Gospel of John Chapter 5

In this episode, we explore John chapter 5, a powerful moment in Jesus’ ministry where compassion collides with controversy. Jesus heals a man who has been disabled for 38 years, commanding him to rise and walk—right in the middle of the Sabbath. This miracle sparks a confrontation with the religious leaders and opens the door to one of Jesus’ most profound teachings about His identity.

We unpack:

• The healing at the Pool of Bethesda
• Why the Sabbath controversy mattered
• Jesus’ bold claims about His unity with the Father
• The promise of resurrection and judgment
• The witnesses that testify to who Jesus truly is

This chapter invites us to see Jesus not only as healer, but as the One who gives life, carries divine authority, and fulfills the Scriptures.

Perfect for listeners wanting a deeper understanding of the Gospel of John and the heart of Jesus.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello, and welcome to Dale's podcast, Love Thy Neighbour Ministries. Um, I just want to say a big thank you to all who are listening. Um, do feel to drop on the website and leave a comment, leave a question, anything that you want to ask. Maybe it's something I can visit in the future, um, or just say hello, you know, always open for a chat. So we're gonna continue this series now with chapter five, the healing at Bethesda. So, what we're gonna do just before we start reading, we're gonna break this down into three parts this chapter. I mean, it's quite a big chapter. Um, we're gonna study well, the healing at Bethesda. I'd like to go into that a bit more. Um, I found in my study it was quite mind-blowing actually, and when you go into it, it's it's really, really good. Um, the divine authority of Jesus and the four witnesses verses from verse 31 to 47. So we'll break this down. I'm gonna read from verse 1 to verse 17 to start off with, then we'll break it down and then we'll go on and so on and so on. So, with no further ado, let us read. After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticos. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame and withered, waiting for the moving of waters. For an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water. Whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted. A man was there who had been ill for thirty eight years. When Jesus saw him laying there, and he knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, he said to him, Do you wish to get well? The sick man answered him, Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming another steps down before me. Jesus said to him, Get up, pick up your pallet and walk. Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. 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. But he answered them, He who made me well was the one who said to me, Pick up your pallet and walk. They asked him, Who is the man who said to you, Pick up your pallet and walk? But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there were that while there was a crowd in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, Behold, you have become well. Do not sin any more so that nothing worse happens to you. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason, the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath, but he answered them, My father is working until now, and I myself am working. I'm gonna stop there now. Verse 17 actually goes into the second part. So let's go into the history of Beth Bethesda. So the Paul of Bethesda is one of the most rich and multi-laid symbols in the New Testament. Um historically it is a it's a fascinating site, but its theological meaning directly challenges ancient assumptions about how God, grace, and salvation work. So the meaning of the name of Bethesda translates directly to house of mercy or house of grace. Uh, this name creates an intentional irony within the narrative. What it was supposed to be a sanctuary of divine mercy, the scene John describes is full of misery, desperation, and sort of a doggy dog competition. Um, the reason being the pool area was always crowded with a great number of disabled people, and I think as well, I've I've mentioned chosen um in in my first I think my first podcast, but that there's a scene in The Chosen. Um when I when I watched it, I haven't watched the the latest episode, but it really pick takes the this this house very perfectly. You've got a pool of disabled people, they were blind, lame, and paralysed. Um symbolically, this environment represents humanity's fallen, fractured condition. And what would happen is the waters would stir, and the first person in the water would be miraculously saved. As mentioned in the Bible, we have the angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water. Whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted. So here, you know, you you've got this guy that's been paralyzed and he's been stuck there for about 38 years. And and what I find amazing is that roughly that's the same amount of time the ancient Israelites wandered aimlessly in the desert, you know, due to the lack of faith. Um, it it represents sort of spiritual helplessness. Can you imagine being there for 38 years? And the words that he said to Jesus were, Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me. Can you imagine that doing that for 38 years? Every day, you know, feeling so helpless, feeling so alone, that you haven't got one person in this world to help you down into this water to be miraculously healed. You you're gonna start to question yourself. One would question themselves is this a conditional healing? Is it required that I, in my personal effort, speed and a little