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John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
João 5
MacArthur comments "Like many people, his expectations of what Jesus could do for him were limited to what he believed was possible." While I am coming, another steps down before me - This is where the man's faith was! It was in the supposed healing power of the bubbling waters! He explains that his attempt to get into the stirring waters (which they thought had healing properties) are cut off by others who presumably were more mobile, so he never made it to the stirring waters. The implication is that healing was associated not with the pool per se or the water in the pool, but when the water was stirred up and this would only last a finite amount of time. The man's point is he cannot get in the pool quick enough to receive healing. And I use the word "healing" loosely for we simply do not know with certainty that people did receive genuine healing by stepping into the bubbling waters. While it is possible, further comments are only speculation. THOUGHT BY SPURGEON - In addition to this, our Lord knew all this poor man’s disappointments. Many times, when he had striven to get first to the water’s edge, and did think that he should be able to take the happy plunge, in went some one else before him, and his hopes were gone. Another came up out of the water healed; and then, with a heavy sigh, he fell back upon his couch, and felt that it might be a long time before the angel stirred the water again, and even then he might be disappointed again, he recollected the many times when he had lost all hope; and there he lay almost in despair. Now I think I hear some one here to-night saying, “My brother found the Lord. My friend, who came with me hero, found the Lord. I have lived to see my mother die in sure and certain hope of glory. I have friends who have come to Christ, but I am still living without him. When there were special services, I hoped that I might have been specially blessed. I have been to prayer-meetings, I have read my Bible in secret, and I have sometimes hoped— it was but a little hope, but still I hoped— ‘May be, one of these days, I may be healed.’” Yes, dear friend, and my Lord knows all about that, and he sympathizes in all the grief you feel to-night, and he hears those unspoken wishes of yours, and he knows your longing that you may be healed. Heading comments on the man's faith pointing out that "the exercise of faith depends upon the possession of knowledge, and this the man lacked. Divine mercy was not withheld because of that, else no one could ever be saved from pre-conversion ignorance. (What the Bible Teaches - John) John
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MacArthur - Just as Jesus spoke and the world was created (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26; cf. John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2), so also His words had the power to create a new body (cf. Matt. 8:16; 9:6; Mark 2:11; Luke 6:10; 13:12). Unlike many alleged modern healings, Jesus’ healings were complete and instantaneous, with or without faith. This one proves the point, since the man exhibited no faith in Jesus at all. D A Carson links Jesus' command to His future word at the time of our resurrection - Jesus’ powerful word heals the man: Get up! (egeire) anticipates the powerful voice of the Son of God on the last day (Jn 5:28–29), even as it exemplifies that powerful voice now (Jn 5:25). Jesus’ word also instructs the man: Pick up your mat and walk. (Borrow The Gospel according to John) J
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MacArthur - This incident perfectly illustrates God’s sovereign grace in action (cf. Jn 5:21). Out of all the sick people at the pool, Jesus chose to heal this man. There was nothing about him that made him more deserving than the others, nor did he seek out Jesus; Jesus approached him. The Lord did not choose him because He foresaw that he had the faith to believe for a healing; he never did express belief that Jesus could heal him. So it is in salvation. Out of the spiritually dead multitude of Adam’s fallen race, God chose and redeemed His elect—not because of anything they did to deserve it, or because of their foreseen faith, but because of His sovereign choice (Jn 6:37; Rom. 8:29–30; 9:16; Eph. 1:4–5; 2:4–5; 2 Thess. 2:13; Titus 3:5). Even the faith to believe was a sovereign gift (Eph. 2:8–9). The man became well (hugies), and picked up his pallet and began to walk - It is notable that the man obeyed Jesus' commands! This would indicate that in some way or measure this man had some element of trust (of course in the mysterious ways of God, any faith he possessed would have come from God! Go figure that one out!) He believed this stranger's words and he acted on (obeyed) those words. He reminds me of Peter who obeyed Jesus' command to "Come!" and for a moment he walked on the water (Mt 14:29). The question that arises is this -- Does the fact that the man acted on Jesus' words make him believer, a new creation in Christ? See comments below. As an aside the verb became (ginomai) is first used in the Septuagint in God's charge "Let there be (ginomai) light!" (Ge 1:3+ and is used 22x in the Creation account underscoring that this healing was analogous to God's Word in creation.) THOUGHT BY SPURGEON - Now the way in which Christ worked was very singular. He worked by a command. It is not a way that you and I would have selected; nor a way of which some nominal Christians approve. He said to this man, “Rise.” He could not rise. “Take up thy bed.” He could not take up his bed; he had been thirty-eight years unable to get off his bed. “Take up thy bed, and walk.” Walk? He could not walk. I have heard some objectors say, “That preacher says to people, ‘Believe.’ They cannot believe. He bids them ‘Repent.’ They cannot repent.” Ah! well, our Lord is our example; and he said to this man, who could not rise, and could not take up his bed, and could not walk, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” That was his way of exercising his divine power; and that is the way in which Christ saves men to-day. He gives us faith enough to say, “Ye dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord I” They cannot hear. “Thus saith the Lord, Ye dry bones, live!” They cannot live; but they do hear, and they do live; and while we are acting by faith, delivering a command which looks, upon the surface of it, to be absurd and unreasonable, the work of Christ is done by that command. Did he not say of old in the darkness, “Let there be light”? To what spake the Lord that word of power? To darkness, and to nothingness. “And there was light.” Now, he speaks to the sinner, and he says, “Believe, and live.” He believes, and he lives. God wants those of his messengers, who have the faith to give his command, to let the sinner know that he has not the strength to obey, that he is morally lost and ruined, and yet to say, in the name of the eternal God, “Thus saith the Lord, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. Believe, repent, be converted, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is the way in which Christ’s power goes forth to the sons of men. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Stretch forth thine hand,” and he did so; and he says to the dead, “Come forth,” and they do come forth. His commandings are attended with enablings; and where his commands are faithfully preached, his power goes with them, and men are saved.
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MacArthur writes "Jesus' refusal to observe the legalistic and manmade Sabbath regulations of rabbinic tradition was a major point of contention between Him and Israel's religious establishment (cf. Matt. 12:1-14; Mark 2:23-3:6; Luke 6:1-11; 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 7:21-23; 9:14-16). In fact, the Lord deliberately chose to heal this man on the Sabbath to confront superficial and bankrupt Jewish legalism. The man's condition was not life threatening, and he was constantly at the pool. Jesus could have easily chosen another day to heal him. But the Lord not only wanted to show mercy to this man; He also wanted to call the nation to repentance by confronting the self-righteous and unbiblical stipulations that led to their illusion of spiritual life. They had become experts at substituting their traditions for God's commands (Matt. 15:9). Gerald L. Borchert explains that "The Sabbath had become a pervading theme in Jewish life.…So significant was the Sabbath that a major section of the Mishna was devoted to Sabbath rules. Sabbath obedience became in fact an eschatological issue because it was thought at least minimally that the coming of the Messiah was linked to the perfect keeping of one Sabbath. The actions of Jesus were thus regarded by Sabbath-oriented Jews as being diametrically opposed to the expectations of the rabbis who probably would have categorized Jesus as an antinomian libertarian. He did not seem to be concerned for the precious rules of the rabbis. Not only in John, but also in the Synoptics is Jesus portrayed as seemingly unconcerned for the rabbinic traditions about the Sabbath.… The rules of the rabbis were a misunderstanding of God’s design for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was not the means to God’s approval, as the rabbis seem to have suggested. The Sabbath was not merely a rule for humans, but a gift to humans (cf. Mark 2:27). It was to be used to honor God and to benefit his people. More importantly, Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath (cf. Mark 2:28). If, therefore, anyone would have a right to act on Sabbath, it was Jesus. (John 1–11, The New American Commentary [Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2002], 228–29. Italics in original. (Quoted by John MacArthur - An Ungrateful Response to Jesus) Immediately" (2112)(eutheos from euthus = straight, immediate) is an adverb which generally means at once, right away, forthwith, straightaway, without an interval of time or a point of time subsequent to a previous point of time. Note that the actual interval of time depends on the nature of the events and the manner in which the sequence is interpreted by the writer. Eutheos is a "time sensitive" word (see expression of time) and should prompt questions like "To what time does it refer?" or "What happens in this time?" John 5:10 So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet." BGT John 5:10 ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τῷ τεθεραπευμένῳ· σάββατόν ἐστιν, καὶ οὐκ ἔξεστίν σοι ἆραι τὸν κράβαττόν σου. KJV John 5:10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. NET John 5:10 So the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat." CSB John 5:10 so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "This is the Sabbath! It's illegal for you to pick up your mat." ESV John 5:10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed." NIV John 5:10 and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat." NLT John 5:10 so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, "You can't work on the Sabbath! The law doesn't allow you to carry that sleeping mat!" it is not: Ex 20:8-11 Ex 31:12-17 Ne 13:15-21 Isa 58:13 Jer 17:21,27 Mt 12:2-8 Mk 2:24 3:4 Lu 6:2 13:14 23:56 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Exodus 16:30+ So the people rested (shabath root of the noun "Sabbath") on the seventh day. Exodus 20:8-11+ “Remember (aorist imperative in the Lxx) the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested (nuach; Lxx = katapauo = bring to a place of rest, cease) on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 31:12-17+ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 14 ‘Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 ‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. 16 ‘So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ 17 “It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased (shabath root of the noun "Sabbath"; Lxx = pauo = cause something to stop) from labor, and was refreshed (Hebrew = naphash = Literally "take a breath" figuratively "be refreshed" - cease from activity resulting in rest and refreshment from a weary state; Lxx = katapauo = bring to a place of rest, cease).” Genesis 2:1-3+ Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested (shabath root of the noun "Sabbath"; Lxx = katapauo = bring to a place of rest, cease) from all His work which God had created and made. Numbers 15:32-36+ Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation; 34 and they put him in custody because it had not been declared what should be done to him. 35 Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. NO "FURNITURE" COULD BE CARRIED ON SABBATH! So - For this reason. Term of conclusion. What was the healed man doing? He was carrying his pallet, which led to their concluding statement. Warren
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MacArthur - The false religion of Judaism, like all false systems, cannot change the inside, so it is left to manipulate life on the outside. Jesus sums up the real meaning of the Sabbath in Mark 2:27NLT+ "Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." Why was this not permissible (lawful - exesti)? It was seen as carrying "furniture" which in the perverted minds of the legalistic rabbis was interpreted as work and thus they felt he had broken the command to "Remember (idea is to set aside - Lxx is in the aorist imperative - "Just do it!") the sabbath day, to keep it holy (Ex 20:8+)." The command to remember included the mental activity of recalling and pondering as well as the consequent actions that result from remembering. As an aside, it is notable that the New Testament repeats injunctions concerning all of the other of the ten commandments, but there is no repeated injunction to keep the Sabbath. Jesus healed on the Sabbath in order to reveal the hypocrisy of the Pharisees’ religion. -- GotQuestions.org Charles Swindoll "The Lord instituted the Sabbath as a gift. He ordered a day of rest to rejuvenate the bodies and minds of His people. More importantly, it was given in order to break the day-in, day-out cycle of routine so that people would not forget that God is the ultimate source of their sustenance; their labors are but a means of His provision. The Sabbath gave people permission to stop work so they would not neglect a vital need: worship. We are created for worship; therefore, worship is good for us. But the Pharisees turned this wonderful gift of God into a burden, an occasion for severe criticism, an excuse to exercise power, and yet another opportunity to remind themselves and everyone else of their superior moral worth. (BORROW Insights on John or see Insights on John scroll up and down for more text) POSB has a good note - 1. Dead religion is a religion of legalism. The religionists were trying to meet the needs of people through rules and regulations, ceremony and rituals. (See Deeper Study #1—Luke 6:2; Deeper Study #2—John 5:15-16.) They were more concerned with the man who was violating the ritual of the Sabbath than with the man who was suffering in a pitiful condition. 2. Dead religion is a religion ignorant of true authority. They should have known that the power of God had healed the man, and should have been eager to share with the man Jesus, the man upon whom such power rested. But note: they cared little about the power of God and His messenger. They cared only that the status quo be maintained, that their religious practices continue as they were and not be violated. Their thoughts were upon their own religious position and security. (See Deeper Study #2—John 5:15-16 for discussion.) 