John 5:10-17
For One Who Spoke in Riddles, He Said A Lot!
Last week, we studied the first part of the text, where Jesus healed
a man that was impotent so that he could not walk or move very fast.
I pointed out that Jesus gave that man a command to pick up his bed
and to walk away, even though it was on the Sabbath. Jesus knew the
man would be stopped, yet He told him to do it any way. Why? I
think the reason may be revealed in the remainder of the chapter.
The remainder of the chapter is a discussion between Jesus and the
religious leaders and a record of the preaching and teaching He did
before them.
I. \\#17-20\\ He did it to show who His Father was.
A. One of the things John has been showing us is how ambiguous
Jesus was in revealing Himself.
1. He seldom directly revealed who He was. (i.e. Word, Light,
Life)
2. But He often hinted at it. Only those with an open and
believing heart would have believed.
3. This infuriated the religious leaders.
Joh 10:24 Then came the Jews round about him,
and said unto him, How long dost thou make us
to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
4. Jesus is about to reveal Himself in three ways.
B. \\#17\\ He called God by a title that only an Equal could call
Him.
1. Jesus called God "my Father" then went on to do that 12
more times.
2. \\#18\\ This connection was not lost on the crowd.
a. The religious knew Jesus was making Himself to be God,
but they were not wanting to believe. They wanted
to kill Jesus.
b. \\#16, 18\\ They were determined to kill Him.
C. He will do a miracle that only God could do.
1. Everything about this miracle was big!
a. What was done.
(1) A man who had been paralyzed for 38 years was
walking around!
(2) I asked last week why him. Maybe it was because
his healing would have been the hardest to
ignore!
(3) It had never been done. Even with modern
medicine, we can not take a man who was
paralyzed for 38 years and get him up walking
around in 5 seconds!
b. Who it was done on.
c. Where it was done. Jesus was in Jerusalem, God’s
city, just a few hundred feet from the temple, God’s
house!
d. When it was done. It was one of the Jews biggest
feasts!
2. Only God Himself could heal this man!
D. \\#19-20\\ He made a claim that only Messiah could make.
1. Jesus was tying His works to God’s works.
2. \\#19\\ Jesus only DID what He saw the Father do.
3. \\#20\\ Jesus would only DO what the Father showed Him to
do.
4. This was Jesus saying He had a personal, private,
permanent, powerful connection with God that only One
in all time would have with God—Messiah!
II. \\#21-23\\ He did it to show who the Judge will be.
A. \\#21\\ The "Father raiseth the dead." Why make this
connection? This impotent man was a picture of the
spiritually dead being raised.
1. I don’t mean to be unkind to the handicapped but this man
did not have a life.
2. There were no wheel chairs, no ramps, no handicapped
camels, donkeys, or chariots.
3. There were no desk jobs and this man could not work in the
fields.
4. He needed a new life because although he was still
breathing, he was as good as a dead man in this life.
5. If that offends you, please back up for a minute for as he
was all mankind is.
6. We are dead in our sins and we need help from God!
B. All miracles have two purposes:
1. They help someone physically.
2. They demonstrate what God wants to do for us spiritually.
a. Blind eyes - spiritual blindness
b. Deaf ears - spiritual deafness
c. Mute tongue - freed to speak for Jesus
d. Lame legs - freed to serve Jesus
e. Raised up - Made spiritually alive
C. This man was given a new life.
1. For the first time in 38 years he could walk, take care of
himself, take care of others.
2. He was alive physically.
3. What Jesus had done for this man’s body He is one day
going to do for everyone’s soul.
4. Jesus used this miracle to begin teaching about the
resurrection.
D. There are three resurrections.
1. Salvation is a resurrection IN this life.
a. The Bible teaches we are all dead in our sins and
trespasses.
b. When we trust Jesus as our Savior, He gives us LIFE.
2. The rapture is the resurrection TO life.
a. Even the saved have bodies that die.
b. One day, the dead in Christ will hear the trumpet and
they shall be raised TO a new body, new home, and a
new kingdom, all in Christ.
3. The final resurrection is the resurrection FROM life.
a. Only the eternally dead shall raised up then and they
shall only be raised up that they might be judged
and put in their eternal grave.
b. That eternal grave being the Lake of Fire and
Brimstone.
(1) \\#22\\ This is the resurrection that Jesus
speaks of.
(2) Christians sometimes forget there is a negative
to the resurrection because, for us, there isn’t
one.
(3) However, when the lost are raised, it will be to
a judgment.
(a) \\#22\\ judgment (2x)
(b) \\#24\\ condemnation
(c) \\#27\\ judgment
(d) \\#29\\ damnation
(e) \\#30\\ judge, judgment
E. Who is going to be that Judge? \\#22, 26-27\\ JESUS, the
very One these people are trying to kill.
F. \\#22-23\\ Jesus tells us why God gave Jesus this role.
1. So that Jesus, the SON, would be honored, respected.
2. The religious leaders never did!
Joh 8:49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but
I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
III. \\#24-25\\ He did it to show who the Savior is.
A. Notice in these verses, "Verily, verily." That is Jesus
drawing attention to these two verses. All He said was
important but this is very important.
B. Why? It is the plan of salvation.
1. "Hear what I am saying."
a. No one can be saved if they do not hear the truth.
Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.
b. But as indicated, Jesus wanted the people to do more
than just hear the words.
c. He wanted them to listen with a open and believing
heart.
d. That is why He was so cryptic. If they were to get
the message, they would have to listen with an open
and believing heart.
e. We think we have to make the gospel so easy to
understand and to accept. I do not say that is
wrong, but I say that was not what Jesus did.
2. Believe on him that sent Jesus
a. Believe that Father sent Jesus and would do what Jesus
was telling them He will do—save them!
b. Even more, Jesus is saying that we are to believe "on
Him that sent HIM," Jesus.
c. This is Jesus insinuating what He will plainly tell us
in John 14; that is, that Jesus is the Way, the only
Way to the Father.
3. THEN God will do these things for you.
a. He will give you everlasting life.
b. You will not face justice.
c. You will live.
(1) Jesus will better explain this life later.
(2) John will record the miracle and sermon of
Lazarus’ resurrection.
(3) Jesus will then reveal that we cannot be die!
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