bit of luck, even though I don't believe in luck, that the sickest and the most helpless people stood absolutely no chance. It's it's horrific to think. And here we have Jesus come to him and absolutely bypasses the whole system on a Sabbath. Get up, pick up your pallet and walk. And immediately the man became well and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man, Who was cured? It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry out your pallet. What we're going to find later on in these series is the Pharisees who claimed to obey the law of Moses, and and you know, tried as they may, did it the best of their ability. And what they would do is put up something called hedge laws. Now, hedge laws will be laws to stop you from breaking the actual laws of God, but really made their hedge laws above the laws of God. And and Jesus really, really does um make this a little bit clearer as we as we go through the Bible. But he answered them who he made uh who he who made me well in verse 11 was the one who said to me, Pick up your pallet and walk. Now, if I was laid stricken, paralysed for 38 years, and a man came up to me and says, Do you want to get well? And I says, Yes, Lord, you know, I want to get well, but unfortunately I don't have no man to put me in this water. I've been I've been waiting here 38 years. Says to you, pick up your pallet and walk. You're not gonna think about the the the hedge laws of the Pharisees, you you're gonna pick up your pallet, you're gonna pick up your bed, and you're going to walk. Afterwards, Jesus found him. This is after he's slipped away. Jesus found him, verse 14, in the temple, and said to him, Behold, you have become well. Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you. That's so interesting. He says this many times throughout the Bible Sin no more, lest the worst should happen to you. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you. And what that means is he he says so much in a parable, we're gonna we're gonna go through parables, they're so poetic, they're so amazing. Parables are worded in a way that really only his believers can understand it, and I hope to um do justice when we get to some parables. They're quite well, they're very, very good. But in what Jesus says is when a man shall tidy his house and put the rooms back together again and leave the house empty and tidy, when he in a way, when he returns to his sin, seven seven demons will enter, so seven times more demons will enter the house. And what he's saying to him is You have become well, do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. And we'll get into part two in just a moment with the next reading, but I just wanted to um I just wanted to bring up the um now in verse two now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticos. Um in this uh it John specifically mentions that the pool was located near the sheep gate, and this was the gate through which sacrificial lambs were brought into Jerusalem for the temple sacrifices. And what this does, this is incredible, but this places Jesus at the exact gate that foreshadows his identity as the true Lamb of God whose sacrifice would offer the ultimate healing and wipe away the sins of the world. And John John puts that in there clearly right in the beginning, and it's just this part one is just so phenomenal, and and brothers and sisters, I asked you to to to do a study in it. There's YouTube videos you can you can watch. Um I can't remember any off the top of my head, but you could you could YouTube uh you know the healing of Bethesda uh Bethesda and and really get a great study into this. Obviously, I'm I'm offering uh a study, a basic study, really, um getting into the word of God. So I don't want to blow your minds or get into too much detail, but we'll keep it like I said at the right at the start, the simplicity of the good news, and right here you've got Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, offering healing and salvation as the perfect lamb. So we'll get into part two right now, and we'll go from verse 17. But he answered them, My Father is working until now, and I myself am working. Verse 18 Jesus' equality with God. For this reason, therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. 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. 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. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honour the Son even as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him. 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. Two resurrections. Truly, truly I say to you, an hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself, and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth those who did the good deeds to the resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to the resurrection of judgment. 