For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the
water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made
well of whatever disease he had.
Some believe the sheep
gate is where they kept the sheep to be slaughtered in the temple. The pool
near there was called
A great number of people
who were suffering from various illnesses gathered at this place hoping they
may be healed by the water. Scholars are divided on whether there is enough
evidence from the early Greek manuscripts to include verse 4, which is why some
translations leave it out. No matter what view a person takes on verse 4, it explains
why these people were gathering around this pool.
The real question is, did
this pool have a supernatural ability to heal or is this simply a statement of
what the people thought the pool did? I believe it was not a supernatural
experience because of several reasons:
1. It does not make sense
that God would have an angel stir up a body of water and then only allow the first
person that reaches the water to be healed.
2. It is possible that a
natural spring fed this pool, which would cause the water to bubble up or move
around from time to time, which could easily be confused with an angel stirring
the water.
3. Soon Jesus is going to
heal this man with His word, which proves the true source of healing comes from
Jesus.
4. It is possible this
pool of water had a lot of minerals in it, which are known to make people feel
better. This phenomenon would add credence to its healing ability.
Some believe this was a
supernatural event mainly because these sick people were gathering around this
pool. The only early writer I could find that had anything to say about this
event was Tertullian who wrote around A.D. 197
The
Law and the Prophets were until John,” and the fish pool of
An
angel, by his intervention, used to stir the pool at
So, Tertullian thought
this was a supernatural event that ceased after the coming of Christ.
John 5:5 Now a
certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there,
and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said
to him, "Do you want to be made well?" 7 The sick man answered Him,
"Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up;
but while I am coming, another steps down before me."
This man had his sickness
for 38 years. We are not told the extent of his illness, but apparently he was
crippled and could not walk. After 38 years, we can only imagine how much this
man would love to be healed. Jesus saw this poor man lying on his bed and He
knew he had been sick for a long a time and desired to be healed. Jesus knows
everything about our lives as well. Jesus had compassion for this man and asked
him, “Do you want to be made well?” This might seem like a strange question to
ask someone who has suffered so long, but Jesus wants him to express his desire
to be healed.
When this man answered
Jesus, he expressed his desire to be healed. However, he did not think it would
ever happen because his condition made it impossible for him to get into the
water first, and he did not have anyone to help him. If this man had known who
he was talking to, he would not worry about the pool anymore.
John 5:8 Jesus
said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." 9 And immediately the man was
made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.
Without hesitation Jesus says,
“Rise, take up your bed and walk.” Imagine how this man must have felt when
Jesus spoke these simple words and immediately his illness that plagued him for
38 years was gone, and now he is able to walk and carry the bed he was restricted
to?
When we look at the
miracles of Jesus, we will notice how they differ from the modern day miracle
workers. Jesus miracles were instantaneous and there was no doubt that a
miracle was done. The supposed miracles that are done today are not verifiable,
and they never seem to be able to catch them on video. I searched diligently
for several months trying to find a miracle on video that could not be denied
such as a withered hand becoming whole, but one does not exist. The supposed
miracles that are done today have already happened by the time they get on the
stage and it is always something internal. There was one woman who was legally
blind who got caught up in the hype of one of Benny Hinn’s crusades. They
brought her up on stage where the bright spotlights were shinning in her face
and she was asked if she could see anything. She said she could see, but all
she saw was some of that bright light which she could already see, so they
deemed it a miracle. When the healing service was over, the woman had to be led
out because she still could not see.
I was watching one of Benny
Hinn’s crusades on TV when a desperate mother brought her severely crippled
daughter up to the steps and she begged him to heal her. It was obvious this
young girl was crippled. This would have been the perfect opportunity for him
to prove that miracles are alive and well today. For the longest time, he
ignored the crippled girl, but finally he made way to her. He laid his hands on
her and did his usually routine and nothing happened. Then he told the mother
she would be healed within a few days. Do you see the difference? If Jesus or
one of His apostles had been there, this young lady would have been healed
instantly. She would have stood up and walked in front of everyone proving that
miracles are alive and well today, but that did not happen because miracles
ceased some time around the first century (1 Cor. 13:8-13).
John 5:10 The
Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not
lawful for you to carry your bed."
11 He answered them, "He who made me well said to me,
'Take up your bed and walk.' " 12
Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed
and walk'?" 13 But the
one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a
multitude being in that place.
Many Jews had taken the Sabbath Law beyond
what it was supposed to be, and they added all kinds of restrictions based on
their own traditions and opinions. They noticed this man carrying his bed and
they immediately point out that he should not be carrying it because it would
be considered as carrying a burden (Jer. 17:19-27). However, when we examine
this text and consider Nehemiah 13:15, we learn that a person was not supposed
to be carrying things around that he was going to use for trade or for his
business. So to carry something out of necessity or do something good on the
Sabbath was allowed (Lk. 13:14-15), which means this man was not violating the
Sabbath Law.
