Man of Miracles (JOHN 5–6)

Getting Started

From the Commentary

We do not know which feast Jesus was observing when He went to Jerusalem, and it is not important that we know. His main purpose for going was not to maintain a religious tradition but to heal a man and use the miracle as the basis for a message to the people. The miracle illustrated what He said in John 5:24—the power of His word and the gift of life.

1. Why did Jesus ask the man at the well if he wanted to be healed (John 5:6)? What lesson did Jesus teach the observers of this miracle?

Going Deeper

From the Commentary The miracle would have caused no problem except that it occurred on the Sabbath day. Our Lord certainly could have come a day earlier, or even waited a day, but He wanted to get the attention of the religious leaders. Later, He would deliberately heal a blind man on the Sabbath (John 9:1–14). The scribes had listed thirty-nine tasks that were prohibited on the Sabbath, and carrying a burden was one of them. Instead of rejoicing at the wonderful deliverance of the man, the religious leaders condemned him for carrying his bed and thereby breaking the law.

2. Why would miracles have been disallowed on the Sabbath, considering that the God of the Sabbath supposedly granted them? What does this tell us about the Jewish leaders’ beliefs about God and the law? How did Jesus reframe their understanding of the law?

From the Commentary Jesus made Himself equal with God because He is God. This is the theme of John’s gospel. The Jewish leaders could not disprove His claims, so they tried to destroy Him and get Him out of the way. Both in His crucifixion and His resurrection, Jesus openly affirmed His deity and turned His enemies’ weapons against them.British writer George MacDonald pointed out that John 5:17 gives us a profound insight into our Lord’s miracles. Jesus did instantly what the Father is always doing slowly. For example, in nature, as mentioned earlier, the Father is slowly turning water into wine, but Jesus did it instantly. Through the powers in nature, the Father is healing broken bodies, but Jesus healed them immediately. Nature is repeatedly multiplying bread, from sowing to harvest, but Jesus multiplied it instantly in His own hands.

3. Respond to the following statement: “Jesus did instantly what the Father is always doing slowly.” How is this implied or stated in John 5:17? How does this statement illustrate the connection between the Son and the Father? How does it help us to understand the point of Jesus’ miracles?

From Today’s World The rules for the Sabbath included a whole host of things that weren’t allowable on that day. This same sort of thinking led to what became known in America as the “blue laws,” which prohibited such activities as the sale of alcoholic beverages or even all commerce all day Sunday or during certain hours. While most of these laws have been repealed, some remain (particularly the prohibition of alcohol sales in some states).

4. Why do you think American culture embraced the idea of the blue laws? What has changed in our culture that has resulted in the repealing of these laws? What value is there in restricting commerce on Sunday?

From the Commentary John 5:21 certainly can mean much more than the physical raising of people from the dead, for certainly Jesus was referring to His gift of spiritual life to the spiritually dead. He amplified this truth further as recorded in John 5:24–29.So, Jesus claimed to be equal with the Father in His works, but He also claimed to be equal with the Father in executing judgment (John 5:22). To the orthodox Jew, Jehovah God was “the Judge of all the earth” (Gen. 18:25), and no one dared to apply that august title to himself. But Jesus did! By claiming to be the Judge, He claimed to be God. “Because he [God] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained”

5. Why does Jesus tell the people, “Do not be amazed at this” when claiming His authority as God’s Son (5:28)? What is the significance of His statement that by Himself He can do nothing? What can believers today glean about judgment from the statement in John 5:30?