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. If I alone testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of me, and I know that the testimony which he gives about me is true. Fantastic. So we are gonna go back to verse sixteen, and um really you know the there's a reason why the Jews are persecuting Jesus is because he, you know, he was healing on the Sabbath. But what did Jesus do after that? These next line, the this next verse, verse 17, but he answered them, My father is working until now, and I myself am working. That I mean that that's just gonna trigger the uh trigger the Pharisees right there, and the reason why um well Jesus is is healed healing well Jesus has healed a paralysed man on the Sabbath, and when the religious leaders confronted him for breaking the traditional laws, Jesus drops an absolute whopper. He says, My father is working until now, and I myself am working. Now, the theological reality here, so in uh with ancient Jewish scholars, uh they agreed that while God rested from creating on the seventh day, he never stopped sustaining the universe, making the sunrise, giving life, uh judging humanity on the Sabbath. So the claim Jesus is stating that he operates on the exact same level as God, because God does not stop doing good on the Sabbath, and Jesus does not stop either. The outrage is so bad that in verse 18, for this reason, therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because he not only was breaking the Sabbath but also was calling God his own father, making himself equal to God. Now, I don't know about you guys, but if you know you're you're sort of uh spreading the good news or whatever, and you you get, I don't know, a big group of people who are angry at you, not just about spreading the gospel, just in general, you got you got a group of people that really disagree you with you, and then you sort of make a comment like this to the point where they wish death upon your lives, you know, a mere man like myself would feel a little bit intimidated. But what does Jesus do? He just absolutely doubles down. 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. 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. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son. Do you see what Jesus is doing there? The equality with God. Jesus is proclaiming right there that he is the begotten Son of God. And later on in in the again, I'm uh I'm I'm ruining it, I'm spoiler alert right here. He does raise a man from the dead, which we will get to, and we'll see the significance in that, and it's it's a it's a prophecy fulfilled as well. But Jesus is proclaiming this before them, so instead of you know, he's made a bold claim, uh statement saying, My father is working until now, and I myself am working, to the point where you know the the Jews wanted to kill him even more, you know, but we'll carry on so that all will honour the Son, even as the honour, even as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him. 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. Now Jesus is making a absolute statement to it, all who believes in Jesus Christ will not see death, but will have eternal life. Truly, truly I say to you, an hour is coming, and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself, and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Jesus Christ will one day judge all those of the earth, and a judgment will come on those that have rejected Jesus Christ, but those that believe in Christ, those who have accepted Jesus into their hearts, into their lives, have eternal life. Brothers and sisters, we share that eternal life, and that's absolutely incredible, amazing. I mean, just how privileged are we to have this word of God here in the West? We're able to proclaim the good news at this time, we're able to freely read the word of God in this time. Now, let us move on to part three of this chapter, this wonderful chapter. And I'm gonna go from verse thirty-one, and there's gonna be an explanation about this testimony. Verse 31 If I alone testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of me, and I know that the testimony which he gives about me is true. You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth, but the testimony which I receive is not from man. But I say these things so that you may be saved. He was the lamp that was burning and was shining, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 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, and the Father who sent me, he has testified of me. You have never heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form. You do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him. Whom He sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about me, and you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men, but I know you that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come to my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do you think that I would accuse you before the Father? The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me, but if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? Wow. We're gonna have to go just to the first bit of that part three and and just really break it down. So in the opening of verse 31, Jesus says, If I alone testify about myself, my testimony is not true. And where does he get this from? He's speaking to the Jews, so he's speaking to them from his from the scripture. So if we turn to Deuteronomy chapter 19, verse 15, it says this a single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed on the evidence of two or three witnesses, a matter shall be confirmed. So what does this mean? He doesn't mean that he is lying, may it never be. He is acknowledging the Jewish legal system that we've just seen in Deuteronomy 1915, which ruled that self-testimony alone was legally inadmissible. He essentially says, I will not ask you to just take my word for it and let me call my witnesses. So with that, in verse thirty-two he says, There is another who testifies of me, and I know that the testimony which he gives about me is true. You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth, but the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was the lamp that was burning and was shining, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. So Jesus points out that the leaders were willing to enjoy John's spiritual light for a short season, but they ultimately refused to believe his message when he pointed it