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Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Spurgeon adds "that the Saviour knows your case. Jesus saw him lie there. There were a great many objects for the Saviour’s eye to rest upon, but He fixed His gaze upon this man, long bed-ridden, thirty-eight years impotent. Even so, Jesus knows all about your case. He sees you lie just where you are to-night, impotent, without hope, without light, without faith. He sees you; I want you to feel this to be true. He singles you out amidst this throng, wherever you sit, and His eye is scanning you from head to foot; nay, He looks within as well as without, and reads all that is in your heart." Why do I feel discouraged Why do the shadows come And why does my heart feel lonely? And long for heaven, home When Jesus is my portion A constant Friend is He His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches me. (SING IT OUT BELOVED!) Colin Kruse adds "Unlike the two miracles recorded earlier in this Gospel, which Jesus performed in response to requests from others, this one takes place at his own initiative: When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’ The word the NIV translates as ‘learned’ (gnous) is better translated ‘knew’ (so NRSV). Jesus had supernatural knowledge of the man’s situation (cf. Jn 2:25), as he did in the case of Nathanael (Jn 1:47–48) and of the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:16–19). (Borrow The Gospel according to John : an introduction and commentary) Spurgeon's Exposition - The Great Physician (Jehovah Rapha) fixed his eye on him, for his was an extraordinary case. Probably he was known and talked of as the man who had been paralyzed eight and thirty years. Note that it does not say, “When the man saw Jesus,” but “when Jesus saw him.” He did not know Jesus; possibly he had not even heard of his healing power and compassionate love. He was not seeking Jesus; but Jesus was seeking him. It was so with many of us; and therefore we sing — “Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed his precious blood.” When Jesus saw the impotent man, — And knew that he had been now a long time in that case, And a long time in that place, too, — He saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? That must have seemed a strange question. What was he there for, if not to be made whole? But I will show you, by-and-by, that there was wisdom in the question of Jesus. It was no idle curiosity that moved him to enquire of the man whether he was willing to be made whole. He said to him, "Do you wish (want) to get well (hugies)?" - ESV = "Do you want to be healed?" It is interesting that He does not say "Do you want to be saved?" It was a "pertinent and sympathetic question." THOUGHT BY SPURGEON (his application of the passage) - The Saviour would not let the impotent man lie there satisfied because he was by the pool. No, no. He said to him, “Why are you here? Have you not some desire? Do you not want to be made whole?” My dear hearer, I wish that you were able to say “Yes” to this question. Have you come here to-night that your sin may be forgiven, that your soul may be renewed by divine grace, that you may meet with Christ? If so, I want to keep you to that point, and not to let you come, and take a sitting here, and come, and come, and come, and come, and be just like the door on its hinges out there, which turns in and turns out again, and is not a bit the better for it. Oh, do not get into mere religious habits! Ritualistic habits they will be to you, simple as the ritual will be. You come, and you go, and you are satisfied. This will never do. Christ arouses your desire as he says, “Wilt thou be made whole?” Bratcher writes that "In the question Do you want to get well? there is no need to press the force of the verb want, as though to imply that the man’s own will had some force in effecting the cure (BUT SEE SPURGEON BELOW). The question merely means “Would you like to get well?” (UBS Handbook - John) THOUGHT BY SPURGEON on wish/want - I pray you to remember that it is yours to will, for Christ said to this man, “Wilt thou be made whole? Thou canst not make thyself whole, but thou canst will and wish to be made whole.” God’s Holy Spirit has given to many of you to will and to do according to his good pleasure. You will never be saved against your will; God drags nobody to heaven by the ears. There must be in you a willing mind consenting to the work of his sovereign grace; and if it be there, I want you to exercise it to-night, as Christ wished this man to exercise it: “Wilt thou be made whole? Hast thou any wish that way, any desire or longing for healing?” I want to stir this fire, and make it burn; and if there be only a spark of desire, I would breathe upon it, and pray the Holy Spirit to breathe upon it to make it into a great flame. Paul said, “To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good, I find not.” I believe that there are some here who have the will to be saved; God be thanked for that! Warren
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Spurgeon - Jesus gave the word of command, saying, “Rise! take up thy bed and walk.” The power by which the man arose was not in himself, but in Jesus; it was not the mere sound of the word which made him rise, but it was the divine power which went with it. (Jesus at Bethseda) Note that this healing of a paralytic is at Jerusalem and thus is different than the paralytic healings described in the synoptic gospels (Matthew 9:6+ Mark 2:9-11+ Mark 3:5+ Luke 5:24+ ). Nevertheless it is interesting to observe the effects of Jesus' healing a paralytic - In Mt 9:8 (Mk 2:12 is similar) the Jewish crowd was "awestruck, and glorified God, Who had given such authority to men." = Awe of God, but not necessarily awe of Jesus. In Lk 5:24 the healed paralytic went away glorifying God. But in none of these healing does the text record that anyone came to believe in Jesus. In Acts 9:34-35+ the response in Lydda and Sharon was different to Peter's healing a paralytic - Luke records they saw the healed man "and they turned to (i.e., believed in) the Lord." In John 5 when the healed man was confronted by Jesus in the Temple and told not to sin, he went to the Jews (authorities) and told them it was Jesus Who had healed him. In sum the gospel accounts do not describe any obvious conversions as a result of the healings. Spurgeon's Exposition - This is our Sabbath. Oh, that we might have the same miracle wrought here tonight, upon many spiritually impotent folk! THOUGHT BY SPURGEON - The power to heal that man was in the Christ who stood there, commissioned of God to save sinners, and to help the helpless. Please to recollect that the power that saves, and all of it, is not in the saved man, but in the Christ who saves. I take leave to contradict those who say that salvation