On the surface, the present section of John is a discourse on the will of God set against the background of a healing miracle on a Sabbath. The scene is the pool of Bethesda and the temple area. It is in this last where Jesus' discourse -- an answer to the charge of Sabbath violation -- takes place.
Outline:
| 1-9 | Healing at the Pool of Bethesda | |
| 10-18 | The Charge: Violation of the Sabbath | |
| 19-47 | The Discourse: What I Do is the Will of the Father | |
|
To the man who was healed, Jesus is "the one who made me whole". The word translated as "made" is the Greek poiew. It is a keyword in this chapter appearing 15 times; out of these occurences, it appears in the form zwopoiew zwopoeiw, "make/give-life". Poiew is the verb that in the Greek Septuagint designates the work of God in creation and salvation, translating the Hebrew arb bara', "to create" and hse 'asah, "to do/to make". In this chapter of John, it is combined with ergazomai ergazomai which in the LXX translates dbe ('abad, "to work/to toil") is used to describe the work of men in Ex. 20:9; 34:21; Deut. 5:13. These verses are all references related to the Sabbath.
For the Jews, Jesus is the one "unbinds" the Sabbath and the one who makes himself equal to God. Raymond Brown explains that in chapter 5, Jesus continues what he has been doing since the first sign he makes at Cana: he is replacing the institution of the Sabbath.
In the Synoptic gospels, the Sabbath is presented as one of the "battlegrounds" of Jesus and his interlocutors: "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or not?" The healing miracles that he performs on the day of "no-work" was for the Pharisees unlawful. For the Synoptic Jesus however, doing what God wants on the Sabbath is the best way to honor him. John places the idea on a higher plane. The work of God continues even after the seventh day of creation, in sustaining His creative work and in His saving work. Jesus is simply doing what the Father is doing. The charge that Jesus is making himself equal to God is true: "My Father works (ergazetai) until now; so even I work (ergazetai) (v.17).
In verses 19-30, Jesus underlines the correspondence between his works and God's will with the phrase "Amen, amen I say to you" (19, 24, 25). The second of these solemn declarations puts into focus the role of Jesus already referred to in his night meeting with Nicodemus:
Amen, amen: the one hearing my word and believing the one who sent me has eternal and he does not come under judgment but passes on from death to eternal life. (v.24)
God "makes/gives" life (zwopoiew) so does the Son (v.21). When Jesus speaks, those who are dead are brought to life by virtue of the life he has in himself (for he is the light that is also life-giving, see John 1:1ff). The reference to those in the tomb who hear Jesus may be an allussion to the episode involving his friend Lazarus (John 11). But seen within the context of a charge regarding the Law of the Sabbath, could it be also a reference to those which the Law has rendered dead? Paul has referred to the Law as death-dealing, not because it makes one sin but because it isn't designed to give the new life required by obedience to God's will, of which the Law is an expression (cf. Romans 7-8).
In verses 31-47, the judgment already mentioned in John 3:19-21 is recalled. Jesus calls upon his witnesses: John the Baptist, the works that the Father asks him to do, the Father Himself and Moses. In Jewish law, one is indicted on the strength of two witnesses. Jesus calls upon four. The Jews however would not believe those witnesses because instead of seeking the glory of God (that is, the accomplishment of His will), they seek the praise of men (v.44). "You don't have the love of God in you" (v. 42), Jesus declares. It is his counter charge against the Jews who accuse him of breaking the Sabbath law. Ironically, those who started wout with the intention of upholding the law of Moses will find themselves accused by Moses instead (v.45).
John 5:33-36 on December 16
The selection from verses 33-36 has been chosen by the CBCP to be the Gospel reading for the Simbang Gabi Mass of December 16. The selection highlights the Advent-role of the Baptist. He is the minor light that points to the real light -- the one that shines on all men -- and has made this mission the very definition of his existence. The importance of the Baptist can also be seen in the Prologue where references to him break the hymn to the Word made flesh in 1:6-8.15. In verses 8-9, we read
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light which enlightens every one
was coming into the world
In the context of John 5, the testimony of John though important is lesser compared to the testimony of the works that the Father has entrusted to the Son to accomplish. The idea is similar to the Q sayings about John the Baptist, according to which, he is not greater than those who are the least in the kingdom of God. In salvation history, John the Baptist still belongs to the old economy -- the last of the OT prophets.