Instead of being
surprised by this man being healed, all they could think about was who told
this man to “Take up your bed and walk.” This man did not know who it was.
Notice that this miracle did not require faith in Jesus ability to heal. This
is another proof text that goes against the modern day miracle worker who says
that one must believe to be healed. Many times when these alleged miracle
workers fail to heal someone, they will say that person did not have enough
faith.
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and
said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse
thing come upon you."
For 38 years this man was
not allowed into the temple because of his illness, so it should not surprise
us that Jesus found him in the temple. When Jesus finds him, He gives him some
good advice, “Sin no more,” which implies that his illness was caused from sin.
While this is not always the case, we have many instances in the Bible where
sin caused the illness, and sin can cause illness today because of its consequences.
For instance, if a person commits the sin of fornication, he can end up with
aids or some other sexually transmitted disease. If a person continues to abuse
his body with alcohol or other harmful substances, his body will be damaged,
which can lead to all kinds of internal illnesses.
John 5:15 The man
departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews
persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on
the Sabbath.
When this man found out
Jesus was the one who healed him, he told the Jews who He was. We are not told
why he did this, but some have suggested he did it so he would not be held
accountable for breaking the Sabbath in the eyes of these Jews. Once they knew who it was that healed him,
they tracked Him down and wanted to kill Him because they felt like He had
broken the Sabbath Law. However, this was their interpretation of the law
because Jesus did not violate the Sabbath.
John 5:17 But
Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have
been working." 18
Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke
the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with
God.
Jesus argued that His
Father has been working all the time including the Sabbath. Just as the Father
continues to work and do good; Jesus is also working and doing good even on the
Sabbath. Since He worked a miracle on that day, it should have proven to these
Jews that He was the Son of God and what He did was acceptable to God. Instead,
Jesus’ statement makes the Jews furious because in their eyes Jesus has broken
the Sabbath and has made Himself equal to God. This is another instance where
Jesus makes the claim that He is the Son of God, and He will make this
statement even clearer later. Of course there are other verses that teach us
that Jesus is the Son of God as well (Jn. 1:1-4; 10:30-33; Phil. 2:5-6). The
remainder of this chapter contains Jesus’ testimony of who He is.
John 5:19 Then
Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son
can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He
does, the Son also does in like manner.
Jesus tells these Jews that
He could not have healed this man on the Sabbath unless God allowed it to
happen. He is also teaching us about His close relationship with the Father
because He is able to observe the supernatural abilities of the Farther and has
an open line of communication with Him. Healing this man was what the Father
wanted to happen. So, if they are going
to accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath, they are going to have to accuse the
Father as well.
John 5:20
"For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself
does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 "For as the Father raises
the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He
will.
Jesus stresses His
relationship with the Father. The Father loves Him, and Jesus has full access
to the works of the Father. No other prophets or apostles had such insight
because they only received their information in part, but Jesus could see all
and know all that was being done by the Father, which proves His Deity and that
He is the Son of God. He then tells these Jews that this miracle is only the
beginning because greater works than these will be done in the future such as
raising Lazarus and the widow’s son from the dead.
John 5:22
"For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 "that all should honor the
Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor
the Father who sent Him.
The Father has put Jesus
in the position of being the judge of humankind. This fact is seen in several
passages (Mt. 25:31-34; Acts 10:42; 17:30-31; Rom. 2:16; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Tim.
4:1, 8). The Father made Jesus our judge so that everyone would honor and
respect Him just as they honor and respect the Father. If we disrespect the Son
then we disrespect the Father, which is why Jesus could say that we only have
access to the Father through Him (Jn. 14:6). Since Jesus is representing the
Father, all will learn to respect Him; if not in this life, they will at the
judgment day (Phil. 2:9-11).
John 5:24 "
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent
Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from
death into life.
Jesus is not saying that
all a person has to do is hear and believe to have everlasting life. James
makes this clear in James 1:21-25. Hearing the words of Jesus requires us to be
doers of His word. Jesus teaches us that believing in God the Father is not
enough to have eternal life because we must also hear and accept the words of
Jesus, which means everyone that only believes in the Father will be lost. However,
those who are willing to obey Jesus’ words and believe in the Father will not face
the judgment of hell. When we become Christians and remain faithful, there is
no condemnation (
John 5:25
"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the
dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 "For as the Father has
life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 "and has given Him
authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of
“The hour is coming” is referring to the
resurrection at the last day and the phrase “And now is” puts this teaching
into a spiritual light. So, the dead spoken of here could include those
physically or spiritually dead, but I believe it is specifically referring to
those that are spiritual dead. In either case, both will hear the voice of the
Son of God. Those who are spiritual dead have to hear the words of Jesus and
accept them before they can become spiritually alive, and those who are
physically dead will also hear the voice of God at the judgment day as we will
see in verses 28-29.
