Saturday, February 16, 2013

Five Bible Verses on John Chapter 5

14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

This passage relates to the beginning of Chapter five. Jesus saw a man who could not walk. He told the man to pick up his mat and walk. The man was healed. The pharisees saw this man walking with his mat on a sabbath which was illegal. They asked him who had healed him, but he didn't know. Later Jesus found the man at the temple. This simple passage gives us a wealth of knowledge on the source of many such illnesses and ailments. Jesus told him to stop sinning or something worse might happen to him. It seems that often God will give us trials and troubles so we are taught to better obey him.

19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

The pharisees found Jesus and questioned him on why he was healing on a sabbath. The pharisees hated Jesus and wanted to find a way to kill him. Jesus was against the grain. He followed the laws of God, not the laws of men. He knew God had given him authority to heal as he saw fit. We learn several interesting things in the passage. He tells the pharisees that he only does what God the father wants him to do. We also learn that God himself judges no one, and all judgement is reserved for Jesus. We also learn that if we do not honor Jesus Christ, we do not honor God in turn.

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. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

This is a great passage about eternal life. We see that before we accept and follow Jesus Christ we were dead in our sins. In accepting and following Christ we cross from death to new life. "The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God." This is probably referring to events in the book of Revelation. Those who die will hear the voice of Christ and be lifted up. Those who do not, will be judged. Jesus is often called the son of man. What does this mean? It implies that Jesus was human. In fact the term "Son of Man" was how Jesus most commonly referred to himself as. Jesus was born of human parents, and was God in human flesh.

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. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You diligently studyc the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Jesus was still speaking to the pharisees when he said this. He mentioned how John was like a lamp burning bright, and they had enjoyed his light for a time. Jesus tells them that the work he is doing, which was all of good and peace testified on his behalf. He also tells them that God had already testified concerning him. This is a reference to Old Testament passages that predicted the coming of the messiah. Jesus points out that the pharisees study the scriptures intensely, yet refuse to see that his arrival was predicted.

45 "But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

Jesus really took it to the pharisees. He didn't mess around or play nice with them. We learn that Jesus is not the one that will be the prosecutor at their trials before God. Moses himself will accuse them before God! He reminds the pharisees that Moses himself wrote about the coming of the messiah. Jesus tells the pharisees flat out that he knows they don't even believe in what Moses wrote. Jesus knew they were false and cared nothing for scripture. All they wished was to be seen as holy and have great power.