Introductory remarks:
In chapter five the healing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda sets off, as McGee says, "the bloodhounds" after Christ to kill Him.
The Healing at the Pool
Verse 1, "After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."
LGT "After these things was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up into Jerusalem."
It is not clear exactly what feast (or festival) of the Jews is meant here; whenever John is referring to the Passover feast he would use the article before the word feast defining it as the particular feast.
Verse 2, "Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches."
LGT "And there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool which [is] called in Hebrew Bethesda having five porches."
"Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool."
Actually it was a 'sheep-gate' that led to a pool and then possibly to a market, which would sell sheep for the sacrifices, 'this gate was near the temple on the east of the city' (Neh. 3:1,32' 12:39) [Vincent].
"Which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having, having five porches."
"Excavations have indeed been carried out there from time to time since Napoleon III acquired the site for France in 1856. It is now clear that there were two adjacent pools, a northern and a southern, and that the trapezoidal area, which they occupied, was surrounded by four covered colonnades, one on each side, with a fifth one on the ridge of living rock separating the two pools. It was in the shelter of these colonnades that the crowd of variously afflicted persons waited in hope of healing" (The Gospel and Epistles of John F.F. Bruce).
Verse 3, "In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water."
LGT "In these were lying a multitude of the ones who were weak and ineffective, blind, withered."
The sick people with all sorts of maladies came and laid at the poolside, some were laid there by others, and waited the time of their possible healing.
"Waiting for the moving of the water."
This last phrase is not in the best manuscripts, but was probably added by a scribe for further explanation (see verse 7).
"This bubbling up of the water was, of course, due not to supernatural but to physical causes. Such intermittent springs are not uncommon, and to this day the so-called 'Fountain of the Virgin' in Jerusalem exhibits the phenomenon. It is scarcely necessary to say, that the Gospel-narrative does not ascribe this 'troubling of the waters' to Angelic agency, nor does the belief, that only the first who afterwards entered them, could be healed. This was evidently the belief of the impotent man, as of all the waiting multitude (John 5:7). But the words in verse 4 of our Authorized Version, and perhaps, also, the last clause of verse 3, are admittedly and interpolation" (The Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah, Alfred Edersheim).
Verse 4, "For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had."
I have no LGT for this verse because it is missing from my Greek NT. Some translator of the Authorized Version who evidently was impressed with the Jewish myth that the angels troubled the waters added this verse and the last phrase of verse three. McGee thinks that most of the people who would gather at the pool had psychosomatic maladies, and that would account for some of the healings. I myself think that a lot of them would feel better after entering the waters when the underground spring caused a sort of bubbling like that of our man-made spas. There are a lot of mineral springs here in California, and people swear that entering them actually heals them.
"All of this verse is wanting in the oldest and best manuscripts like Aleph B C D W 33 Old Syriac, Coptic versions, Latin Vulgate. It is undoubtedly added, like the clause in verse 3, to make clearer the statement in verse 7. Tertullian is the earliest writer to mention it. The Jews explained the healing virtues of the intermittent spring by the ministry of angels. But the periodicity of such angelic visits makes it difficult to believe. It is a relief to many to know that the verse is spurious" (WPNT Robertson).
"This is the explanation of why they were there. The belief was that an angel stirred the water at a certain season. I personally feel that a great many cures took place there that were psychological cures. There are a number of people today, just as there were then, who are sick in their minds, ignorant, and superstitious. There are quite a few who go to faith healers today who believe they get healed. There is always a question whether or not they were ever really sick. Another question is whether they stay permanently healed. My point is that the Lord Jesus Christ heals today just as He did at the pool of Bethesda, and that one is not healed by some moving of the water" (T.T.B. Commentary, J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 5. "And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years."
LGT "And was a certain man having been there thirty and eight years in his infirmed condition."
It is not stated in the text whether the man spent all thirty-eight years in the colonnade or whether it simply means that he had this sickness thirty-eight years.
Verse 6, "When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, He saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?"
LGT "Jesus seeing him lying down and knowing that already a long time he has been there, saying to him, Do you wish to become well?"
"Wilt thou be made whole?"
This may seem to most of us to be a rather silly question. What the Lord is doing by asking the obvious is to first get his attention and then to get the man to look at Him, and take his eyes off the water.
Verse 7, "The impotent man answered Him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me."
LGT "The impotent man answered Him, Sir, I have not a man when the water is troubled to cast me into the pool: but while I am coming another before me descends."
The impotent man has a sad story indeed. He is saying that of course he would be healed if he had someone to put him in the pool. McGee says that the Lord had no intention of putting the man in the pool, and would show him real healing as soon as the man got his eyes off the physical pool and on the Spiritual Lord. The popular belief was that at the outflow of the intermittent spring would trouble the water and they thought it was a miracle. The Greek word for 'put' is 'balei' meaning literally 'throw me in.' The man was desperate and had observed the rush of the infirmed to get into the water, that they would block his attempts; now he used this term 'throw' for the purpose of expediency. That is, to get him in quick, before the water was no longer moving. Of course our Lord knew better.
Verse 8, "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk."
LGT "Jesus saying to him, Arise take up your mat and walk around."
The Lord uses a present active imperative 'egiero' for 'rise' which would mean the same in our language as 'get up.' The Lord goes on to say take your cot and be on your way, you will not have need of your space at the pool or your cot there.
"The bed, as it is called in the older English versions, was a mat or pallet of straw, easily rolled up and carried on the shoulder (Gr. krabattos, as also in Mark 2:9, 11, 12). In verse 8 and 9 the verb 'walk' is peripateo, literally 'walk about' (as also in Mark 2:9; Acts 3:6). The sequence of the verbs is significant; of course the man had to be 'made better' before he could lift his pallet and walk. What made him better, then? Nothing but the enabling command of Christ, to which his will, responded obediently. Thus he received power to do what a moment earlier had been quite beyond his capacity" (The Gospel and Epistles of John, F.F. Bruce).