3. Dead religion is a religion blind to love and good. Note the question of the religionists. It was not, "Who is the man who has healed and helped you so much?" but, "Who is the man that broke the religious law?" They did not see the good that had been done. They saw only that their position and security was threatened and that someone had more power and influence and was doing more good than they were. (The Preacher's outline & sermon Bible - BORROW) ILLUSTRATION OF THE POWER OF LEGALISM - Chuck Swindoll - The quintessential legalists of Jesus’ day were the Pharisees, a brotherhood of experts in religion.Legalism is an enemy. I declare that not just on the basis of Scripture; I have discovered its spirit-smothering capacity through experience. As a young believer seeking companions to share my spiritual journey, I found myself surrounded by a group of legalists and, without realizing it, I began to embrace their views. I started gauging the quality of my spiritual life and the lives of others by a list of dos and don’ts, measuring everyone’s worth in terms of performance and achievement. I wanted to pursue spiritual excellence, but I thought I could do it on my terms, as though righteousness depended completely upon my efforts. Instead of experiencing greater joy in my relationship with Christ, I became critical and judgmental. I gradually turned into a harsh, negative, rigid spirit. Freedom was gone. Worship was flat. Service was drudgery. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that environment of legalism was smothering me. What is legalism? - Legalism is the establishment of standards carefully selected by people for the purpose of celebrating human achievement under the guise of pleasing God. Legalism is righteousness as defined by humans, who frequently cite God as the source of the standard. In reality, the standards come from culture, tradition, and most frequently the personal preferences of those who maintain positions of power or influence. Legalism is based on lists (legalists love their lists!). If you do keep every item on the list of dos and don’ts, you’re deemed spiritually acceptable. But if you don’t follow the prescribed standard, you are judged unworthy of God’s favor and others’ approval. Naturally, legalists always think they know how God judges and they are more than willing to act on His behalf. How does legalism appear? - Legalism almost always adorns itself in the regal robes of religious garb, and it brandishes the credentials of religious organizations. This is not to condemn Christian organizations or the clothes they wear—I am merely pointing out that legalists are drawn to them and have successfully infiltrated churches, missions, parachurch organizations, charities, and schools. When they do, they use religious trappings to convince others that their own agendas have God’s approval. Eventually, followers begin to fear the disapproval of the leaders, who become more and more visible and controlling as the Lord fades into obscurity. Why is legalism wrong? - Legalism denies God’s grace and presumes to earn His favor through deeds. It is a man-made righteousness that exalts humanity rather than the Lord. Legalism produces either pride or depression in the people under its spell—pride for those who keep the list to their own satisfaction, depression for those who recognize their utter inability to keep the list perfectly. Criticism is the primary motivation. The goal of legalism is to give as much criticism as possible and to avoid receiving it at all costs. Legalism is wrong because it produces in people what the Lord desires least: pride, self-loathing, hypocrisy, and self-righteousness. (BORROW Insights on John or see Insights on John scroll up and down for more text) Colin Kruse -- The Old Testament forbade work—that is, carrying out one’s usual occupation—on the Sabbath. This included bearing loads on the Sabbath: This is what the LORD says: ‘be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors.’ (Jer. 17:21–22) Jewish scholars, in their attempts to ensure that the Sabbath law was not broken, defined thirty-nine types of work forbidden on the Sabbath, which are recorded in the Mishnah: The main classes of work are forty save one: sowing, ploughing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, cleansing crops, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, washing or beating or dyeing it, spinning, weaving, making two loops, weaving two threads, separating two threads, tying [a knot], loosening [a knot], sewing two stitches, tearing in order to sew two stitches, hunting a gazelle, slaughtering or flaying or salting it or curing its skin, scraping it or cutting it up, writing two letters, erasing in order to write two letters, building, pulling down, putting out a fire, lighting a fire, striking with a hammer and taking out aught from one domain to another. These are the main classes of work: forty save one. (m. Sabb. 7:2) What the man was accused of (carrying his mat on the Sabbath) came under the general restriction of taking something ‘from one domain to another’. Carrying one’s mat through the streets of Jerusalem was certainly a culpable act according to rabbinic law. It is sad to think that the Jewish leaders could not rejoice in the man’s healing and only object that it had been carried out on the Sabbath. Michaels (borrow) comments: From what we know of the Johannine Jesus, we can be sure that nothing he says or does is unintentional. He knew exactly what he was doing, and his command ‘Get up, pick up your mat and walk’ was a deliberate challenge to the religious authorities in Jerusalem and their Sabbath laws. (Borrow Colin Kruse's The Gospel according to John : an introduction and commentary) Jewish believer Alfred Edersheim has a 10 page discussion of "THE ORDINANCES AND LAW OF THE SABBATH AS LAID DOWN IN THE MISHNAH AND THE JERUSALEM TALMUD. (See Book III. ch. xxxv. in vol. ii. p. 52.) The terribly exaggerated views of the Rabbis, and their endless, burdensome rules about the Sabbath may best be learned from a brief analysis of the Mishnah, as further explained and enlarged in the Jerusalem Talmud.6476 For this purpose a brief analysis of what is, confessedly, one of the most difficult tractates may here be given. The Mishnic tractate Sabbath stands at the head of twelve tractates which together from the second of the six sections into which the Mishnah is divided, and which treats of Festive Seasons (Seder Moed). Properly to understand the Sabbath regulations, it is, however, necessary also to take into account the second tractate in that section, which treats of what are called ‘commixtures’ or ‘connections’ (Erubin). Its object is to make the Sabbath Laws more bearable. For this purpose, it is explained how places, beyond which it would otherwise have been unlawful to carry things, may be connected together, so as, by a legal fiction, to convert them into a sort of private dwelling. Thus, supposing a number of small private houses to open into a common court, it would have been unlawful on the Sabbath to carry anything from one of these houses into the other. This difficulty is removed if all the families deposit before the Sabbath some food in the common court, when ‘a connection’ is established between the various house, which makes them one dwelling. This was called the ‘Erubh of Courts.’ Similarly, an extension of what was allowed as a ‘Sabbath journey’ might be secured by another ‘commixture,’ the ‘Erubh’ or ‘connection of boundaries.’ An ordinary Sabbath day’s journey extended 2,000 cubits beyond one’s dwelling.6477 But if at the boundary of that ‘journey’ a man deposited on the Friday food for two meals, he thereby constituted it his dwelling, and hence might go on for other 2,000 cubits. Lastly, there was another ‘Erubh,’ when narrow streets or blind alleys were connected into ‘a private dwelling’ by laying a beam over the entrance, or extending a wire or rope along such streets and alleyways. This, by a legal fiction, made them ‘a private dwelling,’ so that everything was lawful there which a man might do on the Sabbath in his own house. (Click here for the 10 pages of discussion on Sabbath silliness - go to page 1608 in the pdf) Mishnah 7 - 7:1 A A general rule did they state concerning the Sabbath: I B Whoever forgets the basic principle of the Sabbath and performed many acts of labor on many different Sabbath days is liable only for a single sin offering. II C He who knows the principle of the Sabbath and performed many acts of labor on many different Sabbaths is liable for the violation of each and every Sabbath. III D He who knows that it is the Sabbath and performed many acts of labor on many different Sabbaths is liable for the violation of each and every generative category of labor. E He who performs many acts of labor of a single type is liable only for a single sin offering. 7:2 A The generative categories of acts of labor [prohibited on the Sabbath] are forty less one: B (1) he who sews, (2) ploughs, (3) reaps, (4) binds sheaves, (5) threshes, (6) winnows, (7) selects [fit from unfit produce or crops], (8) grinds, (9) sifts, (10) kneads, (11) bakes; C (12) he who shears wool, (13) washes it, (14) beats it, (15) dyes it; D (16) spins, (17) weaves, E (18) makes two loops, (19) weaves two threads, (20) separates two threads; F (21) ties, (22) unties, G (23) sews two stitches, (24) tears in order to sew two stitches; H (25) he who traps a deer, (26) slaughters it, (27) flays it, (28) salts it, (29) cures its hide, (30) scrapes it, and (31) cuts it up; I (32) he who writes two letters, (33) erases two letters in order to write two letters; J (34) he who builds, (35) tears down; K (36) he who puts out a fire, (37) kindles a fire; L (38) he who hits with a hammer; (39) he who transports an object from one domain to another— M lo, these are the forty generative acts of labor less one. 7:3 A And a further general rule did they state: B Whatever is suitable for storage, which people generally store in such quantity as one has taken out on the Sabbath— C he is liable to a sin offering on its account. D And whatever is not suitable for storage, which people generally do not store in such quantity as one has taken out on the Sabbath— E only he is liable on its account who stores it away [and who then takes it out]. 7:4 A He who takes out a quantity of (1) straw sufficient for a cow’s mouthful; (2) pea stalks sufficient for a camel’s mouthful; (3) ears of grain sufficient for a lamb’s mouthful; (4) grass sufficient for a kid’s mouthful; (5) garlic or onion leaves, ([if] fresh, a dried fig’s bulk), [and if] dry, sufficient for a kid’s mouthful— B [Supply: he is liable,] C and they do not join together with one another [to form a quantity sufficient for culpability], D because they are not subject to equivalent measures. E He who takes out foodstuffs [for a human being] in the volume of a dried fig is liable. F And they do join together with one another [to form a quantity sufficient for culpability], G because they are subject to equivalent measures, H except for their (1) husks, (2) kernels, (3) stalks, (4) coarse bran, and (5) fine bran. I R. Judah says, “Except for the husks of lentils, which are cooked with them.” Cured (healed)(2323) therapeuo from therapon = an attendant, servant) means primarily to care for, to wait upon, minister to. It has two main senses in the NT, one speaking of rendering service (Acts 17:25) and the more common use describing medical aspects such as to take care of the sick, to heal, to cure (Matt. 4:24; 12:10; Mark 1:34; Luke 6:7; 10:9), to recover health, to restore. Therapeúō means to heal miraculously in Matt. 4:23, 24; 10:1, 8; Acts 4:14. Providing care to improve a situation. Sabbath (4521) sabbaton (SEE MUCH LONGER "DEFINITION") from shabath - 07676 = to cease from work, intermission - see note on shabath) has two main meanings: (1) Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, held sacred by the Jews and (2) week. The Sabbath was a sign between the Lord and the nation of Israel—the sign of the Old Covenant (the Law)—that they might know He is the Lord Who sanctifies them, sets them apart. Israel was to observe the Sabbath because it was holy, set apart, for them. The one who profaned the Sabbath, did not treat it as holy, was put to death. The Sabbath, the seventh day, was to be a day of complete rest. Israel was to keep it throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. But after the captivity arose the school of the Pharisees, and by them the attractive (positive) character of the Sabbatical observances was destroyed. In place of the joy, they imposed upon the people the yoke of a scrupulous, slavish sabbatarianism which made the Sabbath an END instead of a MEANS, hampered the spirit of true worship, and laid greater stress upon a punctilious obedience to mere human regulations than upon God's commands in the Law. Some of their ridiculous Sabbath prohibitions included: walking in the grass on the Sabbath because its bruising effect would constitute a kind of threshing; wearing nailed shoes because they would be viewed as carrying a burden. It was against this absurd perversion of the commandment that the Lord Jesus protested. He refused to sanction Pharisaical legalism and vigorously defended His Sabbath miracles (see table below). Jesus kept the Sabbath in the highest sense of the term. He observed every jot and tittle of the Mosaic Law in the freedom of the spirit. He taught us that acts of necessity and mercy are to be performed always (as in this story in Lk 13:10-17), even on the Sabbath, and worldly occupations are to be put as far as possible out of our thoughts. In the Christian church the first day of the week (Sunday) has been substituted for the last day (Saturday) as a day of worship and rest. This, however, is in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ. Christians are to do what the New Testament says. Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial, sacrificial part of the Old Testament law when He died on the cross (Hebrews 10:7-10). He told Peter that the dietary laws no longer applied to the church (Acts 10). True believers keep the moral part of God’s laws as they live by His Spirit (Ro 8:1ff -see notes) Permissible (lawful, permitted)(1832) exesti from from ek = out + eimí = to be) is an impersonal verb, signifying "it is permitted, it is lawful" (or interrogatively, "is it lawful?"). Exesti occurs most frequently in the synoptic Gospels and the Acts, especially in Jesus' conflicts with the Pharisees over His actions (and those of His disciples) on the Sabbath (Matt. 12:2; 12:4; 12:10; 12:12, etc). BDAG - 1. to be authorized for the doing of something - it is right, is authorized, is permitted, is proper. 