Just as the Father posses
the power of eternal life, Jesus has been given this power as well, which is
why He is able to offer eternal life to all who are dead in their sins. Another
reason Jesus was given the authority to judge humankind is because He knows how
to judge us fairly because He experienced what it means to be a human (Heb.
2:9-18; 4:14-16).
John 5:28
"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the
graves will hear His voice 29
"and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
Jesus is speaking of the general
resurrection that will happen on the judgment day. This time He does not use
the phrase “And now is,” but simply says, “The hour is coming.” When Jesus
comes again, all those in their graves both the righteous and unrighteous will
be raised. The righteous will be raised to have eternal life in heaven, and the
unrighteous will be raised to face eternal life in hell.
These two verses teach
against the false doctrine of the rapture. Those who teach the rapture doctrine
say there will be three resurrections. The first will be a secret coming of
Jesus. The second will happen after the seven years of tribulation, and the
third will happen after the 1,000-year reign, which is when the unjust are
raised. However, Jesus says there is just one resurrection, and there is no
room in these verses to squeeze in seven years of tribulation or a 1000-year
reign on earth. These two verses are enough to show there will be a general
resurrection of both the just and unjust that will happen on the same day. Now let’s
dig a little deeper and notice what the rest of the Bible has to say about this
topic.
First, I want to point
out that word resurrection means, “To come back to life after having once died
- 'to come back to life, to live again, to be resurrected, resurrection …”(Louw-Nida
Lexicon). So, the word resurrection
shows that Jesus has the body of a person in mind. When we die, our spirit
leaves our physical body (Jas. 2:26; 1 Kgs 17:21-22) and it goes to the Haden
realm (Lk. 16:19-31), which is the waiting place until the Day of Judgment. We
will either be in Abraham’s bosom or in the place of torment. Jesus teaches
that while we are in the Hadean realm we are conscious, and we can feel comfort
and pain. However, we cannot return to the earth or cross the great gulf
between paradise and the place of torment. When our spirit leaves our body, our
body is laid to rest. Just as our body was laid down, it will be raised again
just like Jesus was raised from the dead. So, our resurrection will be a bodily
one for both the righteous and unrighteous.
Daniel 12:2 And many
of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting
life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness
of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars
forever and ever.
This message is saying
the same thing that Jesus did. Those who are in their graves will awake or be
resurrected to everlasting life or to everlasting contempt. When the Bible refers
to those who sleep in the dust, it is referring to their lifeless body and not
to the spirit. As I have already shown with Lazarus, our spirit is awake. Further
proof that we do not soul sleep can be found in Revelation 6:9-11. These souls
are speaking, showing curiosity and concern, and they were able to understand
what was said to them.
Paul also teaches the
same message in his defense before Felix.
Acts 24:14
"But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a
sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are
written in the Law and in the Prophets. 15
"I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be
a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
The resurrection will
happen at the Day of Judgment, when both the just and unjust will be raised
from the dead. But, what happens on that day? In what way will the resurrection
occur? The Bible gives us more details on what will happen to the righteous
than the unrighteous, but as we will see, both of them will be called from the
Hadean realm and they will be reunited with their bodies. However, their bodies
will be transformed into spiritual bodies that will last for eternity just as
it happened with Jesus.
Revelation 20:12 And I
saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And
another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were
judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the
books. 13 The sea gave up the
dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in
them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
At the judgment day
death, which refers to those physical bodies that have perished, and Hades,
which refers to those souls such as Lazarus and the rich man, will be raised
together. To show this idea further, we need to examine the thoughts of 1 Cor.
15, which focuses on the resurrection of the righteous. Paul teaches if there
is not a resurrection of the dead, then Christ was not raised from the dead. If
this is true, we have no hope and everything that Christ did was a lie (1 Cor.
15:12-19). Verses 20 – 28 confirms that Christ was raised from the dead and He is
the firstfruits, which means we will be raised from the dead at the Day of
Judgment just as He was. When that day comes, Christ will destroy death, and He
will hand the kingdom over to God, which refers to the church. Verses 35 – 49 teaches
that our physical body will be changed into a spiritual body that have no
corruption, and we will be like Jesus (Phil. 3:20-21). We do not know what that
body will look like because not even the apostle John knew (1 Jn 3:2). However,
we do know this resurrection will happen when Jesus comes again (1 Thes.
