Week 9, John 5. Hook. Main Point: Jesus is the one who reveals. Main Application: Confront your unbelief.

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1 Week 9, John 5 Hook Main Point: Jesus is the one who reveals. Main Application: Confront your unbelief. Historical Event: John F. Kennedy took to the podium in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena on July 14, 1960, after receiving percent of the voting delegate s vote to nominate him as the Democratic candidate for president of the United States. In his acceptance speech, Kennedy famously stated, "We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future. As Winston Churchill said on taking office some twenty years ago: if we open a quarrel between the present and the past, we shall be in danger of losing the future." 1 Kennedy s famous speech referenced a Chinese proverb which states, It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. As light shines in the dark, the darkness is defeated and the light reveals what the darkness has hidden. Discussion Questions: 1 Ready References: John F. Kennedy Quotations, Reference/JFK-Quotations.aspx

2 How is God revealed to us in Scripture? How does Jesus reveal the Father to us? John 5 Book Main Point: Jesus is the one who reveals. Main Application: Confront your unbelief. Text Summary: Jesus authority is greatly confronted. Jewish authorities demand that Jesus explain why He healed on the Sabbath and how He can claim He and God the Father are equal. This is not a small offense in their eyes. Jesus explains in several ways how He has come to reveal the Father and to do the Father s work. All that He does is to show the wondrous and glorious nature of God to man in a way unlike ever before. Jesus has been sent to reveal. John 5:1 17 (Read) Sub Application: Find trust and belief in Jesus who heals. Jesus heals an invalid. The Sheep Gate mentioned in these first verses was a small gate on the north wall of the temple where sheep would enter to be cleaned and washed for sacrifice. 2 The man that Jesus encounters had been an invalid for 38 years. Scripture does not tell us what was wrong with him, but he may have been lame or paralyzed since he stresses the fact that no one has come along to help him go down into the pool (5:7). When Jesus inquires if he wishes to be healed, the man replies that no one has helped him get in the pool. Because the man has no one to help him enter the water, he thinks healing is not possible. Once again, we see those with whom Jesus interacts focus on the physical and the immediate. But Jesus wasn t talking about the pool. Jesus knew that He was the ultimate healer. Again, by His words, Jesus heals and transforms. After telling the man to rise and walk, the man does just that. This causes much tension and anger among the Jewish authorities. In Jewish law, it wasn t the act of healing that broke the Sabbath code. It was the fact that this man was carrying his mat. The law forbade the carrying of one object from one place to another. 3 This man s violation came as a direct result of Jesus act of healing. Therefore, Jesus is held responsible. 2 Andreas Kostenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: John. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004, p D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990, p. 245.

3 But what of the man? What happens to him beyond his healing? Verses give us a deeper look. Not once does the man give any sort of thank you to Jesus for what He had done. Clearly, when confronted by the authorities and as soon as the man knew it was Jesus, he gave Jesus up. It s clear he was physically changed, but that was it. There was no sign of belief for this man. Jesus goes on to tell the officials that Sabbath regulations don t apply to Him. Just as God doesn t need rest, neither does Jesus. Jesus activity is one in the same with God s and if God is over and above the Sabbath, so too is Jesus. Why do you think in verse 7 the man assumed Jesus was referring to the pool when He asked the man if he wanted to be healed? Not having record of the man ever coming to faith and belief in Jesus, what may have kept him from professing belief? How does Jesus in these first 17 verses show His equality with the Father? John 5:18 29 (Read) Sub Application: Do not separate the authority of Jesus and the authority of the Father. Jesus claims equality with God. It wasn t just that Jesus had no intention of following the Jewish authorities laws; it was that He claimed to be over them and equal to God the Father. This claim moved the Sabbath issue to the background. However Jesus doesn t claim independence, but rather great dependence on the Father. The purpose of Jesus actions and His abilities is to do just what He is proclaiming: show that He and God are one, that Jesus of Nazareth is the God of all and over everything. This is what makes denial of Him so severe. Denial of Him and His authority is at the same time denying God and the Father that sent Him. Scholars point out that ambassadors, or government representatives, were not uncommon in this culture. In certain aspects, an ambassador s relationship to his government is similar to Jesus relationship to the Father. Scholars show that failure to honor an ambassador is a failure to honor the government that he or she represents. 4 This is what Jesus is saying in these verses. Rejection of Him is the same as rejecting the Father. For the Jewish authorities, why is Jesus claim to be God more severe than working on the Sabbath? 4 Andreas Kostenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary On the New Testament: John. (Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, 2004), p. 188.