2. to be within the range of possibility, it is possible (Acts 2:29) Friberg notes exesti is an impersonal verb; (1) as denoting that there are no hindrances to an action or that the opportunity for it occurs it is possible, followed by an infinitive ( Acts 2.29); (2) predominantly as denoting that an action is not prevented by a higher court or by law it is permitted, it is lawful, it may be done (Mk 10.2) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) TDNT on exesti - “It is free,” denoting a. an action that is possible because there is occasion for it or no obstacle to it, b. an action that is not prevented by a higher norm or court, and c. an action to which there is no psychological or ethical block. In the NT the term mostly refers to God’s law or will with its specific demands, especially the OT law. SEVEN SABBATH MIRACLES Jesus sends a demon out of a man Mark 1:21-28+ Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law Mark 1:29-31+ Jesus heals a lame man by the pool of Bethesda John 5:1-18+ Jesus heals a man with a deformed hand Mark 3:1-6+ Jesus restores a crippled woman Luke 13:10-17+ Jesus heals a man with swollen arms and legs Luke 14:1-6+ Jesus heals a man born blind QUESTION - Why did Jesus heal on the Sabbath? ANSWER - The gospels record several occasions when Jesus performed a healing on the Sabbath day. In most of those instances, the healing was followed by a confrontation with the religious leaders (Mark 3:1–6, Luke 6:6–10; 13:10–17; 14:1–6; John 5:1–18). In another passage, Luke 4:38–41, Jesus heals after teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath, but no confrontation is recorded, as the miracle was performed in a private home. Jesus knew the Pharisees’ rules regarding the Sabbath, so why did He choose to heal on that day? It is important to note that Jesus was not violating the law of God when He healed on the Sabbath. He was surely acting against the Pharisaical interpretation of the law and against their particular rules. But the Holy One of God, who came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17), did not violate the law. The basic reason that Jesus healed on the Sabbath was that people needed His help. Need knows no calendar. Jesus healed on the Sabbath in order to reveal the hypocrisy of the Pharisees’ religion. In three passages where Jesus’ healing led to a confrontation, Jesus references how the Jews “worked” on the Sabbath by taking care of their animals, and that work was sanctioned by the Pharisees. In an agrarian society, animal care was a major part of a normal day. Jesus points out their willingness to work on the Sabbath to help an animal: “Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?” (Luke 13:15+), and He rightly calls out their hypocrisy for denying aid to “a daughter of Abraham” (Lk 13:16+). If your religious rules allow for helping animals on the Sabbath, then it should definitely allow for helping people. When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, He was also challenging the religious leaders with the question of doing good or evil on the Sabbath: “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4+). The leaders remained silent and refused to answer. His healing gave them the answer. Doing good and saving life is lawful, even on the Sabbath. Using the Sabbath rule to do evil or to kill is an ungodly perversion of the law. Let’s take a look at the law in question. The Torah is the law proper. But the Pharisees also added their traditions to the law God had given. The religious leaders’ traditions that they combined with the biblical law became as important to them as God’s actual Word. Jesus stood against such additions to the law, rebuking the teachers of the law for “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7ESV). The Pharisees’ Sabbath restrictions forbade the following activities: writing, erasing, and tearing; conducting business transactions; shopping; cooking, baking, or kindling a fire; gardening; doing laundry; carrying anything for more than six feet in a public area; moving anything with your hand, even indirectly (with a broom): a broken bowl, flowers in a vase, candles on a table, raw food, a rock, a button that has fallen off (you could move things with your elbow or your breath, but not with your hand). And this is just a partial list. Compare the complexity and micromanaging of the Pharisees’ rules with the original rule in God’s Word: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8–11). It was simply man made traditions that defined Jesus’ healing as “work.” So when Jesus healed on the Sabbath, He was challenging the Pharisees’ beliefs as being from man and not from God. Another reason Jesus healed on the Sabbath was to remind people of why God instituted the Sabbath day of rest. The Sabbath was meant to benefit people as much as to glorify God: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). The Sabbath helped people recuperate (mentally and physically) after a week of work and redirect their focus from the daily routine to God. Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath was therefore very much compatible with God’s purpose for the Sabbath. Confronted with Jesus’ undeniable power to heal and restore, the religious leaders passed up their chance to reflect on the possibility that they were wrong. Instead, they dug in their heels and doubled down on their untenable position. Their stubbornness is a good reminder for us of our need to examine our beliefs and ensure they are biblical and in line with the Word of God. GotQuestions.org Related Resources on the Sabbath: What day is the Sabbath, Saturday or Sunday? Do Christians have to observe the Sabbath day? How is Jesus our Sabbath Rest? What is the Sabbath day? What does it mean that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath? Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath? What does it mean to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy? What is the Lord’s day? Is working on Sunday a sin? Did Constantine change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday? Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Sabbath John 5:11 But he answered them, "He who made me well was the one who said to me, 'Pick up your pallet and walk.'" BGT John 5:11 ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς· ὁ ποιήσας με ὑγιῆ ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν· ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει. KJV John 5:11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. NET John 5:11 But he answered them, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'" CSB John 5:11 He replied, "The man who made me well told me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'" ESV John 5:11 But he answered them, "The man who healed me, that man said to me, 'Take up your bed, and walk.'" NIV John 5:11 But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'" NLT John 5:11 But he replied, "The man who healed me told me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'" Jn 9:16 Mk 2:9-11 THE HEALER GAVE THE COMMAND TO WALK But - Term of contrast. Why the contrast? What had the Jewish leaders just accused him of doing? So in effect the healed man does a quick two step (bad pun since he can now walk) and shifts the blame to the unknown man. He answered them, "He who made me well (hugies) was the one who said to me, 'Pick up (aorist imperative) your pallet (krabattos) and walk. (present imperative)'" - These religious hypocrites could care less that this man had been healed. This should have made them rejoice and give praise to God, but legalists are joyless and their worship is worthless (because it is not in spirit and in truth)! They had what Swindoll calls "the glass-half-empty perspective!" Kruse points out that "Despite the fact that Jesus had performed many miracles in Jerusalem on his previous visit, and many had believed in him, this man knew nothing about him; he did not even know his name." (Borrow The Gospel according to John : an introduction and commentary) Spurgeon's Exposition - And he did answer them, too. It was a crushing answer. That was his warrant. None but God could have made him whole. God can set aside any of his laws if he pleases; at any rate, whatever he commands, must be right. Swindoll - Imagine you had a neighbor who had been paralyzed from the neck down by an accident more than thirty years ago. One Sunday morning, just after six o’clock, the sound of a lawnmower jolts you from a deep, satisfying sleep. Annoyed, you bolt to the front door to see who would be so insensitive as to rattle every window on the block with that infernal noise so early on a day of rest. Upon seeing your formerly paralyzed friend gleefully mowing his lawn in perfect health, what do you think you would say? If you’re a normal person, you’d say, “Hank! What happened? How are you not paralyzed?!” But if you’re a Pharisee, you’d scream, “Hank! It’s Sunday morning! Turn that thing off!” Instead of looking for a wonder-worker to praise, the Pharisees went in search of a troublemaker to censure. (BORROW Insights on John or see Insights on John scroll up and down for more text) John 5:12 They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your pallet and walk'?" BGT John 5:12 ἠρώτησαν αὐτόν· τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ εἰπών σοι· ἆρον καὶ περιπάτει; KJV John 5:12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? NET John 5:12 They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your mat and walk'?" CSB John 5:12 "Who is this man who told you, 'Pick up your mat and walk'?" they asked. ESV John 5:12 They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" NIV John 5:12 So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?" NLT John 5:12 "Who said such a thing as that?" they demanded. Who: Jdg 6:29 1Sa 14:38 Mt 21:23 Ro 10:2 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries MYSTERY HEALER They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your pallet (krabattos) and walk' - They = the legalistic Jewish authorities. You've got to believe these legalistic leaders had some inkling of the identity of the mystery healer. It is notable that this Sabbath healing story repeats "Pick up your pallet and walk'' three times! Notice the Jews did not attempt to deny the miracle and accuse the man of "faking" a healing! As with all of Jesus miracles, it was not that they did not believe the miracle, but that they refused to believe in the Miracle Worker! THOUGHT - If you are a skeptic who doubts Jesus ever existed or doubts He was God incarnate, you may be saying if I had seen these miracles, I would have believed. No! It is not likely you would have believed in Jesus. You too may have believed in the miracles like the Jewish leaders did, but not in Jesus for belief in Jesus would require a major "paradigm shift!" Robertson on who is the man - Contemptuous expression, "Who is the fellow?" They ask about the command to violate the Sabbath, not about the healing. (John 5 Commentary)
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MacArthur - His fear of the authorities is in marked contrast to the formerly blind man in John 9, who boldly confronted them (John 9:17, 24-33). As Leon Morris wryly observes, "The man was not the stuff of which heroes are made (BORROW The Gospel according to John by Leon Morris). (An Ungrateful Response to Jesus) For (gar - Term of explanation). Always pause to ask at least one question - what is the writer explaining? Do this even when it is obvious! I can assure you that in some of Paul's writings it will not be as easy as this one! Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place - Slipped away is a hapax legomenon (only NT use - 3x in Lxx - 2Ki 2:24; 2Ki 23:16; Mic. 6:14) verb ekneuo (from ek = out + neuo = to move, tend, incline) meaning to turn aside, to slip away, to draw away from so that one gets away unnoticed or disappears. Vincent (John 5 Commentary) says the verb means literally to turn the head aside, in order to avoid something, hence, generally to retire or withdraw. To shake off, spoken of a horse and meaning to toss the head about. It is difficult to state whether Jesus disappearing was natural (blending in with the crowds) or supernatural. (Cf John 8:59+ Luke 4:30+) A T Robertson on slipped away (KJV = had conveyed himself away,) First aorist active indicative of ekneō, old verb to swim out, to slip out, or from ekneuō, to turn out, to turn the head to one side (to one side with which compare eneneuon, they nodded, Luke 1:62). Either of these verbs can explain the form here. The aorist tense simply states an antecedent action without being a pastperfect. (John 5 Commentary) Augustine suggests that "it is difficult in a crowd to see Christ, a certain solitude is necessary for our mind." Healed (cured) (2390) iaomai means to cure, to heal, to restore. Iaomai is used literally of deliverance from physical diseases and afflictions and so to make whole, restore to bodily health or heal. To cause someone to achieve health after having been sick. In the passive it means to be healed or cured. Figuratively, iaomai speaks of deliverance from sin and its evil consequences and thus to restore (to spiritual good health), make whole, renew (Mt 13.15). In the passive, iaomai figuratively means to be restored, to recover or to be healed as in 1Pe 2.24. Iaomai refers primarily to physical healing in the NT (although clearly there is overlap because some of these instances involved demonic oppression - Lk 9:42), and much less commonly to spiritual healing or healing (saving) from "moral illnesses" and the consequences of sin. When used in this sense iaomai has much the same meaning as sozo, to save, make whole, restore to spiritual health. Here are the uses of iaomai used with a spiritual meaning = Mt 13:15, John 12:40, Acts 28:27 - preceding quotes from Isa 6:10, 1Pe 2:24 = quote from Isa 53:5. It is interesting that most of the NT uses in the Gospels refer to physical healing by Jesus (excepting the physical healing that resulted by release from demonic oppression). However in the OT (Lxx) uses iaomai refers primarily to spiritual healing by the Messiah (Isa 53:5, Isa 61:1, et al). Iaomai - 26v - curing(1), heal(4), healed(16), healing(2), heals(1), perform healing(2). Matt. 8:8; Matt. 8:13; Matt. 13:15; Matt. 15:28; Mk. 5:29; Lk. 5:17; Lk. 6:18; Lk. 6:19; Lk. 7:7; Lk. 8:47; Lk. 9:2; Lk. 9:11; Lk. 9:42; Lk. 14:4; Lk. 17:15; Lk. 22:51; Jn. 4:47; Jn. 5:13; Jn. 12:40; Acts 9:34; Acts 10:38; Acts 28:8; Acts 28:27; Heb. 12:13; Jas. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:24 C H
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MacArthur - 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. The man's response suggests that he failed to heed Jesus' warning, since he promptly went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. It is astonishing that he would accept this healing after nearly four decades of terrible distress and then walk away from Jesus and show his loyalty to the Jews who hated Him. This has to be one of the great acts of ingratitude and obstinate unbelief in Scripture. He did not intend to praise or worship Jesus for healing him. (An Ungrateful Response to Jesus) Rod Mattoon - This man was ignorant of the man who helped him and changed his life. There was no indication he was saved, just healed. He reminds us of the ignorance that exists today in people. Christ has done everything for our salvation, but many are ignorant and blind to the truth....."Go and sin no more." Sin does affect one's health. It is possible that this was the case here. We don't know for sure (cf 1Co 11:29-30, Jas 5:15, Gal 6:7-8). (Mattoon's Treasures – Treasures from John, Volume 1) George Macdonald - I believe that no man is ever condemned for any sin except one—that he will not leave his sins and come out of them, and be the child of Him who is his Father. Spurgeon's Exposition - Probably, this man’s illness had been caused by sin. Christ bids him henceforth keep clear of sin, lest a worse calamity should come upon him. The NET Note does not agree with Robertson writing "Since this is a prohibition with a present imperative, the translation "stop sinning" is sometimes suggested. This is not likely, however, since the present tense is normally used in prohibitions involving a general condition (as here) while the aorist tense is normally used in specific instances. Only when used opposite the normal usage (the present tense in a specific instance, for example) would the meaning "stop doing what you are doing" be appropriate." I cannot pray, except I sin; I cannot preach, but I sin; I cannot administer, nor receive the holy sacrament, but I sin. My very repentance needs to be repented of; And the tears I shed need washing in the blood of Christ. -- William Beveridge Found (2147) heurisko means to find after searching and so to discover (Mt 7:7), to find accidentally or without seeking (Mt 12:44), to experience for oneself and to to obtain or procure (He 9:12). Temple (2413) hieros is the Greek word hieros and adjective which in the neuter singular is hieron (as found in Friberg's definition below) to which A H Strong assigned a different number 2411. Hieros is defined by Louw-Nida as "pertaining to being appropriate for the expression of worship and reverence." In 1 Cor 9:13 hieros refers to the activities in the Temple involving the performance of various rituals. In 2 Ti 3:15 hieros refers to the "sacred writings" (the Holy Scriptures which in context would be the OT Scriptures as that was all that was available to the Jews). Friberg on hieros (hieros, a, on) - (1) with a basic meaning what belongs to divinity, sacred, holy (2Ti 3.15), opposite bebelos (profane); (2) substantivally; (a) to hieron = as a sacred enclosed area under the protection of a god temple (Acts 19.27); (b) predominately of the Temple of God at Jerusalem, including the whole sacred area with its buildings, courts, walls, and gates ( Mt 21.12); (c) ta hiera = as everything that belongs to the Temple and its service the holy or sacred things (1 Cor 9.13) Behold (2400) idou is the second person singular aorist middle imperative of eidon which means to see, perceive, look at. In the NT idou is used as a demonstrative particle that draws attention to what follows. Idou in the middle voice means "you yourself look, see, perceive!" The aorist imperative is a command emphasizing "Do it now! Don't delay!" In 2Cor 5:17 Paul uses idou, to get his reader's attention as he introduces the truth that the one who in now in Christ is a qualitatively new person.