4:13-18). The faithful Christians who have already passed from this life will
be raised first, and they will come back with Jesus. Then the faithful
Christians who are still alive will be transformed, given an incorruptible
body, and meet Jesus in the air (1 Cor. 15:50-58).
Some might wonder how God
could take our physical body that has been turned to dust and transform it into
a new spiritual body that will be united with our spirit. To the Christian,
this concept should not be a problem considering that God created us from dust
and had the power to create the entire universe. Nothing is impossible for God.
We are not given all the
details, but we know the unjust will also be raised, and the unjust still
living on the earth will also be given a new body. On that day the just and
unjust will be separated and judged (Mt. 25:31- 46), which is also illustrated
in Jesus’ parables (Mt. 13:24-30, 36- 43; 47-48). Those who are just will enter
heaven where there will be no more pain, death, or sorrow (Rev. 21:4). But the
unjust will enter hell for eternity where the worm does not die (Mk. 9:42-48),
there is no rest day or night from the torment (Rev. 14:9-11; 20:10), and where
there will weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt. 8:12; 13:42; 25:30). This is why
Jesus warns us in:
Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell.
The only power people
have over us is the ability to kill our physical bodies because they cannot
touch our soul. However, God has control over the destination of our soul,
which means we should fear Him instead of people. When it says that God is able
to destroy the soul and body in hell, the word “destroy” does not mean that He
is going to make us cease to exist. Instead, it caries the idea of laying to
waste or ruin. Strong’s says, “…To devote or give over to eternal misery in
hell.” In other words, a person will not cease to exist if he faces the
judgment of hell. Instead, that person will be in constant torment and anguish,
and we can only imagine how horrible hell will be. We could explore more Scriptures
that talk about what will happen on the judgment day, but these are enough to
show there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust at the Day of
Judgment, and the just will go to heaven while the unjust will go to hell. To
help illustrate this visually, noticed the chart below:
John 5:30 "I
can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous,
because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. 31 " If I bear witness of
Myself, My witness is not true. 32
"There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness
which He witnesses of Me is true. 33
"You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 "Yet I do not receive
testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
Once again, Jesus is
teaching that everything He does is by the will of the Father. So when He
judges, it is always a righteous judgment because it comes from the Father. We need
to keep in mind that Jesus could know what other people were thinking. This
ability made it possible for Him to know exactly what issues to deal with those
He met without them having to say a word. These Jews had already accused Jesus
of making Himself equal to God, and He seems to know they were thinking His
testimony alone was not enough to prove He is the Son of God. So in verse 31,
Jesus tells them His testimony alone is not enough, but He does have a witness,
His Father in Heaven. Both the Old and New Testament teach us about using
multiple witnesses (Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Mt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19).
Some get confused and
think Jesus was talking about John the Baptist because in verse 33 Jesus starts
talking about Him. However, in verse 32 Jesus says the one that bears witness
of Him is continually bearing witness of Him because the word “witness” is in
the present tense, which denotes a continuous action. But in verse 33, when
Jesus says that John bore witness of Him, the word “witness” is in the perfect
tense, which means his witness of Jesus was completed in the past. Jesus shows
He did not have John in mind in verse 31 because He says in verse 34, “Yet I do
not receive testimony from man, but
I say these things that you may be saved.” While John’s message was from God,
He did not need a human to be His witness since He has God the Father as His
witness.
These Jews that wanted to put Jesus to death had
heard the testimony of John the Baptist (Jn. 1:19), and he testified that Jesus
was the Christ, the Son of God, the Bridegroom, and the Lamb of God that
takes away the sins of the world (Jn. 1:19-35; 3:23-36). John also said, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life;
and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abides on him” (Jn. 3:36). This is why Jesus is reminding these Jews about
John’s message so they might take it to heart and be saved.
John 5:35 "He was the burning and
shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 "But I have a greater
witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish --
the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 "And the Father Himself,
who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time,
nor seen His form.
Verse 35 suggests that
these Jews standing before Jesus had accepted John’s testimony, and they
rejoiced in his news. However, when they found out that he proclaimed Jesus as
being this coming Messiah, they stopped believed. So far, we have seen three
witnesses that Jesus is the Son of God: Jesus Himself, the Father, and John the
Baptist. A fourth witness was the works that Jesus was doing by the will of the
Father. For instance, when He made the lame man walk on the Sabbath, it should
have been sufficient to show that He is the Son of God.
