THE BOOK OF JOHN – Chapter 5, Part 2

 

THE BOOK OF JOHN, Chapter 5, Part 2

Two Resurrections – The Testimony of John the Baptist, The Testimony of Works, The Testimony of The Father, The Testimony of The Scriptures

Jesus has established His relationship with the Father and established the role and relationship of His disciples. Now He completes His proclamation as the Son of God and tells us of our eternal future. Just as the greatest commandments of the Bible, according to Jesus, are “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself”, I for one, would consider this chapter of John to be the greatest explanation of our future and the greatest proclamation about Christ, by Jesus, Himself.

Two Resurrections

John 5:25. Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Verse 26. For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; verse 27, and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Verse 28. Do not be amazed at this; for a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, verse 29, and will come out: those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

(Commentary Break): Jesus, in these verses, first, clearly spells out what happens after you die and how that happens; and, secondly, Jesus explains that He is the reason, the Life, and Judge. By the phrase, “Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived”, Jesus is point to Himself and clearly saying the dead will hear His voice and will live! And at a future time He will be the Judge and those who committed bad deeds will experience the Wrath of the Lamb and the full fury of His judgment. What does this mean to you? (#1), Call on Jesus, follow Him in obedient surrender and live; Call on Jesus, now, and escape the coming judgment.

The Pharisees believed in a resurrection, and with Jesus claiming to be the raison d’être would certainly have put them into a rage, not unlike the atheists and deniers of our day. The Sadducees did not believer in a resurrection, so they had twice the reasons to hate Him. In both cases, they were condemning themselves to the judgment of the wicked. What does this have to do with you? Listen. There are modern-day Pharisees and Sadducees leading churches today, spreading lies and countering the Words of Christ. Jesus said they would come and they are here. Do not listen to them. Do not believe them. Run from them. There are others, in our church pulpits, ignoring these truths, and in effect negating their importance to you. They are liars by their silence!

Subscribe Here —->

Some Christians will say that they don’t see the necessity to tell others about Jesus because, even according to these verses, some will hear His voice and live and others will not hear Him and will be condemned. So what difference can we make. God, through His Word, has included us, as Christians, in His redemptive plan. Romans 10:14 asks, “How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard?” So we, like John the Baptist, are a messenger, a voice calling out, catching their attention to hear His Voice. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 30. “I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

(Commentary Break): Jesus, through these amazing words, tells us about His relationship with The Father and thereby helps us understand our relationship with Him. We can do nothing on our own. As we hear Jesus, we judge; and our judgment will be righteous, because we do not seek our own will but the will of Jesus who sends us!” We do not claim to heal others. It is Jesus. We do not claim to save. It is Jesus. We do not have special revelations or new prophecies. It is Jesus. There is nothing new, only what has already been written in and by His Word. We take no credit and no glory. All credit and glory belongs to Jesus. Those who will claim all these things, even in His Name, are the false teachers, the false prophets, and liars Jesus warns about. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 31. “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. Verse 32. There is another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

(Commentary Break): Once again, Jesus points to the Father. Although He and the Father are One, Jesus is pointing out the order of “higher authority”. We would do well to remember that even Jesus submits to the Father, even though He and the Father are One. (End Commentary Break).

Testimony of John the Baptist

Verse 33. You have sent messengers to John, and he has testified to the truth. Verse 34. But the testimony I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. Verse 35. He was the lamp that was burning and shining, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

Testimony of Works

Verse 36. But the testimony 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.

Testimony of the Father

Verse 37. And the Father who sent Me, He has testified about Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. Verse 38. Also you do not have His word remaining in you, because you do not believe Him whom He sent.

Testimony of the Scripture

Verse 39. You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me; verse 40, and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. Verse 41. I do not receive glory from people; verse 42. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. Verse 43. 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. Verse 44. How can you believe, when you accept glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the One and only God? Verse 45. Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have put your hope. Verse 46. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. Verse 47. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

(Commentary Break): These final verses are directed at the Pharisees, but they could be directed at so many today. The false teachers, false prophets and wolves in sheep’s clothing that reside in our churches today. Jesus is matter-of-factly stating their doom. Do not play around with the fire of this judgment. The Wrath of the Lamb is coming soon enough. (End Commentary Break).

Jesus, in these chapters, has put the world on notice. His message is that He is sent by the Father. He has come to save, not to judge. In Him is Life. Those who do not believe are already judged, will die and will perish. He has come to do the will of the Father and as such, all things are subject to Him. The greatest announcement the world has ever heard, You are to “repent, for the Kingdom of God is now at hand” and that “God so loves the world that He has sent His only Son, and those who believe in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life”.

Dear friends, brothers and sisters, please know that this cannot be taken lightly. We are called, and we are sent in His Cause. Preachers and pastors also. The burden is on you as well, if not even more so. You are the tip of this spear. Get out from behind the pulpit, out of your committee meetings and conferences, and go. Go and make disciples, teaching them all that God has commanded you, The time is short and Jesus is waiting.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: THE BOOK OF JOHN, Chapter 6, Part 1, Five Thousand Men Fed, Jesus Walks on Water.

PREVIOUS: THE BOOK OF JOHN, Chapter 5 Part 1, The Healing at Bethesda – Jesus’ Equality With God .

(Please bookmark this page or subscribe for future episodes).