Verse 9, "And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath."
LGT "And immediately the man became well and he took his mat and he walked about. And it was Sabbath on that day."
Immediately the man began walking about; however, now Jesus is in deep trouble as far as the Jewish hierarchy is concerned; for it was on the Sabbath that Jesus healed this man; and we know by Bible history, that this will not go unnoticed by the Pharisees.
"In John's record of Jesus' Jerusalem ministry, as in the Synoptic (Matthew, Mark and Luke's accounts) record of His Galilean ministry, it is His infringement of the traditional interpretation of the Sabbath Law that first brings Him into serious conflict with the religious authorities. (Cf. Mark 2:23-3:6, where it is His sovereign attitude to the Sabbath, and not the disputes of Mark 2:1-22, that aroused the deadly hostility of His opponents). The 'tradition of the elders' distinguished thirty-nine categories of work, which might not be undertaken on the Sabbath; the thirty-ninth of these was carrying of a load from one dwelling to another. By this standard the man's action in carrying his pallet was a violation of the Sabbath law.
Here, as regularly in the Gospel of John, it is important to mark who exactly 'the Jews' in question are: in this context they are members of the religious establishment in Jerusalem" (The Gospel and Epistles of John F.F. Bruce).
Actually, the Jews were the ones who were in deep trouble, for Jesus knew full well that it would arouse in the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem a hatred for Him; however, it would be upon these very leaders that Jesus would pronounce His woes on them. Calvin says that there were two reasons Christ disregarded this danger, 'First, that the miracle might be more extensively known; and, secondly, that He might give occasion, and, as it were, open up the way for the beautiful discourse which He delivered immediately afterwards.'
Verse 10, "The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the Sabbath day: it is not lawful for the to carry thy bed."
LGT "Therefore the Jews said to the one who had been healed, (this) is (the) Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your mat."
The Jewish leaders were correct in their statement of the law (Ex. 23:12; Neh. 13:19; Jer.17:21), however, they were not correct in charging the man with carrying a burden on the Sabbath. The man had just been healed after thirty-eight years of misery; even the smallest amount of logic would prove their accusations to be silly. To these religious men, stoning was the punishment for carrying a burden on the Sabbath; the healing of the impotent man was insignificant to them (Robertson).
Verse 11, "He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk."
LGT "And he answered them, the One who made me well that One said to me, Take up your mat and walk about."
" He that made me whole, the same said to me, Take up thy bed, and walk.'
I am sure the healed man was worried when the Jews told him of his offence, because immediately he said that he was just obeying orders from a powerful man; besides, the penalty for his sin was death by stoning; he did not know who it was, not even His name, who had just healed him, but he must have thought that He was some sort of a prophet or Rabbi, and that he was perfectly justified in obeying such a one, for taking up his mat was one of the conditions for the healing. Any one, who had the power to heal, must also have the authority to go along with it.
Verse 12, "Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk."
LGT "They asked him, Who is the man who said to you, Take up and walk about."
Robertson says this is a contemptuous (sneering) question, 'Who is this fellow? The Jews were not interested in his being healed they wanted the Sabbath breaker.
Verse 13, "And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed Himself away, a multitude being in that place."
LGT "But the one who had been healed did not know who it is, for Jesus slipped away a crowd being in the place."
It was quite crowded at the pool, so it was very easy for the Lord to slip away unnoticed by the Jewish authorities. Edersheim writes, 'In that multitude, all thinking only of their own sorrows and wants, He had come and gone unobserved. But they all now knew and observed this miracle of healing, as they saw this un-befriended and most wretched of them all healed, without the troubling of waters or first immersion in them. Then there was really help in Israel, and help not limited to such external means!'
Verse 14, "Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."
LGT "After this Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, Behold you have become well, no longer go on sinning, unless a worse thing may happen."
"Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple,"
The temple was just south of the pool. Jesus sees the man that He healed and speaks with him now; before the Lord slipped away because He knew what opposition He would face among the religious Jews.
"And said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."
The man had been in this condition for the past thirty-eight years; from the statement 'sin no more' it is suggested that his sickness is caused by his sin. Now, it follows that, if the condition was caused by his sin, he had to be at the age of accountability for this to be true, that is, for him to be able to commit personal sin. Therefore, if he was in his early teens or twenties he was approaching old age. The Lord admonishes [warns] him that he should consider his sins that a worse consequence could happen to him, that is, death.
Verse 15, "The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole."
LGT "The man went away and reported to the Jews that Jesus is the One who made him well."
The man who was healed did not give heed to the warnings of Jesus, he was more interested in saving his own skin; he rushed out and told the Jews that it was Jesus who was the One who caused him to sin. Some commentators, such as Calvin, believe the man was innocent in his revealing to the Jews that it was Jesus; and that he was just trying to give credit to his benefactor. I believe that the man was scared of the Jews, and that because he was just healed; he did whatever was necessary to remain healed.
Verse 16, "And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day."
LGT "And because of this the Jews began to pursue [harass and stalk] Jesus, because He did these things on [the] Sabbath."
The Greek word for persecute is 'ediokon' an imperfect form of 'dioko' meaning to pursue with haste. The fact that it is the imperfect active tense means that the Jews began to harass Jesus and continued to harass Him. Robertson writes that 'the Jews disliked Jesus when here first (2:18) and were suspicious of His popularity (4:1). Now they have cause for an open breach. Because He did (hoti epoiei). Imperfect active, not just this one act, but He was becoming a regular Sabbath-breaker. The Pharisees will watch His conduct on the Sabbath henceforth (Mark 2:23; 3:2).
Verse 17, "But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."
LGT "But Jesus answered them, My Father is working until now and I am working."