Verse 37 teaches that the
Father has testified of Jesus. He did this verbally on several occasions (Mk.
1:11; 9:7; Jn. 12:28-30). So, what does in mean when Jesus tells them, “You
have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.” We
have already examined how God has not been seen as He is in chapter 1, but how
can Jesus say that they had not heard His voice? It is possible that these Jews
were not around during the times the Father spoke from heaven. However, it also
possible that they heard Him speak, but they were unwilling to take head to
what He said. Based on the context, this is the most logical answer to me especially
when we consider the Greek word “akouo”, which is translated “hear”, which means
“To hear; to attend to, consider what is or has been said; To understand,
perceive the sense of what is said… (Strongs).” This is the reason it is
important to do a word study because the word “hear” means much more than
simply hearing something. This means the Jews could have heard God’s voice from
heaven, yet still be accused of not hearing because they did not take heed to
what was being said.
John 5:38
"But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him
you do not believe. 39
"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life;
and these are they which testify of Me. 40
"But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
Here is Jesus’ fifth
witness, the Word of God. Jesus acknowledges that these Jews have searched the Scriptures,
but they have not understood them. If they had, they would believe Jesus is the
Christ. There are over 300 prophecies about the coming Messiah and His work, and
Jesus has been fulfilling those prophecies. These Jews should have been able to
understand this fact and realize He is the Son of God, but since they are not
willing to accept this, they will not be able to be saved.
This is the same problem
that many in the world have today. They have the Word of God available to them
in different languages and versions, yet they will not take heed to what it
says. Others have preconceived ideas about what the Bible teaches based on what
others have taught, and this causes them not to be able to open their eyes to
what it actually says. Just like these Jews, they have a great zeal for God, but
not according to knowledge (
John 5:41"I
do not receive honor from men. 42
"But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.
Jesus was not healing
people and doing these wonderful works to receive praise from men. He was doing
them to glorify His Father in heaven (Jn. 17:4). If Jesus had wanted the praise
of men, He could have stayed around after feeding the 5000 and let them make
Him a king, but He did not (Jn. 6:15). Since Jesus could read their hearts and
because of their disbelief, He knew the love of God was not in them (Jn. 8:47;
1 Jn. 5:3).
John 5:43 "I
have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in
his own name, him you will receive. 44
"How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek
the honor that comes from the only God?
To come in someone’s name
means that a person will represent him separate and apart from your own will,
which is exactly what Jesus did. He came
by the authority of the Father to do His blessed will, yet they will not
receive Him. However, they had no problem accepting others who came in their
own name boasting in their own glory and using flattering words. These Jews
loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (Jn. 12:43), which kept
some of from confessing Jesus as Lord even though they believed He was (Jn.
12:42).
The Jews were fooled several
times by false Messiahs. The German theologian, Schudt, quoting an earlier
Jewish writer said:
That
at least sixty-four pretenders to the messiahship had been accepted by the Jews
at one time or another, including Bar-Kocheba who deceived the chief officer of
the Sanhedrin. Gamaliel, "a doctor
of the law," and a man highly honored by the Jews, made mention of
deceivers in his day who succeeded in leading many Jews astray (Acts
5:34-37). These men came without
authority, and to promote their own honor and they were accepted; Jesus,
clothed with authority from the Father, and acting in his name they
rejected. Thus, far from being
perceptive, they were credulous and easily duped by deceivers because of their
love for flattery and worldly praise (Guy N. Woods, A Commentary on the Gospel
according to John (Nashville, Tennessee: Gospel Advocate Company, 1987) p.113).
Just as the Jews were
fooled by men like this, we must be careful not to get caught up following
after false teachers who speak smooth words (
John 5:45
"Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who
accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.
46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for
he wrote about Me. 47
"But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My
words?"
In these last words,
Jesus drives His point home. Jesus lets them know that He does not have to
accuse them of anything because the man they put their trust in wrote about Him.
Moses is the sixth witness that Jesus is the Son of God. We do not know if
Jesus was referring to all the things that Moses wrote about the coming
Messiah, but the following verse certainly would be one of them:
Deuteronomy 18:15 "
The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from
your brethren.
The Jews wanted to hang
onto the Law of Moses, but it was designed to bring them and everyone else to
Christ (Gal. 3:22-25). If these Jews were not willing to believe in what Moses
wrote about Jesus, then they would not believe Jesus’ words. The Jew’s reaction
to Jesus’ exhortation is not recorded, but they had to be filled with awe as
Jesus read their hearts and gave them six witnesses that proved He was the Son
of God. He also told them why they did not believe. I want to close this
chapter with the words of Abraham, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead” (Lk. 16:31).