4 How might the Jews interpret Jesus claims as self-centered and prideful? In verses 27 29, what does Jesus say will be an even greater sign than His words? Pluralism is the belief that all religions lead to the same God; how do these verses dispute this idea? If someone rejects Jesus, and they therefore reject God, how should this affect the way we view evangelism? Missions? Another Perspective: ESV Study Bible 5: Jesus reaffirms the resurrection on the last day. Cf. Dan. 12:2. Those who have done good those who have done evil does not imply that people s deeds in this life are the basis on which judgment is pronounced (for that would contradict John s strong emphasis on belief in Jesus as the way to gain eternal life: see John 3:16; 5:24 25; etc.). Instead, good works function as evidence of true faith, and if good works are lacking they show an absence of true faith. All those who truly believe will be brought from death to life (v. 24) and as a consequence will do good and will therefore enjoy the resurrection of life. 5 Discussion: Read John 5:28 29 and Ephesians 2:8 9. How do you reconcile these two passages? How do an individual s works reflect the condition of his or her heart? John 5:30 47 (Read) Sub Application: When God speaks, listen. Jesus explains that the testimony of John the Baptist, the Father and the Scriptures all point to Jesus. In this passage we see Jesus explain four elements that were all intended to point out His nature and mission: the testimony of John, the testimony of Jesus own work, the testimony of the Father, and the testimony of the Scriptures. Jesus goal: to please the Father. Jesus doesn t desire to please Himself or execute His own mission. The desire of the Father is that many would be saved by seeing and believing in Jesus. Jesus is doing His work and His ministry to show the world, in a manner never seen before, who God is and what He is like. We see this in His testimony in verse 33. His words and deeds are that people may be saved. He has come to reveal God s plan for salvation by revealing God Himself. 5 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008, p

5 Notice in verse 36 that Jesus explains the very reason He presents signs and performs miracles: these events bear witness about Jesus in efforts that man might know that the Father sent Him. But the signs and miracles Jesus displayed during his earthly ministry were not the only elements to point to Jesus divinity. Jesus explains to the Jewish authorities that they search the Scriptures because they believe that the Scriptures hold eternal life. Yet the Scriptures point to Jesus, the One who can truly bring eternal life. The Scriptures foreshadow the coming of Jesus. Jesus tells the Jewish authorities that if they read the Scripture rightly, they d understand and believe in Him. Jesus words in this conversation are foundational. He tells the Jewish leaders that if they believed Moses and read the writings of Moses correctly, they would have no problem believing in Jesus because the very Scriptures Moses penned tell of Christ! The Scriptures and Jesus are one and the same. To believe the words of Moses is to believe Jesus, and to believe Jesus is to believe the words of Moses. Jesus tries to tell these men it is impossible to do one or the other. God had been speaking. Through the testimony of John the Baptist, the testimony of Jesus own work, the testimony of the Father, and the testimony of the Scriptures, Jesus nature and mission had been revealed. In verse 35, why do you think people were more willing to rejoice and listen to John the Baptist s testimony about Jesus and not Jesus testimony about Himself? Jesus says they believe the words of Moses but don t believe the words of Christ. How does this reveal their misguided belief of the Scriptures and their wrongful interpretation of the Old Testament? What does this passage show about Jesus concern for the Jews to read the Scriptures correctly?

6 Week 9, John 5 Took Main Point: Jesus is the one who reveals. Main Application: Confront your unbelief. In Today s Culture In 1991, Prestonwood Baptist Church, under the direction of Pastor Jack Graham, founded the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center. The Pregnancy Center served as a way for the church and its members to continuously light candles that would push back the darkness as well as provide ample opportunities for the grace and love of Christ to be revealed in individual s lives. As believers in Christ, it is our responsibility to walk in the light as Christ is in the light and to practice the truth. When we do this, we have true fellowship with one another, and we can further defeat the darkness of today s world (1 John 1:5 7). Class Exercise: Divide your class into groups and invite each group to name three specific ways they can overcome darkness by revealing Jesus Christ to their friends, neighbors, family, etc. Ask your class members to be specific, practical, and to challenge their comfort zone. Lesson Conclusion: Jesus has revealed the very nature of God to man. One must confront his or her disbelief, choosing to listen and respond to the words of Jesus. Challenge: Jesus made radical claims in John 5. Not only did He heal an invalid, He addressed His very nature. Jesus clearly stated His ability to forgive sin, His authority, and the fact that He was the Messiah that John the Baptist, God the Father, and the Scriptures had all pointed to. Challenge your class to confront any disbelief they may carry. Everyone is confronted with the question, What will you do with this Jesus? It may be time for someone in your class to answer.