What I Noticed Today (John 5)
John 5
Sign 3. Healing the paralytic man.
In verses 1-15, Jesus heals the paralytic man.
Note: “After this…” (v. 1) marks an undetermined amount of time since Jesus was last in Jerusalem for Passover. It could have been as long as 18 months.
A paralytic man sat by the edge of the pool at Bethsaida in hopes of being the first one in the pool when an angel stirred the waters so he would be healed. He had been crippled for 38-years. Coming up to the man, Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well. The man said, of course, but no one will help me get to the water when it is stirred. Jesus told the man to get up; you are healed. Instantly, the man got up and walked.
The Jewish leaders objected to the man picking up his mat because it was the Sabbath.
Note: The man was not breaking any Sabbath laws but was violating a Rabbinical code that prohibited carrying an object from one domain to another.
The officials wanted to confront the man who told the man to pick up his mat, but Jesus had already slipped away in the crowd.
Later Jesus found the man in the temple and warned him not to sin anymore, or something worse might happen to him. The man went and told the officials that it was Jesus who had healed him.
Note: The “something worse” would be facing eternal judgment for sin. Jesus healed the man physically but was even more concerned about his spiritual health.
In verses 16-24, the Jews started persecuting Jesus because He was healing people on the Sabbath. Jesus said, My Father is working, so I am working. The officials were even angrier because Jesus was making Himself equal to God.
Jesus continued saying He only did what the Father does. He does nothing on His own. The Father judges no one but has given the role of judgment to the Son so that everyone will honor the Son as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father.
In verses 24-30, continuing, Jesus said, anyone who hears My word and believes has eternal life and will not face judgment. The hour is coming when all those in the grave will hear His voice and come out: those who have done good things to resurrection life, those who did evil to resurrection judgment.
Note: The reference to “doing good things/evil things” does not imply salvation by works. The good thing is to accept Jesus as God’s Son. The evil thing is to reject Him.
In verses 31-47, Jesus provides four witnesses to His truth:
- There is another (v. 32)
- John the Baptist (v. 33)
- God the Father (v. 37)
- The Scripture (v. 39)
Jesus said they do not love God because they had rejected Him. You don’t even believe Moses because if you believed Moses, you would believe Me because he wrote about Me.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- The Samaritan woman and the royal official both believed Jesus, accepted Him as Messiah, and went and told others. Many came to believe in Christ as a result of their testimony. Who is our testimony bringing to Christ?
- In contrast to the Samaritan woman and the royal official, the Jewish leadership knew about Jesus, heard His teaching, and witnessed his miracles, yet they remained hard-hearted rejecting His truth.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