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MacArthur writes "It is astonishing that he would accept this healing after nearly four decades of terrible distress and then walk away from Jesus and show his loyalty to the Jews who hated Him. This has to be one of the great acts of ingratitude and obstinate unbelief in Scripture. He did not intend to praise or worship Jesus for healing him." And told the Jews (Ioudaios) that it was Jesus (Iesous) Who had made him well (hugies) - The Jews is not the Jews in general but in context refers to the Jewish authorities and/or religious leaders (cf Jn 5:10, 16, 18). A T
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MacArthur comments that Jn 5:1-7:52 "evidences the shift from reservation and hesitation about Jesus as Messiah (Jn 3:26; Jn 4:1-3) to outright rejection (Jn 7:52). The opposition started with controversy regarding Jesus' healing on the Sabbath (Jn 5:1-18), intensified in chap. 6 with many of His disciples abandoning Him (Jn 6:66), and finally hardened in chap. 7 into official opposition against Him with the religious authorities' unsuccessful attempt to arrest Him (Jn 7:20-52). Accordingly, the theme of this section is the rejection of Jesus as Messiah. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Spurgeon's Exposition - The whole work of nature is continued on Sabbath-days as well as other days. Stars shine through the Sabbath-night, and the sun rises and sets on the Lord’s-day as on all the days of the week. God’s work continues. “My Father worketh,” saith Christ, “and I work.” “My work is my Father’s work, and that goes on whatever the day may be.” Henry
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MacArthur adds that "This verse goes far beyond making Jesus a mere ambassador who is acting in the name of a monarch, but gives Him full and complete equality with the Father (cf. Php 2:9-11)." (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Many people claim to worship God, but deny that Jesus Christ is God. William MacDonald makes an excellent point on this passage - This is a most important statement, and one of the clearest proofs in the Bible of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible we are taught that God alone is to be worshiped. In the Ten Commandments, the people were forbidden to have any god but the one true God. Now we are taught that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The only conclusion we can come to from this verse is that Jesus Christ is God. Many people claim to worship God, but deny that Jesus Christ is God. They say that He was a good man or more godlike than any other man who ever lived. But this verse puts Him on an absolute equality with God, and requires that men should give Him the same honor which they give to God the Father. If a person does not honor the Son, then he does not honor the Father. It is useless to claim a love for God if one does not have the same love for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have never realized before who Jesus Christ is, then ponder this verse carefully. Remember that it is the Word of God, and accept the glorious truth that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary) Rod Mattoon on How Does the Christian Honor the Lord with His Life? 1. By Sanctioning or Praising God Psalm 50:23—Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God. Brag on the Lord! Daniel 4:37—Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. 2. By Spiritual Success and Growth John 15:8—Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 3. By Serving the Lord Jesus Christ Use your abilities for God's glory. 1 Peter 4:11—If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 4. By Singing about the Lord Psalm 66:2—Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. 5. By Surrendering your Heart to the Lord Matthew 15:8—This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 6. By being Separated from Worldly, Carnal Living A pure, clean, godly life honors the Lord. 2 Corinthians 6:14—Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:17—Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 2 Timothy 2:20-21—But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. [21] If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. 7. By Self Control 1 Thessalonians 4:4—That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Proverbs 16:32—He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Treasures from John. Honor (5091) timao for time = honor, prize) means to show high regard respect for and so to count as valuable, to esteem, to value, to honor or to revere. To show respect to someone is to recognize their worth as a person (and if they are a parent to recognize the validity of their role and their authority) and implies a considered evaluation or estimation. Therefore, timao means to ascribe worth to someone. To hold in awe. To assign value to something, including people considered as property (slaves). It means to fix a value or price upon something and so to prize it. The idea is to treat as precious! To honor is a social action describing how people within a society should evaluate one another. Honor usually results in people being elevated in the eyes of the community. Honoring involves a proper attitude as well as appropriate behavior. The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery writes that "To honor someone or something is to acknowledge and show respect for the authority or worthiness of the object of one’s honor. To show honor entails an affective side (a feeling of respect or reverence) and a set of outward manifestations, such as gestures (bowing before or being attentive) or actions (conferring titles or privileges). All these ways of showing honor elevate the person or thing that is honored. In addition to the primary meaning, honor is used in the Bible to name something possessed by certain people or things as an innate quality. (See online Dictionary of Biblical Imagery) John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. BGT John 5:24 Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὁ τὸν λόγον μου ἀκούων καὶ πιστεύων τῷ πέμψαντί με ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται, ἀλλὰ μεταβέβηκεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν. KJV John 5:24 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. NET John 5:24 "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life. CSB John 5:24 "I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life. ESV John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. NIV John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. NLT John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. NRS John 5:24 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. NJB John 5:24 In all truth I tell you, whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life; without being brought to judgement such a person has passed from death to life. NAB John 5:24 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. YLT John 5:24 'Verily, verily, I say to you -- He who is hearing my word, and is believing Him who sent me, hath life age-during, and to judgment he doth not come, but hath passed out of the death to the life. He who: Jn 3:16,18,36 Jn 6:40,47 Jn 8:51 Jn 11:26 Jn 12:44 Jn 20:31 Mk 16:16 Ro 10:11-13 1Pe 1:21 1Jn 5:1,11-13 and does not: Jn 10:27-30 Ro 8:1,16,17,28-30,33,34 1Th 5:9 2Th 2:13,14 1Pe 1:5 but: 1Jn 3:14 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: John 3:16+ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:18+ “He who believes in Him (JESUS) is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:36+ “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 6:40+ “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 6:47+ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. John 8:51+ “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps (tereo) My word he will never see death.” John 11:26+ and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 12:44+ And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. John 20:31+ but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. Colossians 1:13+ (COMPARE "PASSED OUT OF DEATH INTO LIFE") For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ONE OF JESUS' MOST IMPORTANT DECLARATIONS!
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MacArthur adds that "The solemn phrase amen, amen (truly, truly) introduces an emphatic, unarguable declaration by Jesus." I say to you - This is a very personal announcement originally to the antagonistic Jews but thereafter to every person who was antagonistic toward Jesus, which is EVERY one of us beloved! (cf Col 1:21, Ro 5:8, Ro 8:7-8, Titus 3:3). One can almost imagine Jesus eyes staring straight at the Jews who were planning to kill Him. Is this not incredible selfless love? They are plotting to take His life and He presents to them the way that they might experience eternal life! He who hears (present tense) My word - The Logos speaks His logos. Hears is not like "in one ear and out the other," but speaks of conscious, volitional, intelligent reception which shows itself to be true life giving hearing by subsequent obedience. The NET Bible has a note on hears stating it is tantamount to "obeys". James (Jesus' half brother) said it this way "But prove yourselves doers of the word (OBEDIENCE), and not merely hearers ("IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER") who delude themselves (FOOL THEMSELVES INTO BELIEVING THAT HEARING IS SUFFICIENT TO ASSURE SALVATION OF ONE'S SOUL!)." (James 1:22+) To what word is Jesus referring? He is clearly describing the things He has already said about how one enters into the Kingdom of God and eternal life such as believing in the only begotten Son (e.g., Jn 3:3-8+ Jn 3:16+) In modern English to hear means simply to perceive sound with one's ears, but this word carries a much deeper meaning in the Bible in many if not most of the uses. In other words, it is not enough to listen to the Words of Jesus but we must truly receive them. Think of it this way -- imagine Jesus is speaking on the FM band. We need to tune the "radios" of our hearts and minds to the "FM Band" (something that only the Holy Spirit can enable us to do) in order to genuinely receive and understand what He is saying. And then as we listen to it, we receive it as true (truth) and authoritative (powerful) and then we are to believe it and show that we truly believe it by obeying it (enabled the power of the Spirit, not the flesh!). As
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MacArthur has an additional thought on the time phrase hour...coming...now is noting that it "reveals an already/not yet tension regarding the resurrection. Those who are born again are already "spiritually" resurrected ("now is"; Eph 2:1; Col 2:13), and yet a future physical resurrection still awaits them ("hour is coming"; 1Co 15:35-54; Php 3:20, 21). (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) When the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live - Note the dramatic contrast - dead...live. This is a "life and death" verse! Note also the keyword - hear. The first hear is literal hearing of the sound of the Son's voice and the second is hearing and understanding the message. When they hear (implicit that that they believe what they hear and heed what they hear), those who are spiritually dead will be supernaturally made spiritually alive. Note the paradox of dead men who hear, clearly indicating the Spirit's enabling power to a spiritual dead person who can hear spiritual truth and respond by faith. Clearly, God is in control of our new birth! Swindoll says it this way "His phrasing in Jn 5:25 is interesting because the verb “to hear” takes a double meaning. “The dead [all of humanity that has died] will hear the voice of the Son of God,” but only “those who hear” will receive life. The first “hearing” is literal; that is, mere exposure to the sound of His voice. The second has to do with comprehending the message and believing it. The irony, of course, is that dead people cannot hear anything. His statement has both a present and a future aspect. He will summon the dead to judgment on the final day; however, the “dead” can receive life now! (Borrow Insights on John) Who are the dead from the context? The dead in this verse are not the dead who are in the graves as in Jn 5:28 where the dead includes all who are in the tombs, both believers and non-believers (see chart). So who are the dead who will hear and live? There are two answers. First, there are the 3 individuals who heard the voice of Jesus ("the Word") and physically rose from the dead - The young man in Lk 7:14-15+, Jairus' daughter in Mk 5:41+ and Lazarus in Jn 11:44+. The broader and more significant meaning refers to those individuals who are spiritually dead in their sins (Eph 2:1+ - all of us at one time), but who will hear (idea is to hear and appropriately act on what is heard) and believe the words of Jesus and receive eternal life (they live) (cf Jn 18:37). Paul says it this way "even when we were dead in our transgressions, (God) made us alive together with (suzoopoieo) Christ (by grace you have been saved [= "made alive"])." (Eph 2:5+, cf Eph 5:14+). John MacArthur sees another meaning of the statement hour...coming...now is - The already/not yet sense of the phrase may also be understood in another way. While Christ was present, He offered spiritual life to all who would heed His words (Jn 6:37; Matt. 7:24-27; cf. John 14:6). Yet the full expression of the new era He inaugurated would not come until the day of Pentecost (Jn 14:17). Both during Christ's earthly ministry (e.g., Jn 4:39-42, 53), and in the fullness of the Spirit's ministry after Pentecost, the spiritually dead who responded to the voice of the Son of God would live in the Spirit (cf. Ro 8:1-11). Charles Swindoll on hear - The irony, of course, is that dead people cannot hear anything. His statement has both a present and a future aspect. He will summon the dead to judgment on the final day; however, the (ED: SPIRITUALLY) “dead” can receive (ED: SPIRITUAL) life now. (Borrow Insights on John) Note that this is the first time Jesus called Himself the Son of God in front of the Jewish authorities (in John's Gospel), which would have heightened their hostility toward Him. Earlier He used this term but it was with Nicodemus by himself (John 3:18+). Son of God is used 9x/9v in John - John 1:34 John 1:49 John 3:18 John 5:25 John 10:36 John 11:4 John 11:27 John 19:7 John 20:31 Jamieson on the dead - The spiritually dead...Here He rises from the calmer phrase “hears My word” (Jn 5:24), to the grander expression, “hear the voice of the Son of God,” to signify that as it finds men in a dead condition, so it carries with it a resurrection-power (Carson calls it "vivifying power." Borrow The Gospel according to John) John Trap on the dead - The dead in sins shall believe the promises, and shall live the life of grace here and of glory in heaven. D A Carson - Here, however, the coming hour already is (now is): the resurrection life for the physically dead in the end time is already being manifest as life for the spiritually dead (Eph 2:1). It is the voice of the Son of God (or his word: cf. Jn 5:24; 6:63, 68; 11:43) that calls forth the dead, and those who hear (Jn 5:24 "hears and believes") will live. Such a voice, such a life-giving word, is nothing other than the voice of God (cf. Is. 55:3), Whose vivifying power mediates the life-giving Spirit (cf. Jn 3:3, 5; Jn 7:37–39) even to dry bones (Ezek 37:1-28). (Borrow The Gospel according to John) Warren