directly to Jesus. But that's not just all that's not just one witness, another witness, verse thirty-seven. And the Father who sent me, he has testified of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form, you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him who he sent, whom he sent. So, with that, throughout the old testament, you see everything pointing to Jesus. Now, I you know, uh a lot of people will say every single verse in the in the old testament you will find Jesus in there. Um, there's some verses that's quite hard to find Jesus in there, but most of them, if yeah, I'd say 98% of the Old Testament does point towards Jesus Christ. But you know, you've got God speaking about his son in the Garden of Eden, he will bruise his heel, but he will crush his head. Hallelujah. You've got the time where Abraham was called to sacrifice his son, and instead a lamb or ram was given to him instead of sacrificing his son. You've got Moses that speaks about him, that testifies about him. God's word all the way through testifies about Jesus Christ. The psalms testify about him, Isaiah testifies about him, the suffering servant. So, all the way through, you've got the witness, so his witness alone, as we've seen in Deuteronomy, isn't enough whatsoever. You got John that testifies about him, God that testifies about him, through that. Jesus' miracles testify who he is, and he's and he's performed a couple at this point of time. You've got Jesus saying in verse 39, you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about me. I think I said it before in a previous episode, where in the Old Testament, if you had faith in the coming Messiah, you were saved. We Christians, we have faith in the Messiah after. So you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about me, and you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men, but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and the only God? I mean, wow, does that not pack a punch? Have we not put our faith in other things? I remember years ago, um a brother of mine, when I when I served in the Royal Air Force, he was a neighbour of mine, he was searching and um he was searching for a while, and it it I didn't see him for a few months, and I seen him on the side of the road, and he you know he shouted my name, I pulled over and he told me he's he's found Jesus, and what a I couldn't stop laughing, and he sort of looked why are you laughing, you know, and I was just so happy. And one of his analogies were I put my faith in traffic lights, right? And this is this is so interesting that he puts his faith that when that light turns green, the other traffic lights are gonna go red and stop the traffic, and he puts his faith in him so much that he will go into a cross section unafraid of getting hurt because he has faith in a light bulb. How much more you know, how much more is it to put your faith in the one and living God and this testimony that is saying, How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. Hallelujah. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? And it stops there, because after that after these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. So I imagine that after these words would have sank deep with these Jews. You know, this man is speaking absolute sense, they are understanding to the T what Jesus is proclaiming, what he is saying, and then there's no words, there's nothing. So these people seeked his life, and when he doubled down and come out with what he just came out with. I believe there was utter shock there, and that concludes this evening's um Bible study. Thank you all for listening, thank you all for tuning in. Um, if you're sitting on the fence at the moment and you want to receive Jesus Christ into your life, would you just stay around and and say a prayer with me? Let us pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you, Lord, for this for this evening. I thank you for this day. I thank you that each day is new and full of your mercy. Father, you are full of grace and full of love. You know every hair on our head. You know us by name, Lord, and your desire is that we would truly get to know you more. Father God, be with those who are searching right now, Lord. Be with them. Shine your face towards them, reveal yourself to them, Lord, in such a mighty way that they will come before you. Father God, we thank you so much for each and everyone listening. I pray that you will be with our families. I pray that you will be with them, Lord, collectively and individually. We thank you, Father, for this grace, this liberty to search your word. We thank you, Lord. In your name, Jesus. Amen. Thank you guys for listening in. Um just to point out as well, in the last episode, I used a machine that would sharpen up the the volumes, sharpen up the words, and you know, take out those ums and ahs that we can do when we're sort of talking to ourselves into a microphone. And what it did, and I've stopped using this machine now, what it did was taken out certain parts of scripture. So in the last one, when Jesus says I am he, the machine took out am. So when I was speaking, I noticed it took out um I he. And I don't realise it does that until I've uploaded um uploaded the episode. And while I've uploaded the episode and it's gone out, people were listening to it, so I couldn't take it off. So I do apologize about that. I'm not using that machine anymore. Um, I'm just just doing it in a wanna, doing it in one take, put it out there, keep it authentic. But thank you so much for listening, guys. It's an absolute pleasure to speak to all of you around the world. Um thank you. God bless, much love.