is an evolution. All that ever can be evolved out of the sinful heart of man is sin, and nothing else. Salvation is the free gift of God, by Jesus Christ, and the work of it is supernatural. It is done by the Lord himself, and he has power to do it, however weak, nay, however dead in sin, the sinner may be. As a living child of God, I can say to-night, that,— “On a life I did not live, On a death I did not die, I stake my whole eternity.” You who would be saved must do the same; you must look right out of self to him whom God has exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to the sons of men. The Christ met that man’s case, for he was able to do anything for him that he required. He meets your case, my dear hearer, for he can do anything for you that is wanted. Between here and heaven’s gate, there shall never be anything required which he cannot give, or any help needed which he is not prepared to render, for he has all power in heaven and in earth. Next, the Lord can do more for you than you ask of him. This poor man never asked anything of Christ, except by his looks, and by his lying there at the pool. If you feel to-night as if you could not pray, if you have needs that you cannot describe, if there is something wanted, and you do not know what it is, Christ can give it to you. You shall know what it is that you want when you get it; but perhaps now, in his mercy, he does not let you know all your needs. But here is the point, he “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” May he do it in you to-night! Take comfort from the cure of the impotent man, cherish hope, and say, “Why should he not also heal me?” Pallet (2895) krabattos means a mattress, pallet, a light bed used as a poor man's bed, cot for one person, which was relatively small and portable. Krabattos is a colloquial term for the pallet or mattress that the poor had for bedding and always refers to the bed of a sick person. It could refer to a cot or stretcher on which a sick person might be carried. Krabattos is not used in the New Testament to describe the couches on which guests would recline at a dinner. Zodhiates says "It denotes a simple kind of bed such as the ancients used to rest on at noon." (Ibid) In a secular use BDAG records "‘Midas himself took up the pallet on which he had been carried, made his departure, and went back to the field." Leon
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Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - Like many others, the impotent man had been waiting for a wonder to be wrought, and a sign to be given. Wearily did he watch the pool, but no angel came, or came not for him; yet, thinking it to be his only chance, he waited still, and knew not that there was One near him whose word could heal him in a moment. Many are in the same plight: they are waiting for some singular emotion, remarkable impression, or celestial vision; they wait in vain and watch for nought. Even supposing that, in a few cases, remarkable signs are seen, yet these are rare, and no man has a right to look for them in his own case; no man especially who feels his impotency to avail himself of the moving of the water even if it came. It is a very sad reflection that tens of thousands are now waiting in the use of means, and ordinances, and vows, and resolutions, and have so waited time out of mind, in vain, utterly in vain. Meanwhile these poor souls forget the present Saviour, who bids them look unto him and be saved. He could heal them at once, but they prefer to wait for an angel and a wonder. To trust him is the sure way to every blessing, and he is worthy of the most implicit confidence; but unbelief makes them prefer the cold porches of Bethesda to the warm bosom of his love. O that the Lord may turn his eye upon the multitudes who are in this case to-night; may he forgive the slights which they put upon his divine power, and call them by that sweet constraining voice, to rise from the bed of despair, and in the energy of faith take up their bed and walk. O Lord, hear our prayer for all such at this calm hour of sunset, and ere the day breaketh may they look and live. Courteous reader, is there anything in this portion for you? John 5:9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. BGT John 5:9 καὶ εὐθέως ἐγένετο ὑγιὴς ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἦρεν τὸν κράβαττον αὐτοῦ καὶ περιεπάτει. Ἦν δὲ σάββατον ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ. KJV John 5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. NET John 5:9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.) CSB John 5:9 Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk. Now that day was the Sabbath, ESV John 5:9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. NIV John 5:9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, NLT John 5:9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, immediately: Jn 5:14 Mk 1:31,42 5:29,41,42 10:52 Ac 3:7,8 Now it was the Sabbath: Jn 5:10-12 Jn 7:23 Jn 9:14 Mt 12:10-13 Mk 3:2-4 Lu 13:10-16 Lev. 20:10; Jer. 17:19-27; Neh. 13:15 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Matthew 12:1+ At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. Matthew 12:10-13+ And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”–so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 “How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. Mark 3:2-4+ They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3He *said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 And He *said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. Luke 6:5+ And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Luke 6:9+ And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” Isaiah 35:5-6+ (WHEN MESSIAH CAME) Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. Matthew 15:9 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’” Isa. 35:5-6+ (IN THE MILLENNIUM) Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. THIRD SIGN: A WALKING MIRACLE! Immediately (eutheos) - This time phrase is important. Instantly the man was healed completely. When Jesus healed, it was not a process but a pronouncement (so to speak - pun intended). The cure was instantaneous and complete. He was completely cured in a moment. This miraculous sign was the third recorded by John. Recall that the prophet Isaiah had predicted some 700 years before that when Messiah came He would heal the blind, deaf, lame, mute (Isa. 35:5-6+) and this man's healing was living proof for all the Jews to see that the Messiah had arrived in Israel! John Walvoord writes that "here in Jerusalem was a public sign that the Messiah had come." The Jews (for the most part) simply did not have spiritual eyes to see Him and in fact this miracle would trigger a rising tide of resentment which would culminate in the Cross (See MacArthur's analysis of John 5:1-7:52).