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MacArthur explains what it means that the Father gave to the Son...life - The Son from all eternity had the right to grant life (Jn 1:4+). The distinction involves Jesus’ deity versus His incarnation. In becoming a man, Jesus voluntarily set aside the independent exercise of His divine attributes and prerogatives (Php 2:6-11+). Jesus here affirmed that even in His humanity, the Father granted Him “life-giving” power, i.e., the power of resurrection (Jn 5:20). (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Heading has a slightly different interpretation - The life of the Son is bound up with the life of the Father. Here, the Father has given life to the Son; He has also given Him the Spirit (John 3:34-35), and glory (17:24). These are the eternal possessions of Deity; there was no time when the Son did not possess these things. By saying that the Father had given life to the Son, no doubt the Lord refers to the fact that in Manhood He did not cease to possess that eternal life. Believers now possess eternal life that stretches into the future, but the Son was the only One in the days of His Manhood on earth who also possessed life that stretched back into the past eternity. In this He was one with the Father. (What the Bible Teaches - John) Warren
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MacArthur - The resurrection of all who are in the tombs is still future. At that time, the souls of the righteous dead, now in heaven with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-8), and of the wicked dead, now in torment in Hades (Luke 16:22-23), will be given resurrected bodies fit for eternity. Some argue from this text that the resurrection of both the righteous and unrighteous takes place at the same time. But while Jesus spoke here of the resurrection in general, He did not describe one general resurrection. On the contrary, in verse 29 He clearly distinguished between the resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment. He made that same distinction in Luke 14:14, where He spoke of the resurrection of the righteous, implying that it is a distinct event. Revelation 20:4-6 also mentions two resurrections: the first consists of the righteous dead before the Millennium, and the second of the unrighteous dead for the Great White Throne judgment at the end of the Millennium.The Bible teaches that the dead are raised in a specific sequence, not all at once: For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. (1 Cor. 15:22-24+) The adjective tagma ("order" or "turn") stresses that the dead are raised at different times: "Christ the first fruits," "those who are Christ's at His coming," and the rest at "the end"—the consummation of all things when the wicked (the only ones not already mentioned) will be resurrected. The adjectives epeita ("after that") and eita ("then") almost always describe chronological (as opposed to logical) sequences of events. Those who belong to Christ will be raised in connection with His coming. The believers of the church age (from Pentecost to the Rapture) will be raised at the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:16+), and the Old Testament saints, along with those saved during the Tribulation, at the end of the Tribulation (Rev. 20:4+; cf. Dan. 12:2+). Although Scripture does not explicitly mention them, believers who die during the Millennium will presumably receive their resurrection bodies immediately. (See John 1-11 MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Tombs (3419) mnemeion from mneme = memory, remembrance) literally means a memorial and then a monument to commemorate the dead (Mt 23:29), but most often referred to a tomb, grave or sepulcher. Most uses refer to the tomb in which Jesus' dead body was laid - Mt 27:60; Mt 28:8; Mk 15:46; 16:2, 3, 5, 8; Lk 23:55; 24:1, 2, 9, 12, 22, 24; John 19:42; 20:1-4, 6, 8, 11 Acts 13:29. The first NT use describes "demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs" (Mt 8:28), the second Jesus' rebuke of the Jewish religious leaders who were "hypocrites" building "the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous" who they would have willingly murdered,(Mt 23:29, 30), the third describes the tombs opened and dead rising when Jesus died (Mt 27:52, 53), the fourth describes Jesus' burial tomb (Mt 27:60). ILLUSTRATION - In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, is a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite and marble cemented together and fastened with heavy steel clasps. It belongs to a woman who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Yet strangely, she directed in her will that her grave be made so secure that if there were a resurrection, it could not reach her. On the marker were inscribed these words: "This burial place must never be opened." In time, a seed, covered over by the stones, began to grow. Slowly it pushed its way through the soil and out from beneath them. As the trunk enlarged, the great slabs were gradually shifted so that the steel clasps were wrenched from their sockets. A tiny seed had become a tree that had pushed aside the stones. The dynamic life force contained in that little seed is a faint reflection of the tremendous power of God's creative word that someday will call to life the bodies of all who are in their graves. He will also bring back every person drowned at sea, cremated, or destroyed in some other way. This is no problem to the One who made something out of nothing when He spoke the universe into existence. Unbelief cannot deter the resurrection, but faith in the risen Christ opens the door to blessings that His resurrection guarantees—a glorious new spiritual body and a home in heaven. In new bodies we will be reunited with saved loved ones to live with Jesus throughout all eternity. Jesus promises to resurrect us and give us a new, glorified body. (Rod Mattoon - Treasures from John.) Tombstone Irony The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice. — John 5:28 Today's Scripture: John 5:24-29 Most people who don’t believe in God deny the reality of life after death. They say the grave ends all, and they feel no need to plan for eternity. Some time ago an unbeliever wanted to make this point, so he had these words inscribed on his tombstone: All Dressed Up And No Place To Go How ironic! It’s true that we put people in their best clothes for the coffin, or we may even purchase new ones. But the Lord Jesus made it undeniably clear that at death we do have “someplace to go” (Jn. 5:25-29). When believers die, their bodies are put in the ground but their souls go to be with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). When Christ returns, their bodies will be resurrected and reunited with their souls, and they will “always be with the Lord” in heaven (1 Th. 4:17). Unbelievers will also be resurrected one day, but it will be to stand before Christ in judgment. Because their names are not found in the Book of Life, they will be sent to what the Bible calls the “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:11-15). There they will endure “everlasting punishment” (Mt. 25:46). O God, You'd have us ponder this, One truth You'd have us see: It's in this life we chart our course For all eternity. —DJD Death is not a dead end but a fork in the road. John 5:29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. BGT John 5:29 καὶ ἐκπορεύσονται οἱ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ποιήσαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς, οἱ δὲ τὰ φαῦλα πράξαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν κρίσεως. KJV John 5:29 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. NET John 5:29 and will come out– the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. CSB John 5:29 and come out-- those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of judgment. ESV John 5:29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. NIV John 5:29 and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. NLT John 5:29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. NRS John 5:29 and will come out-- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. NJB John 5:29 those who did good will come forth to life; and those who did evil will come forth to judgement. NAB John 5:29 and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation. YLT John 5:29 and they shall come forth; those who did the good things to a rising again of life, and those who practised the evil things to a rising again of judgment. come: Da 12:2-3 Mt 25:31-46 Ac 24:15 did the good: Lu 14:14 Ro 2:6-10 Ga 6:8-10 1Ti 6:18 Heb 13:16 1Pe 3:11 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Luke 14:14+ But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Daniel 12:2-3+ Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. 3 “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. RESURRECTION OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD And will come forth (ekporeuomai) - Will come forth = will be resurrected. All will come forth (from the dead - see table), believers and unbelievers alike, but this coming forth will not be at the same time or for the same type of judgment for these two groups. Believers will come forth for rewards whereas unbelievers will come forth for condemnation and eternal punishment. This dramatic contrast is described by Paul in Romans 2:6-10 (GOD) Who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON (BELIEVERS AND NON-BELIEVERS) ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life (FATE OF BELIEVERS); 8 BUT to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation (FATE OF UNBELIEVERS). 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10 BUT glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (See Commentary) Homer Kent - This passage has been used to teach a general resurrection of all men at the same time, it actually states only the fact that all will be raised, without specifying whether there may be various stages by which resurrection will occur. (Borrow Light in the darkness : studies in the Gospel of John) Those who did (poieo) the good deeds to a resurrection (anastasis) of life: Life here refers to eternal life. This if referred to as the first resurrection, will include all believers (which occurs in several stages - see video on First and Second Resurrection), and the resurrection of judgment (the "second" resurrection) will involve unbelievers at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:11-15+). Notice they are to be judged on deeds which results in a separation of wheat and chaff (so to speak). It is by what they did (past tense). In other words they will be judged on the deeds they committed. Now pause for a moment! Even saved sinners do not continually, perfectly do good deeds! The critical point to remember about one's deeds is their general direction and not absolute perfection. A saved person will "blow it" from time to time just like an unsaved person, but because the saved person possesses the internal Power of the Holy Spirit, the general direction of their thoughts, words and deeds will be "heavenward" and not "hell-ward." A corollary thought is if you say you are a believer, your behavior ought to show it. To say it another way, a saved person will manifest progressive sanctification, growing more like Christ over time, even though they may experience moments (sometimes even seasons) of un-Christ-like behavior ("two steps forward, one step back")! Praise God for His infinite mercy, forgiveness and grace to keep us on the straight and narrow path of holiness! Indeed as Paul says "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (1Th 5:24, cf Php 1:6) Good deeds are deeds with an "o" knocked out! In other words they are "God deeds," deeds initiated and energized by the Spirit of God and glorifying to the Father. Spiritually dead people hear (Gospel), believe and receive life. The fruit of this new life is good deeds! We see that pattern in Ephesians 2:8-9+ (believe and be saved) and Ephesians 2:10+ (good works prepared for believers). Stated another way, good deeds are evidence of salvation, but do not result in salvation (that is only by grace through faith). Good works are the fruit of salvation, not the cause. See more on Good Deeds. Jesus is NOT teaching works based salvation which this verse taken out of context might suggest. This issue is discussed at length in 3 notes below (GA, WK, NG) Those who committed (prasso) the evil deeds to a resurrection (anastasis) of judgment (krisis) - Committed (prasso) describes evil deeds as their practice, their lifestyle, or as discussed above, their direction ("hell-ward")! Resurrection of judgment could be read "a resurrection resulting in judgment" which in turn is synonymous with the Great White Throne judgment (Rev 20:11-15+), the final judgment of all unbelievers of all ages (cf Mt 10:15; Mt 11:22, 24; Mt 12:36, 41, 42; Lk 10:14; Jn 12:48; Acts 17:31; Acts 24:25; Ro 2:5, 16; 2Pe 2:9; 3:7; Jude 6). Believers of course will in a sense experience a resurrection of judgment, but their judgment will be at a different time (see TIMELINE BELOW) and for a different purpose (not for sin but for rewards) (2Co 5:10+). Swindoll on judgment - The literal meaning is “to sift and separate” as one does in order to isolate the components of a mixture. The primary use is metaphorical in the sense of “sifting through the details to arrive at a conclusion.” In terms of a person, the idea is to sift the details of his or her life in order to examine them and render a decision about his or her character. krisis, “judgment,” is the result of this sifting. (Borrow Insights on John) This same prophecy was given in Daniel 12:2-3+ “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life (BELIEVERS IN JESUS - "RESURRECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS" - Lk 14:4), but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt (REJECTORS OF JESUS). “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Comparison of John 5:24 & Jn 5:28-29 (Source Swindoll's Insights on John) Come forth (1607) ekporeuomai from ek = out + poreuomai = come, go) to make to go forth, to go forth. Friberg - (1) literally; (a) absolutely go from or out of a place, depart from (Mk 6.11); go out (Acts 9.28); (b) of the dead coming out of tombs emerge, come forth (Jn 5.29); (c) of demons come out ( Mt 17.21); (d) of a journey set out (Mk 10.17); (2) figuratively; (a) of words or thoughts proceed from, go or come out of the mouth, i.e. be spoken (Mt 15.11); (b) of a report spread abroad, tell everywhere (Lk 4.37); (c) of the Spirit proceed from (Jn 15.26); (d) of water flow out, stream forth (Rev 22.1) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Did (4160) poieo occurs 568 times, primarily in the Gospels and in a wide variety of