Lesson #13

• Growing opposition:
• Why was the offense of breaking the Sabbath traditions so offensive to the Pharisees, that it deserved death?
• They hated Jesus because he broke the laws that the scribes and Pharisees added to God’s law of the sabbath. The sabbath became a legalistic system. What is wrong with that?
• Legalism is too strict of a literal adherence to law. It often appears in the form of religion.
• It is wrong because it rejects God’s grace and promotes human standards based on pride.
• It is wrong because it is based on wrong motives.
• Verses 17 and 18 tell us exactly why the Jewish leadership hated Jesus. It was not just because he broke the Sabbath laws. It was because Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh.
• According to the Mosaic law, for a human to claim equality with God was blasphemy.
• Blasphemy deserved the punishment of death. (Lev 24:15-16)
• Jesus makes some very explicit claims in this chapter.
• The prophets in the Old Testament pointed to signs by which people could identify the Messiah. In this chapter, Jesus claims to fulfill three of those signs.
• =Claim #1=

Jesus claims equality with God. (19)

• Equality of the members of the Holy Trinity is based on unity. The members of the Holy Trinity will not do anything independent of the other members of the Trinity. And they cannot do anything independent of the other.
• The Holy Trinity operates in a unity of purpose.
• The Holy Trinity operates in a unity of action.
• The Holy Trinity operates in the unity of love.
• The Holy Trinity operates in a unity without contradiction.
• =Claim #2=

Jesus claims power over life and death. These are the greater works. (20-21)

• What two things has God, the Father, given Jesus, the Son, the authority to do?
• Jesus is given authority over life and death, and the authority to judge.
• The power over life and death includes the power to heal, for disease is death in process.
• Power over life:
• God created life in Gen 1, and Jesus gives life in the new birth experience.
• There is eternal life only in Jesus Christ. (1John 5:12)
• Power over death:
• Power over life means that death is defeated.
• God raised Jesus from the dead.
• Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
• The apostles were given the same powers through the name of Jesus.

Jesus claims authority over judgment. (22-23)

• Why has God the Father placed all judgment in the hands of Jesus Christ?
• According to verse 23, the basis of judgment is honor.
• Jesus is the dividing criteria.
• Those who honor Jesus, honor God, the Father.
• Those who do not honor Jesus, do not honor God, the Father.

• Summary and Consequences of the three claims (24):
• Hearing the Word results in believing. (Rom 10:17)
• To believe in God, the Father, results in belief in Jesus, the Son.
• To believe in Jesus, the Son, results in belief in God, the Father.
• Believing results in eternal life for the believer.
• Notice that Jesus uses the present tense instead of the future tense when he says the believer has eternal life.

• “…hath everlasting life…”

(24)

• The believer immediately possesses eternal life at the moment in time when he invites Jesus into his heart.
• The believer with eternal life does not come under judgment. (1Joh 3:14)
• The non-believer comes under the judgment of Jesus Christ.
• Where in Jesus’ defense of His ministry does He tell us that the lame man was born again?

• “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life?”

(24)

• Jesus told the lame man to sin no more (14). In other words, his sins were forgiven when he was healed. Because his sins were forgiven, he was not under condemnation according to verse 24.

• Read Joh 5:25-30 Jesus explains His three claims

• His power over life and death (25-26):

• “The hour is coming, and now is…”

(25)

• God, who is outside of time and space, sees His plan as though it is already fulfilled and complete. Jesus who is one with God, also sees the completed plan.
• The hour that “is coming” is the future resurrection of believers.
• The hour that “now is” refers to the spiritual life in Jesus Christ that began for the believer at the crucifixion.
• “…when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”

(25)

• When will the dead hear the voice of Jesus?
• Lazarus heard that call and was raised from the dead physically.
• New Testament believers in this church age will hear that voice at the Rapture of the church and will raise from the dead physically. (Eph 4:8-10)
• Old Testament believers will hear that voice at the Second Coming of Christ and raise from the dead physically.
• All non-believers are spiritually dead in sin. When they hear the call of Christ and receive Him into their hearts, they receive eternal life spiritually. (Eph 2:1)
• The source of life:
• Many people think that life is an accident of science.
• Many people think that man has the power of life in sex.
• In reality, all life comes from God. Without God’s intervention, there would be no life, physical or spiritual. God does not share this power of life with anyone but His Son, Jesus Christ. (Deu 30:20 Psa 36:9)
• An understanding of this principle of the source of life is the basis for the Christian’s opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and suicide.
• His authority over judgment (27-28):

• Why does Jesus say He has authority to judge in the judgement when, at another time, He said He did not come to judge? (Joh 12:47)
• When Jesus came to earth the first time, He did not come to judge the world but to save it. However, His coming leads to judgment, because now man must make a decision. The results of man’s decision to reject Christ leads to judgment.
• “…for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice.”