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Spurgeon comments "I pray you observe, that although nothing is said about faith in the text, yet the man must have had faith. Suppose you had been unable to move hand or foot for thirty-eight years, and someone said at your bedside, “Rise!” you would not think of trying to rise, you would know it to be impossible; you must have faith in the person who uttered the word, or else you would not make the attempt (ED: YES IF SOMEONE TELLS YOU TO SIT ON THAT CHAIR, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IT WILL HOLD YOU, BUT THIS DOES IN NO WAY SUGGEST THAT THIS MAN HAD FAITH THAT RESULTS IN REGENERATION, FOR HE DID NOT EVEN KNOW WHO JESUS WAS). I think I see the poor man—there he is, a heap, a writhing bundle of tortured nerves and powerless muscles; yet Jesus says, “Rise!” and up he rises in moment. “Take up thy bed,” says the Master, and the bed is carried. Here was the man’s faith. The man was a Jew, and he knew that, according to the Pharisees, it would be a very wicked thing for him to roll up his mattress and carry it on the Sabbath; but because Jesus told him, he asked no questions, but doubled up his couch, and walked. He did what he was told to do, because he believed in him who spake. Have you such faith in Jesus, poor sinner? (ED: NOTICE WHILE THIS IS A POSSIBLE APPLICATION, THE MAN HIMSELF DID NOT HAVE FAITH IN JESUS WHO WAS UNKNOWN TO HIM). (Jesus at Bethesda) Guzik agrees with Spurgeon writing "Immediately the man was made well: This happened as the man responded in faith and did exactly what Jesus told him to do, though a moment before this it was impossible to do it."(John 5 Commentary) I agree with Leon Morris who has this comment on faith - This healing differs from many others in that, not only is there no mention of faith on the part of the man, but there seems to be no room for it. He did not even know Jesus’ name (Jn 5:13). This healing differs from many others in that, not only is there no mention of faith on the part of the man, but there seems to be no room for it. He did not even know Jesus’ name (The Gospel according to John - BORROW) J Ramsey Michaels - Jesus knows that he truly wants to “get well,” and he grants his wish unreservedly, with no requirement, or even any mention, of “faith” (contrast Jn 4:50, 53; also Mk 2:5). (Borrow The Gospel of John) Colin Kruse - Ignoring the man’s lack of faith Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ The very thing the man was unable to do, Jesus commanded him to do. With the command went forth the healing power: (ED: AXIOMATIC POINT - GOD'S COMMANDMENTS INCLUDE HIS ENABLEMENTS!) At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. Jesus’ word of command to the invalid was like the creative word of God: the word was uttered and the deed was done.....This is one of those healing miracles which Jesus performed without any sign of faith on the part of the beneficiary (cf. Mark 2:1–5; Luke 22:49–51). (Borrow The Gospel according to John : an introduction and commentary) Warren
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Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - “He that was healed wist not who it was.” —John 5:13 Years are short to the happy and healthy; but thirty-eight years of disease must have dragged a very weary length along the life of the poor impotent man. When Jesus, therefore, healed him by a word, while he lay at the pool of Bethesda, he was delightfully sensible of a change. Even so the sinner who has for weeks and months been paralysed with despair, and has wearily sighed for salvation, is very conscious of the change when the Lord Jesus speaks the word of power, and gives joy and peace in believing. The evil removed is too great to be removed without our discerning it; the life imparted is too remarkable to be possessed and remain inoperative; and the change wrought is too marvellous not to be perceived. Yet the poor man was ignorant of the author of his cure; he knew not the sacredness of his person, the offices which he sustained, or the errand which brought him among men. Much ignorance of Jesus may remain in hearts which yet feel the power of his blood. We must not hastily condemn men for lack of knowledge; but where we can see the faith which saves the soul, we must believe that salvation has been bestowed. The Holy Spirit makes men penitents long before he makes them divines; and he who believes what he knows, shall soon know more clearly what he believes. Ignorance is, however, an evil; for this poor man was much tantalized by the Pharisees, and was quite unable to cope with them. It is good to be able to answer gainsayers; but we cannot do so if we know not the Lord Jesus clearly and with understanding. The cure of his ignorance, however, soon followed the cure of his infirmity, for he was visited by the Lord in the temple; and after that gracious manifestation, he was found testifying that “it was Jesus who had made him whole.” Lord, if thou hast saved me, show me thyself, that I may declare thee to the sons of men. John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you." BGT John 5:14 μετὰ ταῦτα εὑρίσκει αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἴδε ὑγιὴς γέγονας, μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν σοί τι γένηται. KJV John 5:14 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. NET John 5:14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "Look, you have become well. Don't sin any more, lest anything worse happen to you." CSB John 5:14 After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, "See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn't happen to you." ESV John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you." NIV John 5:14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." NLT John 5:14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, "Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you." NRS John 5:14 Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you." NJB John 5:14 After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said, 'Now you are well again, do not sin any more, or something worse may happen to you.' NAB John 5:14 After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, "Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you." YLT John 5:14 After these things, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said to him, 'Lo, thou hast become whole; sin no more, lest something worse may happen to thee.' GWN John 5:14 Later, Jesus met the man in the temple courtyard and told him, "You're well now. Stop sinning so that something worse doesn't happen to you." BBE John 5:14 After a time Jesus came across him in the Temple and said to him, See, you are well and strong; do no more sin for fear a worse thing comes to you. RSV John 5:14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you." NKJ 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." ASV John 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee. MIT John 5:14 Later on Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you are healthy now. Do not continue to sin lest something worse happen to you." DBY John 5:14 After these things Jesus finds him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, thou art become well: sin no more, that something worse do not happen to thee. NIRV John 5:14 Later Jesus found him at the temple. Jesus said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you." RWB John 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, thou art cured: sin no more, lest a worse thing come to thee. WEB John 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, thou art cured: sin no more, lest a worse thing come to thee. in the temple: Lev 7:12 Ps 9:13 27:6 66:13-15 107:20-22 116:12-19 118:18 Isa 38:20,22 sin: Jn 8:11 Ezr 9:13,14 Ne 9:28 1Pe 4:3 So that: Jn 5:5 Lev 26:23,24,27 2Ch 28:22 Mt 12:45 Rev 2:21-23 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Deuteronomy 28:58-61+ (ILLNESS AND SIN) “If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the LORD your God, 59 then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses. 60 “He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you. 61 “Also every sickness and every plague which, not written in the book of this law, the LORD will bring on you until you are destroyed. Leviticus 26:14-16+ (ILLNESS AND SIN) ‘But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments, 15 if, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, 16 I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you a sudden terror, consumption and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to pine away; also, you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat it up. John 9:1-3+ As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (NOT ALL SICKNESS IS SIN RELATED!) (Copyright 2014 Faithlife / Logos Bible Software) HEALED PARALYTIC IN TEMPLE Afterward Jesus found (heurisko) him in the temple (hieros) - As shown above the Temple complex was large, so exactly where Jesus found the man is not stated. Found (heurisko) means to find after searching. Undoubtedly there were many Jews in this area, but Jesus has no difficulty in finding the healed man! Was this man giving glory to God for his healing? Possibly, but the text is not clear. We know from some other related events that witnesses of the healing in Mk 2:12+ and Lk 5:25-26+ "went home glorifying God." Some feel that because the healed man came to the Temple, this was evidence that he had been saved, but I think that is a stretch because the truth is that most of the Jews who went to the Temple were not saved. In Mt 9:1-7 Jesus told the paralytic "Take courage, son, your sins are forgiven." And then to show that He had the authority to forgive sins (i.e., He was God!), he told the paralyzed man to "Get up, pick up your bed and go home," which is exactly what the man did. And said to him, "Behold (idou) you have become well (hugies) - Behold is important attention getter for Jesus is seeking to get the healed man's full attention to explain to him that there is something far more important that the man's physical healing (see below)! Do not sin (hamartano) anymore - "No longer go on sinning." Do not sin is a command in the present imperative with a negative (see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) Stop sinning (like you are doing) or do not begin to sin. Now clearly Jesus is not calling for perfection (or we'd all be "dead in the water"!) but is speaking of direction. And the only way any fallen man or woman can walk in the "direction" of holiness and sinning less, is by walking in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. But as discussed below there is no definitive, conclusive evidence that this man was born again (although some commentators think he was born again) as there is with the blind man given sight in John 9. Grant Osborne favors this man's illness is sin related pointing out that "Carson (1991:245-246) discusses attempts to avoid saying the man’s illness was not the result of sin: (1) “Stop sinning” only implies that the man was not chosen due to his moral perfection; nothing more is meant; (2) elsewhere illness and death occur for the glory of God, not due to sin (Jn 9:3; 11:4); (3) as in Luke 13:1-5 (the murder of Galileans and those on whom the tower of Siloam fell), terrible events are not always due to personal sin. But such is not the case here: (1) Much suffering in Scripture is due to specific sins (Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor 11:30); (2) here “something even worse” is tied together with “stop sinning,” implying that the earlier illness was the result of sin; (3) Luke 13:1-5 does not address the suffering individual and so is irrelevant for this issue; (4) according to Scripture, the Fall has produced all suffering, and so it makes sense that some suffering will be specifically linked to sin; (5) in this context it is possible, indeed likely, that Jesus chose this invalid because his illness was tied to a specific sin. (See The Gospel of John) (bolding added) John MacArthur agrees with Osborne regarding the relationship between the man's paralysis and sin writing "The most natural understanding of the Lord’s warning, then, is that the man’s illness was the result of specific personal sin on his part. If the man persisted in unrepentant sin, Jesus warned, he would suffer a fate infinitely worse than thirty-eight years of a debilitating disease—namely, eternal punishment in hell." (An Ungrateful Response to Jesus) Warren Wiersbe also agrees that "The Lord's words (John 5:14) suggest that the man's physical plight had been the result of sin; but Jesus did not say that the man's sins had been forgiven as He did in dealing with the sick man lowered through the roof (see Mark 2:1-12+). It is possible to experience an exciting miracle and still not be saved and go to heaven! (ED: COMPARE THE WORDS OF THOSE WHO ACTUALLY PERFORM MIRACLES AND THUS THINK THEY ARE SAVED IN Mt 7:22-23+! EXPERIENCING OR EVEN DOING MIRACLES DOES NOT SAVE A PERSON!) (Bible Exposition Commentary) The impotent man met the Omnipotent Man. J Vernon McGee disagrees with Wiersbe (I agree with Wiersbe, et al below and disagree with McGee on his interpretation) writing first that this man's "condition was the result of his own sin." Then
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Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" Well (sound, healed, good health, restored)(5199) hugies which is the root of hugiaino; English = hygiene, hygienic) literally refers to being physically (and mentally) well or sound (emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction), healthy (implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease). Hugies describes that which balanced and ordered throughout. Hugies was used figuratively to describe speech which was uncorrupted, correct, accurate, balanced and ordered throughout, in addition to speech which is useful and beneficial. Health implies a proper balance of the whole. Hugies - 12x - good health(1), healed(1), normal(1), restored(1), sound(1), well(7). Matt. 12:13; Matt. 15:31; Mk. 5:34; Jn. 5:4; Jn. 5:6; Jn. 5:9; Jn. 5:11; Jn. 5:14; Jn. 5:15; Jn. 7:23; Acts 4:10; Tit. 2:8 Sin (verb) (264) hamartano literally means to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize). Hamartano means to act contrary to the will and law of God. To commit a wrong. To be in error. Hamartano emphasizes loss which always results from missing God's mark or target, His good and acceptable and perfect will (Ro 12:2) Like hamartía, (hamartánō) is regularly used in ancient times of an archer missing the target (Homer, Aesch., etc). Every decision (action) done apart from faith (pistis) is sin (Ro 14:23+; cf. Heb 11:6+). Hamartánō ("choosing sin") asserts the agenda of self, by (for) self, over God's loving plan Believers experience loss every time they sin (cf. Heb 10:26), as it diminishes their unique glorification awarded by Christ at His return. Hamartano - 37v - commit sin(1), committed...offense(1), committing(1), sin(11), sinned(17), sinning(4), sins(8). Matt. 18:15; Matt. 18:21; Matt. 27:4; Lk. 15:18; Lk. 15:21; Lk. 17:3; Lk. 17:4; Jn. 5:14; Jn. 8:11; Jn. 9:2; Jn. 9:3; Acts 25:8; Rom. 2:12; Rom. 3:23; Rom. 5:12; Rom. 5:14; Rom. 5:16; Rom. 6:15; 1 Co. 6:18; 1 Co. 7:28; 1 Co. 7:36; 1 Co. 8:12; 1 Co. 15:34; Eph. 4:26; 1 Tim. 5:20; Tit. 3:11; Heb. 3:17; Heb. 10:26; 1 Pet. 2:20; 2 Pet. 2:4; 1 Jn. 1:10; 1 Jn. 2:1; 1 Jn. 3:6; 1 Jn. 3:8; 1 Jn. 3:9; 1 Jn. 5:16; 1 Jn. 5:18 Don't Waste It See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. — John 5:14 Today's Scripture: John 5:1-15 The prince of a small, oil-rich Asian nation was indicted for allegedly squandering $16 billion of his country’s wealth. Over a 10-year period, the prince is believed to have lost huge sums through poor judgment and bad investments. His nation’s High Court said that he spent $2.7 billion just on aircraft, yachts, cars, and jewelry. While shaking my head in disbelief, I had to ask myself if I too am guilty of recklessly wasting riches—the riches of God’s grace. If I have received His mercy and forgiveness yet continue to yield to sin, I am squandering His grace. After Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years, the Lord said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14). It seems that Jesus was warning him not to waste God’s healing touch on his life. Paul too pleaded with the Christians in Corinth “not to receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1). Indeed, God’s grace should result in changed lives (Titus 2:11-12). Almighty God, Your grace impart, Fix deep conviction on each heart; Nor let us waste on trifling things The life that Your salvation brings. —Anon. To avoid disgrace, grow in grace. John 5:15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. BGT John 5:15 ἀπῆλθεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἀνήγγειλεν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὸν ὑγιῆ. KJV John 5:15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. NET John 5:15 The man went away and informed the Jewish leaders that Jesus was the one who had made him well. CSB John 5:15 The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. ESV John 5:15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. NIV John 5:15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. NLT John 5:15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him. NRS John 5:15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. and told: Jn 4:29 9:11,12 Mk 1:45 who: Jn 5:12 Jn 9:15,25,30,34 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries HEALED MAN TELLS ALL TO JEWISH LEADERS The man went away - This is a sad description - Note first he fails to ask Jesus what He meant by do not sin. Secondly, he failed to query Him about the something worse he might experience! It is tragic that he leaves the Light of the world to go to the darkness of the Jewish leaders. We cannot discern with certainty his eternal fate, but this decision to walk away from Jesus and seemingly to "turn Jesus in" to the authorities suggests that spiritual healing did not accompany his physical healing (see discussion of previous passage).
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Spurgeon has a pithy comment - “It does not appear from our text that everlasting life is communicated by drops of water, or in any other ceremonial manner; but the command is, ‘Hear, (ED: AND "BELIEVE") and your soul shall live.’” But - This verse has one of the more important terms of contrast in the entire Bible! All mankind will be separated by this "but" into those with eternal death or eternal life. Has passed out (metabaino in perfect tense) of death (thanatos) into life (zoe) - I like the picture of the NIV - "he has crossed over from death to life." The great exchange has taken place once and for all time, from spiritual death to spiritual life! Has passed is past tense (actually perfect tense) indicating that the moment a person believes, God's Spirit carries out an instantaneous transaction (cf Col 1:13+) and a person who formerly possessed spiritual death, now possesses eternal life. And the signifies it is "one and done" so to speak, indicating this transfer is permanent. Once saved (assuming genuine), always saved! And believers do not have to wait for heaven to receive eternal life (zoe), for they entered into the sphere of eternal life (zoe) the moment they believed. Believers can now experience a new quality of life and even in this fallen world can experience abundant life (Jn 10:10b+). THOUGHT - Dear believer in the Son of God, are you experiencing abundant life in Christ? That is Jesus' desire for every believer! (see Jn 10:10b+). Heading - Certainly in our verse we have the eternal security of the believer, because the verb “is passed” in “is passed from death unto life” is in the perfect tense, namely metabebēken, implying the lasting effects after the original event. The fact that the passage from death to life in a believer has already taken place does not deny the resurrection of the body in the future; Paul had to contend with such a doctrine (2Ti 2:18), for its proponents were overthrowing the faith of some. (What the Bible Teaches - John) A T
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Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega of the Bible. He is the constant theme of its sacred pages; from first to last they testify of him. At the creation we at once discern him as one of the sacred Trinity; we catch a glimpse of him in the promise of the woman's seed; we see him typified in the ark of Noah; we walk with Abraham, as he sees Messiah's day; we dwell in the tents of Isaac and Jacob, feeding upon the gracious promise; we hear the venerable Israel talking of Shiloh; and in the numerous types of the law, we find the Redeemer abundantly foreshadowed. Prophets and kings, priests and preachers, all look one way-they all stand as the cherubs did over the ark, desiring to look within, and to read the mystery of God's great propitiation. Still more manifestly in the New Testament we find our Lord the one pervading subject. It is not an ingot here and there, or dust of gold thinly scattered, but here you stand upon a solid floor of gold; for the whole substance of the New Testament is Jesus crucified, and even its closing sentence is bejewelled with the Redeemer's