Jesus justifies His conduct to these Jews by the fact that He Himself is God. He claims His deity before these religious hypocrites. Jesus is saying, 'My Father' not 'your father' has been working even until now, that is, from eternity past even until now; and I am working, without regard for your Sabbath. Vincent notes: "The discussion turned on work on the Sabbath. The Father's work in maintaining and redeeming the world has continued from the creation until the present moment (eos arti) until now, not interrupted by the Sabbath."
"Had He said, 'God works on the Sabbath day, and therefore I am free to do so', His words would have given offense enough to His hearers. But the manner of His reference to God as 'My Father' was more offensive still: it suggested rather pointedly that He was putting Himself on a level with God. In their synagogue services of prayer and thanksgiving the Jews were accustomed to address God as 'our Father'; but Jesus appeared to be claiming God as 'His own Father' in an exceptional, if not exclusive, sense" (The Gospel and Epistles of John, F.F. Bruce).
The work that Christ performed on the Sabbath was a divine work, and as the Son of God, He was just continuing the work of His Father. The work the Sabbath Law had in mind was human labor that needed a provision of rest included in it. Man had to have a Sabbath day for rest from menial tasks of making money and being completely involved in the human endeavors. The Son of God was here on earth performing the works of His Father, and no Rabbi could pronounce a curse on His work. Christ did not break the Sabbath day; He completely fulfilled it. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.'
"Leaving the defense of the present cause, Christ now explains the end and use of the miracle, namely, that by means of it He may be acknowledged to be the Son of God; for the object which He had in view in all His words and actions was, to show that He was the Author of Salvation. What He now claims for Himself belongs to His Divinity, as the Apostle [Paul] also says, that He upholdeth all things by His powerful will, (Heb. 1:3). But when He testifies that He is God, it is that, being manifested in the flesh, He may perform the office of Christ; and when He affirms that He came from heaven, it is chiefly for the purpose of informing us for what purpose He came down to earth" (John Calvin's Commentary on John's Gospel).
Verse 18, "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God."
LGT "Therefore because of this more the Jews were seeking to kill Him, because He not only destroyed the Sabbath, but also said God was His own Father making Himself equal with God."
"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him,"
The Greek word for 'sought' is 'ezetoun' an imperfect active indicative painting a graphic picture of their untiring effort to kill Him. 'This word means that they kept on seeking to kill Him; that is, to kill Him off and be done with Him' (Robertson).
"Because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father:"
The word for 'broken' is 'eloue' meaning to loose or destroy. 'Had broken' is in the imperfect tense meaning that he was now becoming a regular Sabbath breaker. Vincent says that He was not breaking the Sabbath in a particular sense, but that He was annulling [putting an end to] the meaning of the Sabbath.
Christ was also saying that God was His Father, not as the Jews would say, 'Our Father.' The way in which Jesus uses the term 'My Father' is that He says 'My Father' as My own Father' as to no one else He could possibly be; this is exactly how the Jews understood it, and this is the second fault they laid to Him after breaking the Sabbath; Christ claims God as His own as to no other.
"Making Himself equal with God."
This last charge of the Jews that Jesus says that God is 'His Father', is the same as Him saying He was equal with God. The Jews give Jesus ample opportunity to deny the charge and clear everything up in that He did not mean that he was equal to God the Father, but this is exactly what He does not do (Robertson).
The Authority of the Son
Verse 19, "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."
LGT "Therefore Jesus answered and said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you all, The Son is not able to do by Himself nothing except [unless] He seeing the Father doing: for what ever He is doing, these things the Son is likewise doing."
"The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do:"
Here Jesus separates Himself in personality from the Father and yet He claims equality with the Father. Remember in verse one of chapter one that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are of the same essence 'homo-ousian.' The Father is the Designer of the great plan of Salvation, whereas the Son is the Executor of the grand plan, that is, He carries it out to the smallest detail; "I have come to do the Fathers will." 'He can do nothing,' not to 'of Himself.' Jesus, being one with God, can do nothing apart from Him (Vincent).
Robertson notes: 'it is a supreme example of a son copying the spirit and work of a father. In His work on earth the Son sees continually what the Father is doing. In healing this poor man He was doing what the Father wishes Him to do.'
"For what thingsoever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."
The word for 'doeth' in our modern English is described by the word 'doing', which denotes continuous action. The word 'likewise' centers on the fact that what the Father is doing, the Son is also doing. In healing the poor man, the Son is doing the will of the Father.
"The Lord Jesus is saying that He is God and that He can do what God does. There is a perfect correspondence and harmony between the Father and the Son. Therefore, the charge that was made against Him was absurd. The Son does not contradict the Father, nor does the Father contradict the Son. Jesus does what God does. Jesus can forgive sins. Then He goes on to say that there is a personal and intimate relationship between the Father and the Son" (T.T.B. J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 20, "For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things that Himself doeth: and He will shew Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel."
LGT "For the Father loves the Son and is showing to Him all things which He Himself is doing, and greater of these works He will be showing to Him, in order that you all might be amazed."
"For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things that Himself doeth:"
John uses the term 'phileo' here, which when applied to deity there is no difference in 'phileo' or 'agape' for they are both divine when applied to the Godhead. I believe John is using 'friendship love' here to stress the fellowship that the Father has for the Son. The difference in 'agape' love, and 'phileo' love is that the former involves the intellect in its regard for the object of the love, while the latter involves a friendship. When we are commanded to love God with 'agape' love it means that we are to love God with intellectual understanding of His attributes, not an emotional type love; for to love God one must know God, and in order to know God we must know His divine attributes; this is a complete study all by itself.
Everything the Father does the Son knows full well. What the Father does is exhibited in the Son. If anyone attempts to find the Father outside the Son, as the Jews pretend to do, it is a vain exercise in futility.
"And He will shew Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel."
The miracle of healing the poor man at the poolside was very little compared to the miracle of saving a soul. Jesus is saying to the disbelieving Jews that God is going to perform greater works to their amazement. These Jews will not look at the miracles (works) that Jesus will continue to do as a blessing from God; they will look upon the words and works of Christ as shear blasphemy against their God, not Christ being sent by God to them.
