5.         Works for Father

re 'house' & Sabbath

 

2:13-25

Jerusalem/Temple

5:1-24

Jerusalem/Temple

 

2:13-25  Near the time of the Jewish feast of the Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  In the temple he found people selling oxen and sheep and doves.  The coin dealers were also sitting there.  Having made a lash out of ropes he expelled all of them out of the temple with both the sheep and the oxen.  As for the money changers, he poured out their coins and over-turned the tables.  To the people selling doves he said "Take these things out of here.  Do not make my Father's house into a market  place." 

(At this time) his disciples remembered that it is written "The zeal for your house will consume me."  (But) The Jews reacted to this and said to him "What sort of sign (of authority) can you show us doing these things?" Jesus answered  "Destroy this shrine and in three days I will raise it up (again)."  The Jews therefore said "It took forty-six years to build this shrine and are you going to raise it up (again) in three days? "  But in fact he (Jesus) was talking about the shrine of his body.   When therefore he was raised from the dead (later on) his disciples remembered that he had said this.  They believed in both the Scripture passage and what had been said by Jesus.

While Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast many people believed in his name on seeing the signs that he was working.  But as for Jesus himself  He did not commit himself to them because he understood people.  Nobody needed to tell him about people because he already knew.

5:1-24   After these things (the cure of the courtier's son etc in Capernaum Galilee) there was a Jewish feast and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now in Jerusalem at the sheep gate, there is a pool of water with five porches.  It is called in Hebrew Bethzatha.  In these (porches) lay a crowd of people with ailments - people who are blind, lame, withered (etc).  Now there was a certain man who had been there for thirty-eight years with his ailment.  When Jesus saw this man lying there he already knew how long he had been there.  He says to him "Would you like to be made whole?  The invalid said "Sir, when the water is troubled (by a healing angel) I do not have anyone to put me into the pool.  While I am coming towards it someone else goes down (to the pool) before me."  Jesus says to him "Get up, take your mattress and walk."  Immediately the man became cured and he took his mattress and walked. 

That day it was a Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to the one who had been healed.  "Today it is a Sabbath day. It is not lawful for you to carry a mattress."  But the one who was cured answered them saying "The man who cured me said to me "Pick up your mattress and walk."  They asked him "Who is the man who told you to "Pick up (the mattress) and walk?" The one who was cured did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn from the place because there was a crowd there.

(However) after these things Jesus found (the one cured) in the temple and said to him. "Behold now you are whole (again) do not sin anymore in case something worse happens to you."  The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him whole.  The Jews therefore criticised Jesus because he had done these things on a Sabbath.  But he answered them (saying)  "My Father works  right now (on a Sabbath) and I also work."  Because of this therefore the Jews sought to kill him, not only because he (apparently) broke the Sabbath (day) but also because he had referred to God as his Father.   By doing this he was making himself equal to God.    Jesus therefore answered and said to them "Truly truly I tell you the son cannot do anything from himself except what he sees the Father doing.  Whatever things (the Father) does the Son does these things as well.  The Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he does.  Indeed he will show him even greater works than these that you may marvel (about it).  For, just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to those whom he wills.  Also, it is not the Father who judges.  Rather he has given all judgment to the Son so that all people may honour the Son just as they honour the Father.  The one who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who has sent him.  “Truly truly I tell you the person who hears my word and who believes in the one who has sent me, has eternal jlife.  They will not come into judgement but rather pass over out of death into life.” 

 

 

6          Gives witness

witness re Moses

 

3:1-21

Night

5:25-47

An hour

 

 

3:1-21   Now there was a man amongst the Pharisees whose name was Nicodemus.  He was a Jewish ruler.  This man came to (Jesus) at night time and said to him "Rabbi, we know that you have come as a teacher from God.  There is no one who can do the signs that you do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him "Truly truly I tell you, unless someone is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus says to him "How can a man be born when he is already old?  He cannot re-enter the womb of his mother to be born a second time."  Jesus answered "Truly truly I tell you unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  Whatever has been born of the flesh, is flesh.  What has been born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not wonder because I told you it behooves you to be born from above.  The spirit, like the wind, blows where it wants to.  You hear its sound but you do not know from where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone who has been born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to  him  " How can these things come about?"  Jesus answered and said to him  "You are the teacher of Israel and you do not know these things? Truly truly I tell you. We speak about what we know and we give witness to what we have seen.  But you have not received our witness.  (that of Jesus and disciples?)  If I told you about earthly things and you did not believe are you likely to believe if I tell you about the things of heaven?  No man has gone up into heaven  except the one who has come down from heaven, that is the son of man.  As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert (when told by God to make a bronze serpent on  standard so people looking on it could be saved from the bites of a plague of snakes), so it behooves the Son of man to be lifted up.  This is so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God

Continued

 

5:25-47   "Truly, truly I tell you  an hour is coming and if fact is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear it will live.  Just as the Father has life in himself so he has given life to the Son so that he has this within himself.  He has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this because an hour is coming when all those in the tombs will hear his voice and those who have done good things will come forth into a resurrection of life.  Those who have done evil things (on the other hand) will go to a resurrection of judgment  (instead).  I cannot do anything from myself.  I judge according to what I hear and my judgment is just because I do not seek to do to what I want but rather (I seek to do) the will of the One who has sent me.  If I give witness about myself, my witness is not true.  (But) there is another who witnesses concerning me (that is, God) and I know that the witnesses that he gives concerning me is true.  You have sent (people to observe) John and he has given witness to the truth.  But I do not receive the witness given about me from people.  (Rather) I tell you these things so that you can be saved.  That man (John the Baptist) was a burning and shining lamp and you were willing to bask for an hour in his light.  But I have a witness who is greater than John.  It is the works which the Father has given me to do and to finish, that give witness concerning me and the fact that the Father has sent me.  It is the One who has sent me, the Father, who has given witness about me.  (But) you have never heard his voice and you have never seen his form.  His word no longer remains in you because you do not believe in the one that he has sent.  You search the Scriptures because you think them to have eternal life within them.  Yet they (the Scriptures) are what give witness concerning me.  And, you do not

Continued