(28)

• Notice that this verse says the hour is coming, but it does not say that it “now is” as it did in verse 25. Therefore, verse 28 is a prophetic statement of the future judgment of the Great White Throne where all non-believers from all of human history will be resurrected from the dead to stand before God in the final judgment. (Rev 20:11-15)
• His equality with God (30)

• Even though Jesus has authority over judgment and over life and death, He will not initiate any action independent of God, the Father. In other words, the unity of the Trinity is never broken, even though each member of the Holy Trinity operates to fulfill a specific role.

• Read Joh 5:31-47 The Witnesses of Jesus’ claims:

• “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.”

(31)

• In Deu 19:15, God said that something will be established as true legally in a court of law if two or three witnesses could be found to verify it.
• Therefore, Jesus makes a legal claim for deity based on the testimony of various witnesses. These witnesses are:

• “

There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.” (32)

• Jesus does not name this witness. He is probably referring to the Holy Spirit who often goes unnamed in scripture as one in the background that lifts up the name of Jesus. (Joh 15:26)
• John the Baptist (33-35)
• This is a human witness that Jesus says was sent by God, but is not the best witness because he is human.
• John was a lamp or the bearer of light.
• Jesus’ own works authenticate His character and His authority (36)
• The hundreds of people Jesus healed are witnesses that God healed them.
• God, the Father (37-38)
• God spoke audibly at Jesus’ baptism (Mat 3:17), on the Mt. of Transfiguration (Mat 17:5), before Jesus was crucified, (Joh 12:28), and in his resurrection (Rom 1:3-4), but they didn’t hear Him, nor would they listen if they had heard.
• Scriptures in the Old Testament, specifically those by Moses (39, 43)
• All the Bible is about Jesus in symbols, prefigures, types, and prophecy.
• Moses wrote about Jesus in Gen 3:15, Num 21:9 Num 24:17 Deu 18:15-18
• In spite of all these witnesses, the religious rulers would not come to Christ, nor would they find eternal life because they reject Him.
• Instead Jesus makes a prophecy that some day another will come whom they will accept. Who is this one that they will accept?
• It is the antichrist that Jews will accept as their Messiah at the beginning of the tribulation period.
• Why will they accept the antichrist and not Jesus Christ?
• It is their lack of belief in God. They seek to please men rather than God and do not believe God’s words in the Bible.
• Summary:
• Jesus makes certain claims of authority and power in this chapter:
• He claims equality with God. (5:19-20)
• He claims to be the giver of life.(5:21)
• He claims to be the final judge.(5:22-23 26-27)
• He determines man’s destiny. (5:24)
• He will raise the dead. (5:25-29)
• He will always do the will of God. (5:30)
• What doctrines are taught in this chapter?
• The incarnation of God.
• Eternal life
• Resurrection from the dead
• Holy Trinity
• A final judgment

HOMEWORK
John 6:1-21
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Joh 5:17-47
• What new concepts have you learned about Jesus Christ in this chapter?
• How will these concepts change your life?

• Preparation for Joh 6:1-21
• Read Joh 6:1-15 and corresponding scriptures in Mat 14:13-21 Mar 6:30-44 Luk 9:10-17
• What prompted the miracle?
• Was faith involved in the miracle? How?
• Is obedience involved? How?
• At what point do you think the miracle occurred?
• Read Joh 6:16-21 and corresponding scriptures in Mat 14:22-36 Mar 6:45-56
• What prompted the miracle?
• Was faith involved? How?
• Is obedience involved? How?
• At what point do you think the miracle occurred?
• What do these miracles tell you about Jesus?

• Memory verse: Philippians 4:19