John 5:21-47

The Testimonies of Jesus’ Claim/Raising the Dead

Raising the Dead....Verses 21-30.......All will be brought to Jesus and resurrected.

Resurrection of life.......Most of the time, when John or Jesus speaks of life, they are speaking of the eternal life with God in Heaven.

This “life” is only received from:

Hearing the “my word (Jesus)”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

A lot of translations have this verse this way:“So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” “hearing a message about Christ.”

They transcribers believed that Romans 10 is written to Israel and is a call for them to believe in Jesus Christ, therefore it is better written “Words of Christ or a report or message about Christ”

Believing on Him that sent Jesus.

John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they should know Thee the only true God, and Him whom Thou didst send, even Jesus Christ.”

When Jesus is speaking of death, He is speaking of spiritual death (second death).

No condemnation.....Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.”

Passing from death unto life......Romans 6:8-9 “But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him; knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death no more hath dominion over Him.”

In verse 25, Jesus speaks of those that are spiritually dead, hearing the call of the Savior to live!

Ephesians 2:1-2 “And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience;”

Verses 26-27.....In becoming a man, Jesus set aside the independence to exercise His divine attributes.....Philippians 2:6-8 “who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.”

Jesus affirmed here that even in His humanity the Father granted Him “life-giving” power. The power of the resurrection.

Judgement is given to Jesus as well, because He is the “Son of man”. Because of that reference of Himself being the Son of man, not the Son of God, my belief is that because Jesus lived as flesh and lived that life perfectly and also was sent for the redemption of mankind (making the perfect sacrifice), judgement is given to Jesus.

However, God can judge just as righteously as Jesus, as Jesus tells us in verse 30 “I can of mine own self do nothing, as I hear I judge.”

Verses 28-29 speak of the final say.......resurrected for life or damnation....Matthew 25:31-32 “But when the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all the nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats;”

All will be resurrected and be given bodies suited for Heaven or hell.

One the body suited for Heaven Philippians 3:20-21 “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

One suited for damnation (eternal torment)......

I think Daniel 12:2 “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Let’s deal with the good and evil part......

Good is believing in Jesus Christ: Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Following Christ is desiring after good according to God.

Evil is simply rejecting Christ Romans 2:6-10 “who will render to every man according to his works: to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek:”

So now, Jesus tells us that all of this cannot be done of (key word) of Himself, what hears He executes.......This is my favorite part, His judgement is right (just) because He seeks not His own but only the will of the Father.

“Not My will, but Thy will”

Everything Jesus is, is from the Father! John 14:7-9 “If ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also: from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father?”

Now we come to a very interesting part of this long declaration of the deity of Jesus Christ by Jesus Christ!

He starts of in verse 31, that if He alone testified of this, it wouldn’t make it true

This comes from Deut. 19:15 “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.” And Deut. 17:6 “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.”

Such a claim would need corroboration! God even set that in order!

So, from here Jesus goes to give testimony of His Lordship, all of which come from God.....

John the Baptist, gave testimony of the coming Messiah and declared Jesus to the people.....Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.”

Funny thing the “Jews” sent folks to listen to John the Baptist.

John 1–11 (5) Jesus’ Defense Statement and the Four Witnesses (5:31–47)

5:33–35 The first stories of this Gospel involved John the Baptizer, whose role was defined as that of witness (1:7) and who uttered the first significant testimony concerning Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29). In reintroducing this witness, the opponents were reminded that they had sought out John and that he “testified to the truth” (5:33). Their own investigation should have prepared them for this truth. But although they listened to John and willingly rejoiced (ēthelēsate agalliathēnai) during his hour (hōra), his burning testimony (5:35) obviously had no lasting effect upon them.

The themes of witness, light, and truth are all linked here in support of the claims of Jesus. But the reader is quickly reminded that the authority of Jesus is not dependent on human acknowledgment. If that were the case, then the hope of human salvation would be in trouble (5:34). But salvation is from God and is not based on mere human testimony.

The next testimony is the works that Jesus has done......Jesus tells us that this witness is greater.....

John 10:25 “Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, these bear witness of me.”

Nicodemus even confessed to Jesus that these so-called religious zealots believed that what Jesus done had to be from God. John 3:2 “the same came unto him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him.”

No one had done what Jesus had done, it was amazing, John 21:25 “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written.”

You could not deny the power of these works! It is important to note here that Jesus uses “works” as a testimony of His deity. It is to believe on Him as the Son of God, God the Son!

If you do not believe that He is the Son of God, you will go to hell.

That is what the works are for, it is not a by-product that we are looking for, it is the Son of God, the Christ!

The next testimony is God the Father.....Matthew 3:17 “and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This was after His baptism by John the Baptist.

No real record of who all heard it but it was a voice from Heaven!

Jesus indicts them by saying that they wouldn’t recognize God the Father because they do not have His Word abiding in them.

That is the 4th and last testimony of Jesus is the Word of God! Jesus indicts them again......This is better read “You search the Scriptures” because He says right after that, for in them you think you have eternal life......

Jesus tells them that the OT testifies of Him

So many Scriptures and events testify of a coming Savior, that will take away the sin of the world and redeem mankind.......

You won’t come to them, better said you are not willing to come to them.

Not willing because it didn’t fit their plans or agenda! It didn’t fit their style of eternal life! They didn’t want Jesus to be their source, they wanted to be their own source, I am afraid we humans have fell into that same trap....Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

3. He continues and tells them that His honor doesn’t come from men, but they would salivate if someone should come in his own name and have words that taught eternal life through some manmade way......

You will receive him, but not Jesus, even after all the Scriptures you look so diligently into, searching as lion for his prey, but refuse to believe it!

Finally Moses in whom they supposedly trust, he it is, or rather the OT (which Moses represents) is the one who that accuses you (the Law).

Rich man and lazarus....Luke 16:19-21.........