contexts, which makes it difficult to do a simple word study. BDAG says poieo is "a multivalent term (possessing many meanings), often without pointed semantic (relating to meaning in language) significance, used in reference to a broad range of activity involving such matters as bringing something into being, bringing something to pass, or simply interacting in some way with a variety of entities." (BDAG) Poieo is primarily translated with the idea of to DO (to bring to pass, to carry out, to bring about, to accomplish), to MAKE (to construct or fashion something out of existing material) to PERFORM. Click for more in depth discussion. Committed (practiced)(4238) prasso means doing something as a regular practice or as a routine habit, and is distinguished from poieo which means "to do" which focuses more on the end/achievement of the action. In contrast prasso focuses on the process or habitual effort to arrive at the end/achievement, and thus refers more to the course of conduct. The predominant idea conveyed by prasso in its NT uses is to bring about or accomplish an objective through some activity (Ro 1:32, 2:3, Ac 5:35, 26:20, 2Co 5:10, etc). Prassō focuses on the activity (continued process) that brings the needed end. Vine compares poieo and prasso noting that "prasso signifies to practise, though this is not always to be pressed. The Apostle John, in his Epistles, uses the continuous tenses (present tense ) of poieō, to indicate a practice, the habit of doing something, e.g., 1Jn 3:4 (cp poieo in 1 Jn 3:8, 9 where the sense of practising is the meaning). John uses prasso twice in the Gospel, Jn 3:20 and Jn 5:29. The Apostle Paul uses prasso in the sense of practising, and the R.V. so renders the word in Ro 1:32; 2:2...Generally speaking, in Paul’s Epistles poieō denotes an action complete in itself, while prassō denotes a habit. The difference is seen in Ro 1:32. Again, poieō stresses the accomplishment, e.g., “perform,” in Ro 4:21; prassō stresses the process leading to the accomplishment, e.g., “doer,” in Ro 2:25. In Ro 2:3 he who does, poieō, the things mentioned, is warned against judging those who practise them, prassō. The distinction in John 3:20, 21 is noticeable: “Every one that does (prassō, practises) ill … he that does (poieō) the truth,” While we cannot draw the regular distinction, that prassō speaks of doing evil things, and poieō of doing good things, yet very often “where the words assume an ethical tinge, there is a tendency to use the verbs with this distinction” (Trench, Syn., § xcvi). (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words) Resurrection (386) anastasis from ana = up, again + histemi = to cause to stand) literally means “to stand again" or "to cause to stand again" and most NT uses refer to a physical body rising from the dead or coming back to life after having once died. The resurrection is distinguished from belief in reincarnation, which usually involves a series of rebirths from which the soul may seek release. Resurrection has primary reference to the body. The resurrection is the central, defining doctrine and claim of the gospel for as Paul wrote "if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain." (1Cor 15:14) Related Resources on resurrection Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important? Why does it matter that Jesus rose from the dead? Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ true? When will the Resurrection take place? What is the first resurrection? What is the second resurrection? What is more important, the death of Christ or His resurrection? What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25)? Where do the Hebrew Scriptures prophesy the death and resurrection of the Messiah? Why should I believe in Christ’s resurrection? What does it mean that Jesus rose “again”? Torrey's Topic - Resurrection of Christ Study the schematic below and note that there are two general categories of resurrections, the First resurrection in stages for believers and the second resurrection as a single event for unbelievers. THE TWO RESURRECTIONS (3) FIRST Resurrection The Two Witnesses Raised at Mid-Tribulation || V Saints from FIRST Resurrection Experience the Millennium (1) FIRST Resurrection Christ the First Fruits On 3rd Day (2) FIRST Resurrection Believers at Rapture Pre-tribulation (4) FIRST Resurrection a) Believers Martyred in Tribulation b) OT Saints Preceding 1000 yr (5) SECOND Resurrection Non Believers End of 1000 yr THE CROSS GAP 2000+ Years 7 Years 1000 Years Church Age Tribulation* Millennium *Note: The word "Tribulation" is never specifically used in Scripture to designate the last 7 years, Daniel's 70th week, but will be used in these notes because the term is so firmly entrenched in Christian jargon. Last 3.5 years is designated the Great Tribulation. EXPLANATORY NOTES (see also video on first and second resurrections): The First Resurrection concerns only believers and is composed of several distinct "stages" at different times. Note that all believers (not just saints martyred during the Great Tribulation) will reign with Christ in His Millennial Kingdom. The Second Resurrection deals only with unbelievers and occurs in a single "stage" or as a one time event. Both the First and Second Resurrections refer to physical or bodily resurrection, not spiritual resurrection. (1) The prototype resurrection forming the basis of the First Resurrection - Christ the first fruits of all subsequent resurrections of believers (1Co 15:20+) (2) The Second "stage" of the First Resurrection - Believers who have died during the Church Age will be resurrected at the time the Lord returns to Rapture His Bride, the Church. (1 Th 4:13-18+, 1Co 15:50-53+, cp Jn 14:3) (3) The Third "stage" of the First Resurrection - The two witnesses who are killed in Revelation 11 are raised and then went up to heaven (Rev 11:11, 12+) (4a) The Fourth "stage" of the First Resurrection - After the Great Tribulation, believers who have been martyred will be resurrected to immortality (See notes regarding those who come out of Great Tribulation, some of which are undoubtedly martyred - Rev 7:9+; Rev 7:14+; see notes regarding saints martyred during the Great Tribulation some - Rev 20:4-6+) (4b) The Fourth "stage" of the First Resurrection - After the time of Jacob's Distress or Trouble (Jer 30:7+ = the Great Tribulation), the Old Testament saints will also be resurrected (see OT descriptions of resurrection - Daniel 12:1, 2, 13+, Isaiah 26:19, Job 19:26) What Biblical basis is there for placing the resurrection of OT saints at the end of the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob's distress? Jeremiah gives us a clue writing… 'Alas! for that day (not a literal day but a 3.5 year period that corresponds to the Great Tribulation) is great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob's distress (at which time there is a horrible time of persecution of Jews by the Satanically inspired Antichrist, a "Jewish holocaust" the likes of which the world has never seen, but one that will be cut short by the return of the Messiah), But he (Israel, the believing remnant) will be saved from it. And it shall come about on that day (what day? the day of the Lord's return - see description beginning in Rev 19:11+),' declares the LORD of hosts, 'that I will break his yoke from off their neck, and will tear off their bonds; and strangers shall no longer make them their slaves. (To reiterate, this day corresponds to the return of the Lord, who defeats the Antichrist and all Gentile powers arrayed against God, His saints and Israel) But they (this refers to those Jews who come to saving faith in the time of Jacob's distress - see Ro 11:25, 26, 27+) shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. (Jeremiah 30:7-9+) Comment: Note that these passages {also Ezekiel 37:24} indicate that David himself will be resurrected and will actually reign over the earthly Israel during the millennial age. David's resurrection follows the defeat of the Gentiles at the end of the Great Tribulation which supports the premise that this period is the time when OT saints are resurrected. (5) The Second Resurrection - After the 1000 year Millennial Kingdom all of the unbelieving dead will be resurrected to stand before the Great White Throne judgment and since their names are not found written in the book of life, they will be cast into the Lake of fire, which constitutes the Second Death, eternal separation away from the glory of God. (Rev 20:11-15+) Gleason Archer - New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties - How can John 5:28–29 be reconciled with the gospel of grace? John 5:28–29 reads: “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (NIV). Such a pronouncement as this, when taken out of context, might seem to establish the principle that men are saved by good works, by deeds of the law, rather than by grace through faith. But taken in its own context, it becomes clear that Jesus did not intend to preach salvation through good works, but only to furnish a valid criterion for saving faith. In v.24 of the same passage, He had affirmed, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (NIV). The requirement for salvation involves careful attention to Christ’s word and faith in God, who sent His Son to save sinners from death. In order to grasp what Jesus meant here by doing good and doing evil, we must remember that it is God’s viewpoint rather than man’s that finally determines what is good and what is evil. Whatever man does in his own interest or for his own credit or glory is devoid of true goodness in God’s eyes, no matter how helpful or admirable it may seem to the human observer. “The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7–8). From God’s standpoint, then, no unconverted person is capable of performing a good work. It is only as the indwelling Spirit of Christ takes control of the heart, head, and hand of the born-again believer that a truly good work is accomplished. And it is good only because God is the one who performs it, working through a yielded human instrument (Rom. 6:12–14). Yet it should be observed that the fruit of genuine faith is good works, not merit-earning good works, of course, but Christ-expressing and Christ-glorifying good works. As the Epistle of James makes clear, a counterfeit faith is of no value before God; but a true faith will be a working faith. “Faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, `You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:17–18, NASB). This principle pervades Christ’s teaching throughout the Gospels. In Matthew 7 the Sermon on the Mount closes with a contrast between the foolish man who heard Christ’s teaching but failed to carry it out and the wise man who faithfully obeyed the teaching of his Lord. In the previous paragraph Jesus described the sorry plight of those at the final judgment who would come before Him and plead their own good works, even though ostensibly performed in Christ’s name and service, as a ground for admission to heaven. Because they have not truly done “the will of My Father who is in heaven” (v.21) by sincerely submitting their heart to the Lord, the verdict for them is “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (v.23, NASB). All their ostensibly good works performed in Christ’s name go for nothing, because they have been going about to establish their own righteousness (Rom. 10:3) rather than yielding their “members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:13). In other words, the Lord insists that a true and living faith expresses itself in deeds of righteousness and love that are motivated and directed by His Spirit. In the memorable scene described by Jesus in Matthew 25:31–46, He sits as judge over the entire professing church, made up of believers from every nation (“all the nations will be gathered before Him,” not, of course, to be judged as national units, but as individual Christians from every nation), and applies the test of godly behavior to gauge the sincerity of faith. All before Him are professing Christians, for they all address Him as “Lord” and suppose that He considers them His own. But only those who have expressed His love and compassion by feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger with hospitality, clothing the naked, and visiting those imprisoned for righteousness’ sake (vv. 35–36) have displayed a true and living faith. They have shown all these kindnesses as unto the Lord Himself, out of a sincere love for Him. Those who have failed to carry out His will by a life of kindly service to others—and especially to those of the household of faith (“the least of these My brethren”) betray a counterfeit faith that is not unto salvation. They are therefore appointed a portion in hell, along with all other hypocrites (cf. Matt. 24:51; 25:46). From this perspective we are in a better position to understand 2 Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (NIV). In this latter passage we are not dealing with counterfeit professors of the faith but rather with the evaluation of the fruitfulness and faithfulness of each born-again believer during his years of stewardship on earth. The appropriate reward and status in heaven will be awarded by Christ to each servant of His according to the measure of the servant’s faithfulness and zeal. The same principle obtains at the judgment of the Great White Throne in Revelation 20:12. The time locus of this judgment is at the close of the Millennium, and so there is a need to pass judgment on those of the newer generations who have grown up during the Millennium itself. While all the earth will be subject to the authority of Christ during that thousand-year period, there will be some who will outwardly conform to the Christian ethic and profess to love the Lord but will never have been truly born again. These will have performed no works recognized by Christ as truly “good”. It is for this reason that the heaven-kept books of record will be consulted as each soul comes before the Lord for judgment, not only those books that record the sins of the unsaved, but also “the book of life” (v.12), which contains the names of the sincere believers of the centuries of the Millennium. All will be judged “according to their deeds,” to be sure; but only those who are truly regenerate followers of Christ will have any “good deeds” entered on their record, deeds that are genuinely good because they are the works of God performed through His yielded instruments. As Jesus said to the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:17, “There is none good but God.” Therefore there are no good works except those that are done by the Lord Himself through truly surrendered believers. In light of these passages, we must conclude that neither John 5:28–29 nor any other such passage conflicts with the principle of salvation by grace through faith. It is simply a matter of distinguishing between a genuine faith and a counterfeit faith. Walter Kaiser - John 5:28–29 Salvation by Works? - Hard Sayings of the Bible In John 5:28–29 Jesus is in a debate with the Judean Jews, talking about the authority of the Son of Man to command the resurrection of the dead. He