"Jesus' opponents had been scandalized because of a comparatively minor work that He had performed - the healing of a cripple. He justified this action - Sabbath day as it was - by an appeal to the example of God: if the Father worked on the Sabbath, so must the Son. And now that His defense has scandalized them more than His original action had done, He goes to assure them that, because He is the Son, He has the authority to perform much greater works than that one, as He perceives the Father's will and gives effect to it. If what He has done already has taken them by surprise, what they have yet to see will give them real cause for wonder" (The Gospel and Epistles of John, F.F. Bruce).
Verse 21, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will."
LGT "For just as the Father raises up the dead ones and makes them living, thus also the Son whom He wills make living."
Just as the Father is able to raise the dead and make them alive, even so the Son has the same power to do so as He wills. The most amazing fact of all this is these unbelieving Jews are speaking with the Son of God who is able to save a soul, let alone raise a dead man. It has not yet been recorded whether He has raised anyone form the dead, but He is claiming both the right and the power to do so; He not only claims to be able to do it, He will do it. And they will marvel, not at the Son of God, but only at the amazing act; they will accept the miracle and marvel, but they will not accept the Worker of the miracles, and believe unto the salvation of their souls.
Verse 22, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son."
LGT "For not even the Father judges any one, but all judging He has given to the Son."
In John 3:17 it is stated, "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn [judge] the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." Now, in order to reconcile Genesis 18:25, "Shall not the judge of the earth do right?" stating that Jehovah is the judge of all the earth, and here Jesus is claiming that the Father judges no man; that God has committed all judgment to Him. To go back to the beginning of this world we must remember that Jesus Christ was the indirect object in all creation; that is, 'without Christ not one thing was made, that was made' John 1:3. Jesus is stating that the Father has given the judgment over to Christ, and that this judgment is reserved for the end times. Christ came to judge sin on the cross, so that man need not 'come into condemnation, but could be passed from death unto life.' At the present Jesus is saying that He and the Father are one, and being one, He is able not only to heal the sick, and raise the dead, but He is also able to forgive sin, and someday He will judge 'the quick and the dead.' The fact of the matter is that God has not surrendered His authority to judge the world to Christ, but on the contrary, God is actively governing the world through Christ. In the final analysis, God will judge the world through Christ, the same as He created all things through Christ. Christ is laying claim to His perfect likeness with the Father.
Verse 23, "That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the father which hath sent Him."
LGT "In order that all men might honor the Son just as they might honor the Father. The one not honoring the Son is not honoring the Father, the One who sent Him."
Here we have a wonderful example of the genius of how John uses the tenses to explain his point. In the first phrase John uses the present subjunctive 'timosi', 'they might honor', then in the last phrase he uses the present indicative 'tima', 'is not honoring the Father.' John uses the same word 'honor' in a different tense to explain exactly how the Father regards the importance of honoring the Son with the same honor they have for Him. Jesus says that if you honor the Father you should also honor the Son, and if you honor the Son you will be honoring, that is, continually honoring the Father.
Verse 24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
LGT "Verily, verily, I am saying to you that the one hearing My word and is believing on the One who sent Me is having eternal life and will not be coming into condemnation [judgment], but has passed out of the death into the life."
He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life,"
Here the lord is also claiming equality with the Father in that He is saying all a person has to do to claim eternal life, is to believe His words and on the Father who sent Him to save. This eternal life is to begin the very moment a person believes on Jesus Christ. The word 'believe' takes in the express meaning of placing your complete confidence in the Lord as Savior. Calvin makes a wonderful statement regarding those who chose to suffer judgment rather than to submit to the Lord as savior: "So great is our depravity that we choose rather to perish of our own accord than to surrender ourselves to obey the Son of God, that we may be saved by His grace."
"And shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
What great assurance we believers have in these words of Christ. 'All have sinned and come short of the glory of God' and therefore, all are under the judgment of God. All Christ has to do is speak the words, and He does speak them, every time a believer puts his or her trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
"The incident of the cripple at the pool of Bethesda is a 'sign' of this truth; as he received bodily healing through the enabling word of Christ, so it is through the word that men and women receive life on the spiritual plane. The Son, we have already been told, 'gives life to whom He will' (verse 21). Now we are told whom those people are to whom the Son chooses to give life; they are those who in faith receive His life-giving word. Further, they receive the assurance that they will not 'come into judgment'. As in John 3:18, the judgment here in view is the adverse judgment reserved for those who reject the Son, but 'the one who believes in Him is not judged'. The believer does not need to wait for the last day to hear the Judge's favorable verdict; it has been pronounced already. Nor do believers need to wait for the last day to experience the essence of resurrection; here and now they have 'passed out of death into life'. This anticipation of a favorable verdict and resurrection life sums up what in more recent times we have come to call 'realized eschatology'." (The Gospel and Epistles of John, F. F. Bruce).
The very moment we believe in Christ as Savior we are made alive; that is we have passed from death, being under the judgment (condemnation) of God, to being under the gentle watch-care of our dear personal Father, an eternal position of Life.
Verse 25, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 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."
LGT "Verily, verily I am saying to you that a hour is coming and now is that the dead ones will hear the voice of the Son of God and the ones having heard will live."
"The hour is coming, and now is,"
Jesus is saying that 'an hour is coming', not speaking of the great resurrection of the saints at the end of this age, 'but now is' is spiritual resurrection here and now (Robertson).
"When the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they shall live."
I believe Christ is speaking of all who hear His word personally at the present time, and all the ones in this age of grace who hear His voice in His Word shall live. Paul speaks in Ephesians as believers being made alive, and the believer passing from spiritual death to spiritual life. The Greek word for 'shall live' is 'zesousin', future active indicative; meaning will come to life spiritually (Robertson).
Verse 26, "For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself."
LGT "For just as the Father is having life in Himself, so also He gave to the Son to be having life in Himself."
For just as the eternal Father has life in Himself, so also the eternal Son has eternal life in Himself. The term 'He gave' is a timeless aorist indicative referring to timeless eternity past. The eternal Son existed with the eternal Father and the eternal Holy Spirit in eternity past; they and only they have life existing in them. All created beings must have life given to them by the Ones who are able to impart life, because they have life existing in themselves. Jesus is saying that he has this power to give eternal life. Calvin said, "God did not choose to have life hidden, and, as it were, buried within Himself, and therefore, He poured it into His Son, that it might flow to us. Hence we conclude, that this title is strictly applied to Christ, so far as He was manifested in the flesh."
Verse 27, "And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man."
LGT "And He gave to Him authority to execute judgment, because He is a Son of man."
"And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also,"
Christ has the divine authority to be administering justice on earth, but also will judge all at the last day; the believers He will judge at the 'Bema Seat' for the rewards issued for faithfulness, and the unbelievers at 'The Great White Throne Judgment' where they will be judged for their works, and then go into everlasting fire, where the 'worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.' This entire topic will be covered later on.
"Because He is the Son of man."
The article is wanting here, and so it should read 'He is a Son of man', and not 'the Son of man.' The meaning is that Christ is very man of very man, a distinct proof of His humanity. By becoming man, and living a perfect life, He is able to be the judge of man. A perfect man can only judge man, and this is why our justice system stinks so. No man is perfect, and so it is impossible for one man to judge another man. True justice will not be displayed until Christ returns and sets up His Millennial Kingdom; and He will rule with a 'rod of iron' typifying 'perfect swift justice.' What Christ reveals to the world ('for being carnal, they admire nothing but what is obvious and visible' Calvin) as 'the God man', is the splendor of God, in that he is able to not only meet out perfect justice, but He will be able to raise the dead at the last hour. What Christ reveals to the believer is that he is the Savior of the world, and brings the believer into a perfect relationship to Himself as well as the heavenly Father.
Verse 28, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice."
LGT "Do not be amazed at this, for an hour is coming when all the ones in the tombs will hear His voice."
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,"
Here the reference is made to the last resurrection. Here Christ does not add, 'and the hour is' because He is making a distinct reference to the final judgment.
"Christ here boasts of His power over the reprobate [the haters of God - the good for nothing - the trouble makers], so as to testify that the Father has committed to Him the full restoration of all things; as if He had said, 'What I now tell you that I have commenced, I will one day finish before your eyes.' And indeed, when Christ now, by the voice of His Gospel, quickens [make alive] souls which had been sunk in perdition, it is a sort of preparation for the last resurrection. Again, as He includes the whole human race, He immediately makes a distinction between the believers and reprobate. This division shows that the reprobate, as they are now summoned by the voice of Christ to come to judgment, will also, by the same voice, be dragged and brought to appear at His tribunal [The Great White Throne Judgment Seat]" (John Calvin's Commentary on The Gospel Of John).
"In the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice."
This reference to His voice is obviously the last 'Trumpet' that will sound summoning all before the 'Divine Tribunal' (Matt. 24:31; I Cor. 15:52). This is a general resurrection; the next verse will define the judgments.
Verse 29, "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
LGT "And will come forward; the ones who have done good to a resurrection of life, but the ones who practiced evil unto a resurrection of judgment."
"And shall come forth;
This phrase is joined to verse 28 in which all the tombs are opened.
"They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
The first thing that needs to be pointed out is the difference between the ones who have done good, and the ones who have done evil. This differentiation is very clear from the two different Greek words that are used for 'done'. In the first phrase the Greek word for 'done' is 'poiasantes' which is a aorist active participle meaning having done good once for all without a connection to time. This one act of doing good is not a work, but is a responding to the Lord Jesus Christ, and accepting Him with full confidence as Savior. In the second phrase the Greek word for 'done' is 'praxantes', (from which we get our English word 'practice') which is also a aorist active participle meaning have done evil, a work once for all, by rejecting Christ as Savior, without relation to time. 'There are two resurrections, one to eternal life, the other to eternal damnation' (Robertson).
The other thing that these two Greek terms may suggest is that the believer is called unto good works not because of his good works. It is only after one accepts Christ as personal Savior that one is able to do good works that are actually produced by the Holy Spirit through the saved. On the other hand, the unbeliever is unable to do a good work, because his way of life is in 'practicing evil, and therefore, is categorized as 'doing evil' continually.
Verse 30, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me."
LGT "I am not able to be doing of Myself nothing: just as I am hearing I judge, and My judgment is just, because I am not seeking My own will but (on the contrary) the will of the One who sent Me."
"I can of mine own self do nothing:
This is Jesus complete surrender to the will of the Father. The heretic Arius used this verse to say that the Son was not of the same essence of the Father. Calvin writes about Arius: 'that scoundrel gave out that the Son is not equal to the Father because He can nothing of Himself. The theologians reply, that the Son justly claims for Himself all that can be ascribed to the Father, from whom He takes His commencement (beginning) with respect to His person.'
"As I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just:"
Jesus is saying that His judgments are based on what He has heard from the Father. The Father's judgments are just; therefore, My judgments are just.
"Because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me."
Here our Lord explains exactly why His judgments can never fail and are always just; "Because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father." The Greek word for the conjunction 'but' is 'alla' and it means on the contrary. I can't help but add my own comments at this point because of the way in which this fact Christ is stressing is so outstanding: If we believers would seek the Father's will in our decisions our judgments would also be just. I think we can take it a step farther and say, if we teach what the Word of God teaches according to God's wonderful grace, we will not have to worry about misleading someone.
Witnesses to Jesus
Verse 31, "If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true."
LGT "If I witness concerning Myself, My witness is not true."
The Lord is not saying here that his witness is unreliable, He is just answering to the religious leaders who hold to the letter of the Law; the law required that for a testimony to be true it required two or more witnesses: "One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established" (Deut. 19:15). It is unfair to reduce Christ to the ranks of a common man, but He prefers to meet these Pharisees head on, and appeals to their own interpretations of the Law; for they have not realized, or should I say, refuse to realize, they are talking to the 'Law Giver.' But for the very fact that He took upon Himself this human nature, He does not feel it robbing Himself of His deity to appeal to their human natures.
Verse 32, "There is another that beareth witness of Me; and I know that the witness which He witnesseth of Me is true."
LGT "Another Who is witnessing concerning Me, and I know that the witness is true which is witnessing concerning Me."
The Greek word for 'another' used here is 'allos' which means 'another of the same kind' (AGL). The Lord Jesus is referring to His Father as the true witness. Jesus has surrendered His right to claim what He says is true in order to lay claim to the authority of the Father, that what he says is true.
Verse 33, "Ye sent unto John, and He bare witness unto the truth."
LGT "You have sent to John, and he witnessed to the truth."
Jesus is making a reference to the deputation the Sanhedrin had sent to find out from John who he was and what his purpose was in 1:19-28; John the Baptist at this time witnessed to the truth that Jesus was the Coming One promised in the prophets; then in verses 29-34 that He was the Son of God (Bruce). Calvin states that only the malice of the Jews prevented them from believing.
Verse 34, "But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved."
LGT "But I do not receive the testimony of man, but these things I am saying that you all may be saved."
"But I receive not testimony from man:"
Even John the Baptist's testimony was not really from man, for God sent John with a divine message concerning the Christ. It is the same when we study the Word of God; we are not reading the words of mere men, we are reading the inspired Words of God Himself. These Jews would naturally receive the inferior testimony of a man, but Christ is offering them divine testimony.
"But these things I say, that ye might be saved."
If these Jews had accepted John the Baptist's earlier testimony, they would be set up now to believe the testimony of Christ, and consequently be saved. The Lord does not need the testimony of anyone else to confirm what He says is the truth; it is the plan and purpose of God that we testify to one another of the truth, for this is what fellowship is all about. What Christ is testifying of in His own behalf, says Calvin, is not for His own benefit, but for the benefit of those who believe 'in order that they might be saved.'
Verse 35, " He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light."
LGT "That one was the lamp the one burning and shining, and you all were willing to celebrate for an hour in his light."
"He was a burning and a shining light:"
John the Baptist was a burning and shining light, 'the voice of one crying in the wilderness;' yet he was not 'The Light.' The Lord uses the word 'was' referring to John, because John was now in prison, and his ministry of testifying of the Lord was over. The Greek term for 'light' in this verse is 'luxnos' meaning a lamp; this lamp (John) was not the Light, he was a lamp shining unto the Light; a lamp must be filled with oil and lit, but it soon goes out, but the light of the Word can never be dowsed; 'John did not by his own power shine as Christ did' (Vincent).
"And ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light."
"The purpose of a lamp is to show the light, and John discharged this duty right well. As he proclaimed the near approach of the Coming One and the new age, many of his hearers were attracted by his preaching and were glad to think the long-expected day was near, even if they trembled at the same time because of his announcement of wrath for the unrepentant. But instead of taking action while John's lamp still burned, they procrastinated, and now that lamp had been removed. But here was the light of the world Himself, with greater accreditation than even John could supply" (The Gospel and Epistles of John, F. F. Bruce).
The fact that the people did not follow the light of John's lamp that directed them to the True Light, the Lord Jesus Christ, proves that they were very deliberate in their rejection. In this phrase the word 'rejoice' in the Greek NT is 'agalliasthanai' meaning to celebrate. Notice in the LGT the word for season is 'hour;' this indicates that their rejoicing was very short lived and didn't take root in their hearts. The Word of God today is the true light shining to every man, however, His children only recognize its brightness. Even in the household of faith, within the family of God, the true light of the Word of God is abused as so-called ministers seek to interpret the Word in their fanciful self-interest purposes, and they sell the Word to their congregations for a tithe.
Verse 36, " But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me."
LGT "But I have a greater witness than of John: for the work the Father gave Me that I should complete them, the very works [or the works themselves] which I am doing are witnessing concerning Me, that the Father has sent Me."
"But I have greater witness than of John:"
The miracles that Jesus performed testified that He was who He said He was, the Son of the Living God. In regards to the miracles Jesus performed J. Vernon McGee in his commentary on John has a very good paragraph, which I will quote in full:
"Here we see that the credentials that the Lord Jesus had were the miracles that He performed. This idea today that there are those who have the same power that Jesus had is, to my judgment, blasphemy. You see these miracles, which He performed, attested that He was who He claimed to be. And, friend, there weren't just a few isolated instances of healing. He didn't put on healing services. He took no offerings. He didn't have people get in a line and come by Him. He moved out into the crowds, into the highways and byways. And as He moved along, people were healed. I've called attention to this in the Gospels again and again, and it is important to refresh our memories concerning this. Friend, there were not just a half a dozen, or even a hundred or two whom He had healed; there were literally thousands of people whom He had healed. It was openly demonstrated. Nobody in that day contradicted the fact that He healed - He would have been a fool if He had. It is over nineteen hundred years later in a musty library in New York City, thousands of miles removed, that scholars can sit down and write books declaring that they don't believe Jesus performed miracles. But that doesn't prove a thing, friend. His miracles were His credentials. His works bore witness that the Father had sent Him."
"For the works which the Father hath given Me to finish,"
This work of course is the same as John 3:17 "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. When Jesus Christ went to the cross and bore the sins of the world, at the end of His three hours of dying spiritually He said, 'It is finished.' Christ was saying that this is the work the Father had given Him to finish.
"The same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me."
All the works that Jesus had performed led to that final and complete work He finished on Calvary's Cross. Every work Jesus ever performed proved He was certainly the Son of God.
Verse 37, "And the Father Himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape."
LGT "And the Father who sent Me that One has witnessed concerning Me. Neither His voice at any time have you heard nor His form have you seen."
Jesus is not referring to the voice from heaven at His baptism, only that the only way they could see the Father is to see the Son. Here was the glory of God before them in the form of His Son, and they would not receive it. The witness of the Father is before them in the man Christ Jesus. John witnessed that He heard the voice from heaven at the Baptism of Jesus, but they would not believe it. In the OT the Jews heard the voice of God through the Prophets, but they would not believe them.
Verse 38, "And ye have not His word abiding in you: for whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not."
LGT "And His word you have not remaining in you, because whom He sent, you do not believe Him."
If these Jews had heard His voice from the prophets and believed, His word would remain in them. They not only rejected the Word of God, they were rejecting Jesus Christ, whom the Father sent. They would not believe the prophets nor are they bound to believe what Jesus has to say, regardless of the signs He performs. The only way a person today can understand the Word of God is to accept the Savior. It is impossible to understand the Word of God without it being spiritually discerned, and the natural man cannot spiritually discern it.
"This is the true way of profiting, when the word of God takes root in us, so that, being impressed on our hearts, it has its fixed abode there. Christ affirms that the heavenly doctrine has no place among the Jews, because they do not receive the Son of God, on whom it everywhere bestows commendation. And justly does He bring this reproach against them; for it was not in vain that God spake by Moses and the Prophets. Moses had no other intention than to invite all men to go straight to Christ; and hence it is evident that they who reject Christ are not the disciples of Moses. Besides, how can that man have the word of life abiding in him who drives from him the life itself? How can that man keep the doctrine of the Law who destroys the soul of the Law, as far as lies in his power? For the Law without Christ is empty and has no solidity. Just in proportion, therefore, as any man knows Christ, is the proficiency which he has made in the word of God" (John Calvin's Commentary on The Gospel of John).
Verse 39, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me."
LGT "You are searching the Scriptures, because you are thinking in them you are having eternal life: and they are which testify concerning Me."
"Search the scriptures,"
The Greek word for 'search' is 'aurunate' which is present active indicative rather than an imperative that is a command. Jesus is saying that they are searching the scriptures, and commanding them to search the scriptures. The context has to be the deciding factor in whether it is a fact or a command. 'The next phrase for in them ye think' is what decides that it is a fact' (Robertson). Scriptures is plural and is making reference to the OT scriptures they were searching.
"For in them ye think ye have eternal life:"
Jesus is saying they were searching the scriptures, but quite obviously, were misinterpreting them. The truth is that in the OT scriptures the plan of salvation was very clear, but as He stated before, they didn't know the scriptures correctly, for if they did, they would have known He was the true Messiah. They were searching the scriptures as they were being interpreted to them by the Jewish Rabbi's, and were reading their commentaries, the 'Mishnah, Halakhah and Haggadah.
"The new circumstances in which the Jews were placed on their return [from Babylonian Captivity] seemed to render necessary an adaptation of the Mosaic Law, if not new legislation. Besides, piety and zeal now attached themselves to the outward observance and study of the letter of the Law. This is the origin of the Mishnah, or Second Law, which was intended to explain and supplement the first [The Law God gave to Moses]. This constituted the only Jewish dogmatics, in the real sense, in the study of which the sage, Rabbi, scholar, scribe, and Darshan [from darash, to search out, literally, to tread out. The preacher was afterwards called the Dartshan], were engaged. The result of it was the Midrash, or investigation, a term, which afterwards was popularly applied to commentaries on the scriptures and preaching. From the outset, Jewish theology divided into two branches: the Halakhah and the Haggadah. The former (from halakh, to go) was, so to speak, the rule of the Spiritual Road, and, when fixed, had even greater authority than the scriptures of the Old Testament, since it explained and applied them. On the other hand, the Haggadah (from nagad, to tell) [the Halakhah might be described as the apocryphal Pentateuch, the Haggadah as the apocryphal Prophets] was only the personal saying of the teacher, more or less valuable according to his learning and popularity, or the authorities, which he could quote in his support. Unlike the Halakhah, and Haggadah had no absolute authority, either as to doctrine, practice, or exegesis. But all the greater would be its popular influence, and all the more dangerous the doctrinal license which it allowed. In fact, strange as it may sound, almost all the doctrinal teaching of the Synagogue is to be derived from the Haggadah - and this also is characteristic of Jewish traditionalism. But, alike in Halakhah and Haggadah, Palestine was under the deepest obligation to Babylon. For the father of Halakhic study was Hillel, the Babylonian, and among the popular Haggadists there is not a name better known than of Eleazar the Mede, who flourished in the first century of our era" (The Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah - Alfred Edersheim - pages 8, 9).
This is exactly what the Lord was referring to when He says 'you are searching the Scriptures and think you have eternal life. What these Jewish leaders were actually searching is what other Jewish authorities, as noted above by Edersheim, were saying the Scriptures are teaching. Now He is going to tell them first hand, from the mouth of God Himself, the real way to eternal life.
"And they are they which testify of Me."
These true Scriptures, and not the commentaries of the Rabbis, are what testify of Me. For those who want to explain the verse as an imperative, it is necessary to also show that Christ is referring to the Scriptures as the OT Pentateuch and the Prophets, and not what the Rabbis wrote about them, that is 'the Second Law.
Verse 40, "And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life."
LGT "And you are not willing to be coming to Me in order that you may have life."
The Scriptures clearly set forth Christ as the giver of Life, but these religious leaders would never come to Him. The Rabbis took the OT Scriptures and made no reference to Christ in their commentaries, and therefore made the OT of non-effect. Any writing that does not point to the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Savior of mankind, does not bear witness to Him, and the commentaries of the Rabbis, past and present, do not lead to Christ, and therefore they are all worthless; the writings are worthless as well as the religion. The Jewish religion today is simply that, a religion. The modern day Jewish worship is as impotent and useless as any of the other false cults.
Verse 41, "I receive not honor from men."
LGT "Glory from men I receive not."
Unlike so-called faith healers, Christ did not do what he did for the praise of men; Christ says that only praise that comes from God is real praise. True glory comes from fellowship with the Father (Vincent).
Verse 42, "But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you."
LGT "But I have known you because the love of the God you are not having in yourselves."
The verb 'know' is in the perfect tense and is better translated, 'I have come to know you and still know you.' The Lord knew exactly what kind of rascals these Jewish leaders were and still are; and I might add, they are still the same self righteous unbelievers today as they were when Christ was here speaking. Robertson says, 'these Jews did not love God and hence did not love Christ.' Bruce writes, "Had there been any love for God in their hearts, it would have manifested itself by their acceptance of the one who came to them in the name of God. This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments (I John 5:3), and chief among His commandments is this: that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ (I John 3:23). If these Jews would have obeyed the one commandment, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, soul and spirit (Deut. 6:5), they would have been able to believe Christ was their Messiah.
Verse 43, "I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not, if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."
LGT "I have come in the name of My Father, and you are not receiving Me: If another come in the name of himself, that one you will receive."
"I come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not."
Jesus repeats that He has come as predicted by the prophets of the OT and these Jews do not receive Him. The verb 'come' is in the perfect tense so it means that Christ came in the past - as told by the prophets - and is coming to them personally at that time - and is coming to those in this age of grace in His wonderful inspired Word. And yet, they would not receive the prophets, and they are not receiving Him personally as He speaks to them, and they are not receiving Him through the Word of God in this age of Grace; but they will receive one who claims Messiah-ship, that comes in his own name.
"If another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."
"An outstanding fulfillment of this prediction came about in AD 132, when one Simeon ben Kosebah claimed to be the Messiah of David's line, and led a revolt against Rome. His claim was supported by Akiba, the most eminent Rabbi of the day, who hailed Simeon as the 'star out of Jacob' foretold by Balaam in Num. 24:17. But Simeon's messianic pretensions involved himself, his supporters and the people of Judea in the most fearful ruin. It is not necessary to suppose that he is particularly in view here - there were several similar pretenders in the period between AD 30 and 70 - but he provides the best-known example (The Gospel and Epistles of John, F. F. Bruce).
J. Vernon McGee adds his comment to this verse: "Someday the Antichrist is coming, and the world will receive him. They rejected Christ. The Antichrist will come in his own name, will have an image made of himself, and they will accept Him." I believe this long-range prediction is what Christ had in mind when He spoke these words. Calvin adds this little gem: "It is certain that such persons lend an ear to false teachers for no other reason than they wish to be deceived."
Verse 44, "How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?"
LGT "How are you able to be believing, who are receiving glory from one another, and the glory which is from the only God you are not seeking?"
This is not only a problem for these Jewish leaders who were puffed with their own importance and piety, but it is also a reason that people of our own day wont believe, they do not feel they need to be saved; saved from what they reply? Man does not see himself as in need. In this verse Christ puts the stress on these Jewish leaders caring more about how they are perceived by their fellow man, than how God sees them. They are seeking glory from man, rather than seeking the One and only True God and His glory.
Verse 45, "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust."
LGT "think not that I accuse you before the Father: there is [one] who accuses you, Moses, one in whom you have hoped."
"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father."
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself will not be their chief prosecutor before the Father in the final tribunal. These Jewish leaders would pretend to honor Moses and his Law, and even use Moses in their attempts to overthrow Christ.
"There is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust."
It is not that they should have trusted Moses, but they should have trusted Moses' God. These Jews would use Moses as their defense of the Law against the grace of the Living Christ. Paul says, "all who have sinned under the law will be judged under the Law." These ignorant foolish Jews were digging a hole for themselves they could never escape.
Verse 46, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for He wrote of Me."
LGT "For if you believed Moses, you would have believed Me: for concerning Me that one wrote."
How simply put; Jesus says you didn't believe Moses as you claim; for if you had believed Moses, you would have believed what Moses wrote, and Moses wrote of Me; so don't be telling Me you believe Moses, you know in your hearts you are liars.
Verse 47, "But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?"
LGT "But if his writings you believe not, how will you believe My words?"
The words of Christ are the word of God, as so the words of Moses are the word of God. What these Jewish leaders were saying is almost as stupid as the liberal remark, 'It doesn't matter what God you believe, as long as you believe in a God' and 'aren't all religions good, they all believe in God you know?' O! Contraire, my dear, you must believe in the One and only true God, and if you believe in my God, you will believe in my Christ; you see, I belong to the only divine family that exists, and if you don't believe in God's way, you don't believe. Faith is only possible as it is directed to the Lord Jesus Christ.
"The conflict between Jesus and the religious establishment in Jerusalem, begun in this chapter with His claim to be the Son of God, continues to be waged with increasing intensity throughout the Gospel until it reaches its climax in the passion narrative: 'By our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God' (John 19:7)" [The Gospel and Epistles of John - F. F. Bruce].
"When a man begins to make an attack upon the Old Testament, watch out! He really is making a subtle attack on the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm afraid there are many men who very foolishly begin to question the Old Testament and don't realize what they are doing. It is like the man at the insane asylum who was digging at the foundation. A man came by and asked, 'Why are you trying to dig out the foundation? Don't you live in the building? Yes, he answered, but I live upstairs!' I'm afraid that a great many foolish people say, 'But I live in the New Testament.' My friend, the Old Testament is the foundation. Our Lord said, 'If you believe not his writings, how shall you believe My words?' they both go together" (T. T. B. J. Vernon McGee).
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