name. We should always read Scripture in this light; we should consider the word to be as a mirror into which Christ looks down from heaven; and then we, looking into it, see his face reflected as in a glass-darkly, it is true, but still in such a way as to be a blessed preparation for seeing him as we shall see him face to face. This volume contains Jesus Christ's letters to us, perfumed by his love. These pages are the garments of our King, and they all smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia. Scripture is the royal chariot in which Jesus rides, and it is paved with love for the daughters of Jerusalem. The Scriptures are the swaddling bands of the holy child Jesus; unroll them and you find your Saviour. The quintessence of the word of God is Christ. C H Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - The Greek word here rendered search signifies a strict, close, diligent, curious search, such as men make when they are seeking gold, or hunters when they are in earnest after game. We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out the hidden meaning of the word. Holy Scripture requires searching-much of it can only be learned by careful study. There is milk for babes, but also meat for strong men. The rabbis wisely say that a mountain of matter hangs upon every word, yea, upon every title of Scripture. Tertullian exclaims, "I adore the fulness of the Scriptures." No man who merely skims the book of God can profit thereby; we must dig and mine until we obtain the hid treasure. The door of the word only opens to the key of diligence. The Scriptures claim searching. They are the writings of God, bearing the divine stamp and imprimatur- who shall dare to treat them with levity? He who despises them despises the God who wrote them (ED: I WOULD SUBMIT THIS GOES FOR UNHITCHING THE OLD TESTAMENT!). God forbid that any of us should leave our Bibles to become swift witnesses against us in the great day of account. The word of God will repay searching. God does not bid us sift a mountain of chaff with here and there a grain of wheat in it, but the Bible is winnowed corn-we have but to open the granary door and find it. Scripture grows upon the student. It is full of surprises. Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to the searching eye it glows with splendour of revelation, like a vast temple paved with wrought gold, and roofed with rubies, emeralds, and all manner of gems. No merchandise like the merchandise of Scripture truth. Lastly, the Scriptures reveal Jesus: "They are they which testify of me." No more powerful motive can be urged upon Bible readers than this: he who finds Jesus finds life, heaven, all things. Happy he who, searching his Bible, discovers his Saviour. QUESTION - What is bibliolatry? ANSWER - The term bibliolatry comes from combining the Greek words for Bible and worship. In a Christian context, simply stated, bibliolatry is the worship of the Bible. Typically, the accusation of bibliolatry is used as an attack on those who hold to the inerrancy, infallibility, and supremacy of Scripture. It is often employed as an inflammatory and derogatory attack on believers who hold to “sola scriptura” and/or a literal interpretation of the Bible. It is important to note that the charge of bibliolatry does not claim some Christians literally bow down before a Bible and worship it, as if it were an idol. While there may be some strange cult out there that literally worships the Bible, that is not what bibliolatry is referring to. The accusation of bibliolatry is that some Christians elevate the Bible to the point that it is equal with God, or to the point that studying the Bible is more important than developing a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Is the charge of bibliolatry accurate? First, it is important to understand what the Bible says about itself. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 declares, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” So, if the Bible is “God-breathed,” and “God does not lie” (Titus 1:2), then every word in the Bible must be true. Believing in an inerrant, infallible, and authoritative Bible is not bibliolatry. Rather, it is simply believing what the Bible says about itself. Further, believing what the Bible says about itself is in fact worshiping the God who breathed out His Word. Only a perfect, infallible, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God could create written revelation that is itself perfect and infallible. Do some believers emphasize the Bible to the point that other things of importance—such as tradition, nature, reason, and experience—are neglected? Yes. However, the Bible, based on what it says about itself, must be a higher authority than any of these and must, in fact, be the authority against which they are judged. God would never contradict Himself by revealing something in nature, reason, or experience that disagrees with what He revealed in His Word. The Bible is not to be worshiped, but the God of the Bible is to be worshiped. To ignore what God has revealed about Himself in His Word and instead elevate the subjective “revelations” of nature, reason, and experience is idolatry (Romans 1:18-25). The Bible is not God. The Bible does not contain all of God’s knowledge. While the Bible gives principles that apply to every situation, it does not explicitly give us all the information we need to daily live our lives. Part of the problem is that some Christians take the saying “the Bible says it, that settles it, I believe it” to extremes. While the statement is absolutely true and should reflect how we view the Bible, God’s Word does not instruct us to abandon our brains or ignore our experiences. True reason is completely compatible with Scripture. Experience can help us in our understanding of Scripture. While the Bible must be our authority, we must also use it to confirm and verify the conclusions we reach with our God-given reason and God-directed experience (1 Peter 3:15). Believing what the Bible says about itself is not bibliolatry. Rather, accepting God’s Word for what it claims to be is in fact worshiping the God who breathed it.GotQuestions.org Rod Mattoon - An Acrostic on How to Search … Search the Scriptures S-Studiously * Psalm 119:12—Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. * 2 Timothy 2:15—Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. E-Earnestly * Psalm 119:4—Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. A-Anxiously * Psalm 119:9—Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. * Psalm 119:20—My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. R-Regularly * Psalm 1:2—But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. * Acts 17:11—These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. C-Carefully * Psalm 119:30—I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me. H-Humbly * Psalm 119:36—Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. T-Thankfully * Psalm 119:7—I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. * Jeremiah 15:16—Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. H-Happily * Psalm 19:8—The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. * Psalm 119:16—I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. E-Eagerly * Psalm 119:33—Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. * 1 Peter 2:2—As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: S-Systematically * Luke 24:27—And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. * Isaiah 28:9–10.… Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. [10] For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: C-Concernedly * Psalm 1:1–2.… Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. * Psalm 119:34—Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. R-Respectfully * Psalm 119:15—I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. * Psalm 19:9—The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. I-Intently * Psalm 119:40—Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. * Proverbs 2:1–5.… My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; [2] So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; [3] Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; [4] If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; [5] Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. P-Prayerfully * Psalm 119:18—Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. * James 1:5–7.… If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. [6] But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. [7] For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. T-Trustingly * Psalm 119:43—And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments. * Acts 24:14—But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: U-Unashamedly * Psalm 119:6—Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. * Psalm 119:35—Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. * Psalm 119:59—I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. R-Retentively * Psalm 119:11—Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. * Jeremiah 20:9—Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. E-Expectantly * Joshua 1:8—This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. * Isaiah 55:11—So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. S-Satisfyingly * Psalm 119:50—This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. * Job 23:12—Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. (Treasures from John.) What Do the Experts Say? These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39–40 Today's Scripture & Insight: John 5:31–40 Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby writes of the “uncanny ability of experts to get things hopelessly, cataclysmically wrong.” A quick glance at recent history shows he’s right. The great inventor Thomas Edison, for instance, once declared that talking movies would never replace silent films. And in 1928, Henry Ford declared, “People are becoming too intelligent ever to have another war.” Countless other predictions by “experts” have missed the mark badly. Genius obviously has its limits. Only one Person is completely reliable, and He had strong words for some so-called experts. The religious leaders of Jesus’s day claimed to have the truth. These scholars and theologians thought they knew what the promised Messiah would be like when He arrived. Jesus cautioned them, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life.” Then He pointed out how they were missing the heart of the matter. “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39–40). Father, whenever we are troubled or alarmed, help us to seek You. We commit this coming year and all it holds to You. Knowing the future is uncertain; knowing the One who holds the future is a sure thing. John 5:40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. BGT John 5:40 καὶ οὐ θέλετε ἐλθεῖν πρός με ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχητε. KJV John 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. NET John 5:40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life. CSB John 5:40 And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life. ESV John 5:40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. NIV John 5:40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. NLT John 5:40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life. NRS John 5:40 Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. NJB John 5:40 and yet you refuse to come to me to receive life! NAB John 5:40 But you do not want to come to me to have life. YLT John 5:40 and ye do not will to come unto me, that ye may have life; unwilling: Jn 5:44 Jn 1:11 Jn 3:19 Jn 8:45-46 Jn 12:37-41 Ps 81:11 Isa 49:7 50:2 53:1-3 Mt 22:3 23:37 Rev 22:17 that: Jn 6:27,37,40,68,69 Jn 7:37,38 Jn 11:25,26 Ro 6:23 1Jn 5:11-13 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Resources: John 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. John 3:19 (HERE IS WHY THEY WERE UNWILLING!) “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. John 6:37, 40 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.....40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” John 7:37; 38 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John 11:25; 26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 John 5:11-13 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. UNBELIEVING AND UNWILLING John 5:40-47 "concludes our Lord Jesus Christ’s wondrous defence of His own divine mission. It is a conclusion worthy of the defence, full of heart-searching appeals to the consciences of His enemies, and rich in deep truths. A mighty sermon is followed by a mighty application." (Ryle) And (kai) - This conjunction functions to connect the following statement to the previous statement about the Scriptures the Jews zealously searched. Some of the other translations render it "yet" (ESV, NIV, NLT) or "but" (NET) instead of "and" because Jn 5:40 functions more like a contrast. In other words, Jesus has just stated that the Scriptures "testify about" Him. One would think this truth would make a Jewish person excited to know the true Messiah, but Jesus says in essence "to the the contrary..." thus the preference for a term of contrast like "yet" or "but.' You are (absolutely) unwilling (thelo) to come (active voice - refusal to make a volitional choice to come) to Me so that (term of purpose) you may have (present tense - continually have spiritual) life (zoe) - “You have no heart, desire, or inclination to come to Me.” This is the purpose of John in writing the Gospel (John 20:31), for there is life only in Christ Jesus (cf Col 3:4). Unwilling is two words (ou = absolute negation + thelo) and so more literally reads they were absolutely not willing. Why were they unwilling to come to the Light of the world (Jn 8:12)? As John had explained earlier, they "loved the darkness rather than the Light!" (Jn 3:19+) The result was that they showed that they in essence loved death rather than the true life found only in Christ! Their unwilling hearts grieved/quenched the Spirit and thus blunted His illuminating ministry (See Illumination) and this in turn made it impossible for these hyper-religious men to find life in the Living Word (Heb 4:12+ - life giving word) of God about the Living Word Who stood in their midst! Swindoll - Rather than reading Scripture as a means to knowing God, they made the law their god. (AKA "Bibliolatry") (Borrow Insights on John)
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Spurgeon adds "Some cannot believe in Jesus Christ because they are very fond of what they call pleasure. Every man desires happiness and is not to be condemned for this. The human mind was constituted to enjoy pleasure, but it was never created to be content with the vanities which are falsely called pleasures. It makes one blush to think of the trifles in which our neighbours take delight. Sinful pleasures are a great bar to faith and must be renounced. That evil companion who has charmed you with questionable jests must be given up. Do you say that you cannot quit him? Then I see why you cannot believe in Jesus. Unbelievers know that if they believe in Christ they must forsake that house of unclean amusement which leads to vice, and they cannot believe because they love the place of temptation. They hesitate, deliberate and say that they cannot believe in Jesus; but if they would speak the truth, they mean they cannot give up sweet sin. Sin is such a dainty, that they must roll it again under the tongue and relish it once more. They prefer pleasure to the Saviour. There are some who are unable to believe in Jesus Christ for reasons which I hardly care to utter publicly, and yet I must. I have sometimes had sorrowful proof of the reason why some men have lived in unbelief of Christ. After a death I have heard what would have been a shame to whisper in the ear of an unsuspecting wife. The man was a respectable merchant in the city and went into the ‘best society’, but he was keeping a mistress and living in fornication all the while. He said he could not believe in Christ! Do you wonder? How could he? I speak plainly, because these things are common among respectable merchants and they need to be told plainly of their sins. Do not come whining to me about ‘can’t believe in Jesus Christ’. Of course you cannot while you live in filthy lusts. (Why Men Cannot Believe in Christ) Seek (2212) (zeteo) implies giving attention and priority to and deliberately pursuing after. The most common sense of this word is to "seek". Webster says that to seek means to go in search or quest of, to look for, to try to discover, to search for by going from place to place. To inquire for; to ask for; to solicit; to endeavor to find or gain by any means. Zēteō in classical Greek is often used as a technical term for philosophical investigation, something “examined, considered” or “deliberated.” The Old Testament tradition of seeking after God, the prophets, false gods, etc., was shown by Paul (Ro 10:20). The most striking application of zēteō is the New Testament religious application. Zeteo in John - Jn 1:38; Jn 4:23; Jn 4:27; Jn 5:18; Jn 5:30; Jn 5:44; Jn 6:24; Jn 6:26; Jn 7:1; Jn 7:4; Jn 7:11; Jn 7:18; Jn 7:19; Jn 7:20; Jn 7:25; Jn 7:30; Jn 7:34; Jn 7:36; Jn 8:21; Jn 8:37; Jn 8:40; Jn 8:50; Jn 10:39; Jn 11:8; Jn 11:56; Jn 13:33; Jn 16:19; Jn 18:4; Jn 18:7; Jn 18:8; Jn 19:12; Jn 20:15 Crowd Control How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? — John 5:44 Today's Scripture: John 5:31-44 A crowd can wield great control over an individual. I was reminded of this as I read a newspaper article about an old carnival headliner nicknamed “Cannonball.” In his younger days he was blasted out of a cannon 1,200 times. When asked why he did this, he replied, “Do you know what it’s like to feel the applause of 60,000 people? That’s why I did it!” Many religious leaders of Jesus’ day loved the approval of the crowd. Outwardly religious, they pretended to have the truth but rejected the Savior. As they walked across the stage of human history, they paraded around in robes of self-righteousness and refused to believe in Jesus, not even giving Him a fair hearing. They were like people walking on a sheet of ice that was melting from the heat of an underlying lake of fire. They faced eternal condemnation because they were more concerned with receiving honor from one another than from God (Jn. 5:44). If we, to gain the world's applause, Refuse to own the Savior's cause, What shame will fill us in that day When Christ His glory shall display! —Anon. The Lord's approval is worth far more than the world's applause. John 5:45 "Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. BGT John 5:45 Μὴ δοκεῖτε ὅτι ἐγὼ κατηγορήσω ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· ἔστιν ὁ κατηγορῶν ὑμῶν Μωϋσῆς, εἰς ὃν ὑμεῖς ἠλπίκατε. KJV John 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. NET John 5:45 "Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. CSB John 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. ESV John 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. NIV John 5:45 "But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. NLT John 5:45 "Yet it isn't I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. NRS John 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. NJB John 5:45 Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father: you have placed your hopes on Moses, and Moses will be the one who accuses you. NAB John 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. YLT John 5:45 'Do not think that I will accuse you unto the Father; there is who is accusing you, Moses -- in whom ye have hoped; there: Jn 7:19 8:5,9 Ro 2:12,17-29 3:19,20 7:9-14 2Co 3:7-11 Ga 3:10 in: Jn 8:5,6 9:28,29 Mt 19:7,8 Ro 10:5-10 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: John 9:28 They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. JESUS "CALLS" MOSES AS PROSECUTING ATTORNEY Do not think (dokeo) that I will accuse (kategoreo) you before the Father - Do not think is a present imperative with a negative, this command directed at the religious leaders charging them to stop making assumptions about Him. Note Jesus does not say "your" Father but the Father. Jesus will not accuse them but He will judge them as guilty of rejected the Father's Son. The one who accuses (kategoreo) you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope (elpizo) - He is not saying the real, literal Moses would make a formal accusation against the jews. The point is that not to believe Jesus was not to believe Moses. It is as if Moses (or better the personification of Scriptures he wrote) prosecutes the case against the Jews which is ironic as he (the Scriptures he wrote) is the very one the Jewish authorities have placed their hope. Most of the uses of hope in the NT are not "hope so," but "hope sure," signifying absolute assurance of future good. In this case their hope is "hope so," as their hope of entering the Kingdom God will never be realized. Their false hope in heaven will be replaced by a sure home in hell. Set you hope is in the perfect tense signifying that at a point in time they had come to a conclusion that their "sure" hope was in Moses (reading Torah, keeping laws, etc), and they were still in that abiding false belief/hope! Stated another way, "their hope is a present hope, and not simply a past state." (Morris)