then adds a comment that refers to the two classes of resurrected people, not as believers and unbelievers, but as “those who have done good” and “those who have done evil.” Does not this indicate that eternal life is given on the basis of one’s deeds? Is this not the very salvation by works that Luther and the other Reformers were so much against? The first point that we should notice about this verse is that Jesus is indeed in a debate with a group of Jews, who were questioning his authority to heal a person on the sabbath. His central point is that his authority is far greater than that needed to set aside the sabbath. The healing was simply a sign of a more significant authority than they had yet seen: it is Jesus they will meet on the final judgment day! We must keep that point in mind, for the issues of faith and works are here actually peripheral to the main point Jesus is making. Second, in saying what he says, Jesus is saying the same thing as any good rabbi of his time would say. Some of the dead were called righteous, for they had done good, and some of the dead were called unrighteous, for they had done evil. The resurrection was a time when God would set right the accounts, rewarding the righteous with “the age to come” (to use the rabbinic phrase) and barring the unrighteous from that happy kingdom. Thus what Jesus said would not have raised an eyebrow among the Jews. They knew that those who truly loved God obeyed the law and thus did good, while those who rejected God disobeyed the law and thus did evil. However, third, Jesus is saying something much more profound than this. In John 5 Jesus has made it clear that the resurrection to life at the end of time is simply the logical conclusion of what Jesus is doing now, for after telling them that the Father has given him authority to raise the dead, Jesus adds, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (Jn 5:24). In other words, Jesus is able to grant eternal life now, so his resurrecting people at the end of the age is simply an extension into the physical world of what he has already done in the present in the spiritual world. Notice that the only criteria for gaining eternal life now is “hears my word and believes him who sent me.” Of course, this “hearing” means not simply to listen to, but also to accept and submit to the teaching of Jesus. One who does this is in fact believing “on him who sent me,” for Jesus makes it clear that to reject him is to reject his Father. What is said here about how one gains eternal life has already been said in John 3:17–21. In that section we discover that those whose deeds are evil reject Jesus, while those whose deeds are good “come into the light.” Yet what leads to condemnation or salvation is whether or not one “believes in” him (“believes in” could better be translated “entrusts oneself to” or “commits oneself to,” for it is not mental assent to certain doctrines that is being talked about). In John 6:28–29 Jesus amplifies what he has said on the other two occasions. The works of God are defined as a single work: to believe in Jesus. If we accept this definition, we see that those whose deeds were evil would be those who rejected Jesus and those whose deeds were good would be those who accepted Jesus. One’s attitude toward Jesus becomes the central criterion of whether one is good or evil. Yet this is not to say that behavior is totally separated from salvation. Jesus is also the one who said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15 KJV). In other words, saying that one is committed to Jesus (or believes in Jesus, to use the traditional language) without actually obeying Jesus is so much useless hot air. It is the heart that counts, and the heart is seen in one’s actions. This is why 1 John will say that those who love Jesus will not continue to sin (see 1 Jn 3:6, 9). Real love, real faith leads to a life that shows it. Yet the life is the result of commitment, the result of eternal life residing in the person, not the cause of it. So is John teaching salvation by works? The answer is no. That is, not unless committing oneself to Jesus is the work that one is talking about. Those who do good are those who believe on Jesus (and probably also, in Jesus’ mind, those who accepted God’s previous revelation and died before Jesus came); those who do evil are those who reject Jesus. This underlines that Jesus is the source of eternal life now, as well as the Judge at the end of time. Indeed, we could picture judgment day as Jesus calling out for all the dead to rise. Some rise and come toward him, drawn by their previous commitment to him. Others rise and turn away, for they have rejected that voice and in that sense are judged already. The one group comes to him who is life itself. The others reject life and thus choose death. What makes all of the difference is not whether one has sinned this or that sin, but whether one has committed oneself to Jesus. See also comments on James 2:24; Justified by What You Do? - See page 653 1 John 3:9; No One Born of God Will Continue to Sin? - See page 690 3 John 11. Anyone Who Does Good Is from God? - See page 704 Norman Geisler - When Critics Ask - JOHN 5:28–29—Is Jesus advocating salvation by works? PROBLEM: Jesus says in John’s Gospel that the time is coming when people in the graves will hear His voice “and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (v. 29). This seems to be a clear contradiction to salvation by grace (cf. Eph. 2:8–9). SOLUTION: First, Jesus does not believe in salvation by works. In the beginning of John’s Gospel, John writes, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12–13). Jesus says in John 3:16–18: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Furthermore, in John 5:24, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life” (NASB). From these passages it is clear that Jesus did not believe in works salvation. Second, Jesus’ reference to good works in John 5:28–29 is to that which occurs after saving faith. To be saved, one needs the grace of God (Eph. 2:8–9), but authentic faith expresses itself in good works (v. 10). The Apostle Paul in the Book of Romans, says something very similar to what Jesus says in John 5:28–29. In Romans Paul says that God “will render to every man according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation” (Rom. 2:6–8, NASB). But Paul also wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). In the passage in Romans, Paul is not talking about the one who obtains eternal life by faith, but the individual who shows this life in his good works. In Ephesians, Paul is saying that none can save himself by works prior to salvation. (See also comments on James 2:21.) So, Jesus does not contradict Himself nor the rest of Scripture concerning the matter of salvation. Those who receive the resurrection of life have shown their saving faith by their works. All The Dead Will Rise! The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will . . . come forth. —John 5:28-29 Today's Scripture: John 5:24-30 In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, stands an unusual gravestone. A woman who didn’t believe in the resurrection directed in her will that her burial place be made so secure that just in case there was a resurrection it couldn’t touch her. Huge slabs of granite were fastened together with heavy steel clamps and placed over her grave. Engraved on the marker were these words: “This burial place must never be opened.” In time a small seed germinated just beneath the edge of the stone. As it grew into a tree and its trunk got bigger, the heavy slabs were gradually shifted and the steel clamps were wrenched from their sockets. Those massive pieces of granite could not withstand the dynamic life-force within that small seed. Man cannot thwart the creative power of God. Jesus said that all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, some to the resurrection of life and others to the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28-29). There will be no exceptions—not even those drowned at sea or cremated. The re-creation of human bodies poses no problem to the One who spoke the world into existence out of nothing. How To Be Sure Of The Resurrection Of Life Admit you are a sinner (Romans 3:23). Believe that Christ died for you (Acts 16:31). Ask Him to save you (John 1:12; Romans 10:9,13). Christ's resurrection assures what Christ's death secures. John 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. BGT John 5:30 Οὐ δύναμαι ἐγὼ ποιεῖν ἀπ᾽ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐδέν· καθὼς ἀκούω κρίνω, καὶ ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ δικαία ἐστίν, ὅτι οὐ ζητῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με. KJV John 5:30 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. NET John 5:30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me. CSB John 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own. I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. ESV John 5:30 "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. NIV John 5:30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. NLT John 5:30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will. NRS John 5:30 "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. NJB John 5:30 By myself I can do nothing; I can judge only as I am told to judge, and my judging is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. NAB John 5:30 "I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me. YLT John 5:30 'I am not able of myself to do anything; according as I hear I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me. can: Jn 5:19 8:28,42 14:10 I judge: Jn 8:15,16 Ge 18:25 Ps 96:13 Isa 11:3,4 Ro 2:2,5 because: Jn 4:34 6:38 8:50 17:4 18:11 Ps 40:7,8 Mt 26:39 Ro 15:3 Ho 10:7-10 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: John 5:19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. John 4:34;Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 8:29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” John 17:4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. JESUS' ACTIONS IN HARMONY WITH FATHER In John 5:30 -47 Jesus presents Five Witnesses to Himself as the Son of God - Father, Son, John the Baptist, His works, Moses (OT Scriptures). I (ego) can do (absolutely) nothing on My own initiative (emautou) - Jesus switches from "the Son" in Jn 5:19 to the first person "I" as in Jn 8:28. Literally "nothing from myself" - Jesus' discourse returns to the first person I (ego) having spoke of the Son since Jn 5:19. He is not saying that he has no power to do anything by Himself. His point is similar to the preceding statement in John 5:19 that He is so perfectly united (perfect oneness and union) that He could not act by Himself. Stated another way Jesus is saying it is impossible for the Son to do anything on His own initiative apart from the Father, because the two share the same divine nature. Nothing is first in Greek to emphasize absolutely nothing! The Father's will is Jesus' will so perfect is their unity/oneness. Own initiative conveys the idea of on His own authority or own free will. To what does this refer? It indicates that what Jesus does is initiated by another and as we have seen in Jn 5:19 this clearly refers to His Father. And once again Jesus is emphasizing His perfect oneness with His Father and thus indirectly reiterating that He is also divine. Jesus is saying that He is not able to anything based solely on what He wants. Bob
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MacArthur - Like moths to a lamp, the people flocked excitedly to hear John who, as noted above, was the first prophet in nearly four hundred years. Their excitement peaked when he proclaimed the imminent arrival of the long-awaited Messiah (Mark 1:7–8). But his stern call for personal repentance (Matt. 3:1–2), his stinging denunciation of the nation’s hypocrisy (Matt. 3:7; Luke 3:7), and his shocking practice of baptizing Jews (the Jews baptized Gentile proselytes, but regarded fellow Jews as already part of God’s kingdom people, and hence not in need of baptism) alienated many of the people. Eventually, John’s fearless condemnation of Herod Antipas’s unlawful marriage (Mark 6:17–18) led to his arrest and execution. The thrill seekers may have rejoiced temporarily in John’s ministry, but they missed its purpose—to point out Jesus as the Messiah. They were superficially drawn to John (cf. those similarly drawn to Jesus in Jn 2:23–25), but they lacked genuine repentance. Ultimately, they turned away from the light of truth that John reflected, because they loved the evil deeds of darkness (Jn 3:19). (John Commentary) Stier remarks,—“Man generally, even a prophet, can only give light by burning, like a lighted candle, until he is burnt out, and his mission on earth ceases. Thus did the Baptist burn, brightly but rapidly.” (Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospels) John 5:36 "But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish--the very works that I do--testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. BGT John 5:36 Ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχω τὴν μαρτυρίαν μείζω τοῦ Ἰωάννου· τὰ γὰρ ἔργα ἃ δέδωκέν μοι ὁ πατὴρ ἵνα τελειώσω αὐτά, αὐτὰ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιῶ μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ ὅτι ὁ πατήρ με ἀπέσταλκεν. KJV John 5:36 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. NET John 5:36 "But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds that the Father has assigned me to complete– the deeds I am now doing– testify about me that the Father has sent me. CSB John 5:36 "But I have a greater testimony than John's because of the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish. These very works I am doing testify about Me that the Father has sent Me. ESV John 5:36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. NIV John 5:36 "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. NLT John 5:36 But I have a greater witness than John-- my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me. NRS John 5:36 But I have a testimony greater than John's. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. NJB John 5:36 But my testimony is greater than John's: the deeds my Father has given me to perform, these same deeds of mine testify that the Father has sent me. NAB John 5:36 But I have testimony greater than John's. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. YLT John 5:36 'But I have the testimony greater than John's, for the works that the Father gave me, that I might finish them, the works themselves that I do, they testify concerning me, that the Father hath sent me. I have: Jn 5:32 1Jn 5:9,11,12 the works: Jn 3:2 9:30-33 10:25,37,38 11:37 14:10,11 15:24 17:4 Ac 2:22 Mt 11:4 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Acts 2:22+ “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know– John 4:34+ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish (teleioo) His work. John 17:4+ (JESUS FINISHED WORK HIS FATHER HAD GIVEN HIM) “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished (teleioo) the work which You have given Me to do. John 5:20+ “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. John 3:35+ “The Father loves the Son and has given all things (INCLUDING THESE GREATER WORKS) into His hand. John 10:37-38+ “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” Matthew 13:54+ He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 1 John 5:9+ If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. THIRD WITNESS: JESUS' SUPERNATURAL WORKS But - Term of contrast. What is Jesus contrasting (it's straightforward)? The testimony (marturia) which I have is greater than the testimony of John - NIV = "I have testimony weightier than that of John." John's witness was good, but Christ's testimony was greater. Why was it greater? Read on. For (gar - Term of explanation) - What is Jesus explaining? He is explaining why His works carry more weight than the testimony of John the Baptist. The works (ergon) which the Father (pater) has given Me to accomplish (teleioo)--the very works (ergon) that I do (poieo - present tense - continually)--testify (martureo - present tense) about Me, that the Father (pater) has sent (apostello in perfect tense = permanence of His mission) Me - Note the phrase the works which the Father has given Me continues to emphasize the theme interwoven throughout John 5 of Jesus' oneness with His Father (e.g., see Jn 5:20). Accomplish speaks of Jesus fully carrying out the purpose for which the Father sent Him into the world, the ultimate work being His death on the Cross which was validated by His resurrection from the dead (the greatest sign). The very works (ergon) that I do would include His many miracles including the healing of the lame man here in John 5. Clearly His works would include the fulfillment of many of the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament (there are more than 300 OT prophecies!) which served to confirm He was indeed the long expected Messiah. Jesus' final work as a Man was His sacrificial fully atoning death on the Cross, recorded by John - "Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished (tetelestai = perfect tense of teleo)!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit." (Jn 19:30+) And His resurrection from the dead was the evidence that the Father approved of His work and was satisfied with (propitiated by) His sacrificial offering. The works that Jesus performed which were to stimulate them to believe in Him, would be the very works that would one day condemn them because they rejected Him (cf Jn 15:24). These works were so great that all who failed to believe in Him were without excuse and in fact would suffer an even greater degree of condemnation at the Great White Throne judgment (see Mt 11:21-24+) Warren Wiersbe on the very works I do - John selected seven of these "signs" to include in his Gospel as proof that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:30-31). Jesus made it clear that His works were the works of the Father (John 5:17-20; 14:10). Even Nicodemus had to admit that our Lord's miracles identified Him as "sent from God" (John 3:2). But the Bible also records miracles performed by ordinary men, such as Moses, Elijah, and Paul. Do these miracles prove that they are also sent of God? Yes, they do (see Heb. 2:3-4), but none of these men ever claimed to be the very Son of God. No servant of God able to perform God's mighty works would ever claim to be God Himself. The fact that Jesus made this claim, backed up by His mighty works and perfect life, is evidence that His claim is true. (Bible Exposition Commentary) Bob
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MacArthur - Jesus’ miracles prompted Nicodemus to confess, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (Jn 3:2). John 7:31 records that “many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, ‘When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?’ ” Even Jesus’ bitter enemies “the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, ‘What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs’ ” (Jn 11:47). As He did here, the Lord Himself repeatedly pointed to His miraculous works as confirmation of His claim to be the Son of God and the Messiah (cf. Jn 10:25, 37–38; 14:11; Matt. 11:3–5). The gospels record at least three dozen of those miracles, and Jesus performed countless others that Scripture does not record (Jn 20:30). (John Commentary) Accomplish (5048) teleioo related to teleios from telos = an end, a purpose, an aim, a goal, consummate soundness, idea of being whole) means to accomplish, to carry to consummation, to bring to an end or to the intended goal (telos). The basic meaning of teleios is always that the thing or person so described fully carries out the purpose or the plan for which he or it was purposed and designed. It means to be complete, mature, fully developed, full grown, brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing necessary to completeness or in good working order. It does not mean simply to terminate something but to carry it out to the full finish which is picked up in the translation "perfected". Teleioo signifies the attainment of consummate soundness and includes the idea of being made whole. Interestingly the Gnostics used teleios of one fully initiated into their mysteries and that may have been why Paul used teleios in this epistle. Teleioo - 23v - Lk. 2:43; Lk. 13:32; Jn. 4:34; Jn. 5:36; Jn. 17:4; Jn. 17:23; Jn. 19:28; Acts 20:24; Phil. 3:12; Heb. 2:10; Heb. 5:9; Heb. 7:19; Heb. 7:28; Heb. 9:9; Heb. 10:1; Heb. 10:14; Heb. 11:40; Heb. 12:23; Jas. 2:22; 1 Jn. 2:5; 1 Jn. 4:12; 1 Jn. 4:17; 1 Jn. 4:18 John 5:37 "And the Father Who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. BGT John 5:37 καὶ ὁ πέμψας με πατὴρ ἐκεῖνος μεμαρτύρηκεν περὶ ἐμοῦ. οὔτε φωνὴν αὐτοῦ πώποτε ἀκηκόατε οὔτε εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε, KJV John 5:37 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. NET John 5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, CSB John 5:37 The Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have not heard His voice at any time, and you haven't seen His form. ESV John 5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, NIV John 5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, NLT John 5:37 And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, NRS John 5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, NJB John 5:37 Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself. You have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape, NAB John 5:37 Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, YLT John 5:37 'And the Father who sent me Himself hath testified concerning me; ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor His appearance have ye seen; He has testified: Jn 6:27 8:18 Mt 3:17 17:5 You have neither heard : Jn 1:18 14:9 15:24 Ex 20:19 De 4:12 1Ti 1:17 6:16 1Jn 1:1,2 1Jn 4:12,20 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: John 5:32 “There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true. Deuteronomy 4:12, 15, 33 “Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form–only a voice.....15 So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,....33 “Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived? Deuteronomy 5:24 “You said, ‘Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives. Numbers 12:8 (MOSES HEARD AND SAW) With him (MOSES) I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?” Genesis 32:20, 30 and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” ....30 So Jacob named the place Peniel (FACE OF GOD), for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." (SEE What is the significance of Peniel in the Bible?) Judges 13:21-22+ Now the angel of the LORD did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. 22 So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.” Exodus 24:9-10 (SAW GOD) Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Exodus 33:20-23+ But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21 Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 “Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.” Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose (emphanizo) Myself to him.” (See Angel of the LORD) Matthew 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. John 12:28-30 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. THE TESTIMONY OF GOD THE FATHER And - And is used as a function word to indicate connection or addition especially of items within the same class. What is the "class" in this context? The Father (pater) Who sent Me - This is the fourth time in this discourse to the Jews that Jesus clearly states He has been sent by God His Father which would (or at least should) leave no doubt in the audience of where He claims to be from (Jn 5:23, 24, 30), but unbelief and hardened hearts make one spiritually blind to the truth (THEN AND NOW)! He has testified (martureo) of Me - Testified is in the perfect tense indicating that the testimony was given at a point in time in the past and it still endures! This speaks of its abiding and indeed even eternal nature (Mt 24:35)! How has the Father testified about Jesus? The most glorious and complete testimony is by giving us the Bible, the Word of God, with over 300 Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament (Including many He had no control over - see Isa 7:14+, Da 9:25+, Micah 5:2+), all of which point indisputably to One Man, Jesus. A T Robertson on He has testified - perfect tense active indicative of martureō, the direct witness of the Father, besides the indirect witness of the works. Jesus is not speaking of the voice of the Father at his baptism (Mark 1:11), the transfiguration (Mark 9:7), nor even at the time of the visit of the Greeks (John 12:28). This last voice was heard by many who thought it was thunder or an angel. The language of Jesus refers to the witness of the Father in the heart of the believers as is made plain in 1 John 5:9-10. God's witness does not come by audible "voice" (phōnēn) nor visible "form" (eidos). Cf. John 1:18; John 6:46; 1 John 4:12. Akēkoate is perfect active indicative of akouō, to hear, and heōrakate is perfect active indicative of horaō, to see. It is a permanent state of failure to hear and see God. The experience of Jacob in Peniel (Genesis 32:30) was unusual, but Jesus will say that those who have seen him have seen the Father (John 14:9), but here he means the Father's "voice" and "form" as distinct from the Son. (John 5 Commentary) You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form - This verse is somewhat enigmatic in my opinion and not easy to interpret. That said, we know that OT Jews heard God's voice (Read Ex 19:9NLT+, Dt 4:33+). We also have a number of passages that state they saw aspects of His form (of course never His full glory - Ex 33:20-23+) - seen Nu 12:8+, Ex 24:9-10+ and other passages above. We also know that in the synoptics God had spoken at the baptism of Jesus (Mt 3:17), but not in John's Gospel. So what does Jesus mean that the Jews He is addressing have not heard...nor seen? One reasonable consideration is that because of the unbelief of His hearers, they did not have spiritual eyes or ears to see or hear Him. John MacArthur has this explanation (linking it with John 5:38) - Jesus’ statement, You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form, was a further rebuke to the unbelieving Jews. No one can see God in the full glory of His infinitely holy essence (Ex. 33:20; John 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 John 4:12). However there were times, throughout Israel’s history, when God audibly or visibly interacted with His people. For example, He spoke to Moses (Ex. 33:11; Num. 12:8), the Israelites of the exodus (Deut. 4:12, 15; 5:5), and the prophets (Heb. 1:1). He also appeared, in some physical manifestation of His presence, to Jacob (Gen. 32:30), Gideon (Jdg. 6:22), Manoah (Jdg. 13:20), and others (Ge 16:13; Ex. 24:9–11; Isa. 6:5). Yet the unbelieving Jews of Jesus’ day, who had both the Old Testament Scriptures and the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ (1:18; 14:9; cf. Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:3), did not have God’s word abiding in them, for they did not believe Him whom God sent. They refused to listen to Jesus, God’s final revelation to mankind (Heb. 1:2). And, in so doing, they displayed their total ignorance of God, since those who reject Jesus cannot know the Father (cf. Jn 5:23; 8:19; 14:6; 15:23). (John 1-11 MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Bob
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MacArthur - The Pharisees in particular were fanatical in their preoccupation with Scripture, studying every line, every word, and even the letters in an empty effort to understand the truth. (John MacArthur New Testament Commentary) The Mishnah says "the more study of the Law the more life (“Lots of Torah, lots of life")…If a man has gained a good name he has gained [somewhat] for himself; if he has gained for himself words of the Law he has gained for himself life in the world to come." (mishnah Pirkei ‘Avot. 2:7) ( What is the Mishnah? What is a midrash?) W E Vine - the great point is that, while the Scriptures were theirs for their guidance, they were so out of touch with the mind of God therein revealed, that they failed to grasp their purport, that, namely of witnessing to Christ. They imagined that they had life simply by their possession of the Word of God, by their devotion to the letter of the Law, and by a formal perusal of the Scriptures, the real and divine purpose of which is to lead the reader to the lifegiver. Matthew
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MacArthur - Clinging to their superficial system of self-righteousness by works, in their stubborn unbelief, they became ignorant of “God’s righteousness and [sought] to establish their own” (Ro 10:3). But self-righteousness cannot save anyone, since “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isa. 64:6) and because “whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10). Thus, salvation comes not from “having a righteousness of [one’s] own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil. 3:9; cf. Ro 3:20–30). (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Matthew
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MacArthur on another - Over the centuries there have been many false messiahs (as many as sixty-four according to some Jewish historians [Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 333 n. 122]). The first-century Jewish historian Josephus noted an increase in false messiahs in the years leading up to the Jewish revolt against Rome (A.D. 66–70). Sixty years later another messianic pretender, Simon Bar Kochba, appeared. Even Rabbi Akiba, the most esteemed rabbi of the time, believed Bar Kochba to be the messiah—until his revolt was crushed by the Romans with catastrophic results for the Jewish people. False messiahs will proliferate as the second coming draws near (Matt. 24:23–24), culminating in the ultimate false messiah, the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:3–12). (See also "Pseudo-Messiahs" in Jewish Encyclopedia) (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary)