King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 28 notes
1After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
What season, we are not told; what triggered the season, we do not know.
How this pool came about, and if it exists today, again we are not told.
5And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
What triggered this move by Jesus... Many people have sought him and exercised great faith for their miracles.
And this man gets his handed down to him more or less.
What was the mind of God in this?
Why did he listen 👂 to a random man 👨 who just told him to rise?
Unless he knew Jesus already through the fame of him.
We are not told, but at this stage of his ministry his fame had spread abroad.
Needless to say, he did not need to know Jesus to get his healing though. He just needed to believe the words.
Update: subsequent verses let us know the man did not know Jesus, but others did, because a crowd already began forming because of the miracle.
10The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
11He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
Your religious laws and rites could not cleanse me; now comes a man who heals me regardless of your rites, and in so doing one of your laws is broken.
Who am I to deny my own miracles for your laws, which carried no power to save?
I would rather obey my saviour than your laws.
12Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
Funny...
These religion hooligans. Their interest was not in the fact that somebody had been healed after 38 years of bondage, but the fact that the person was messing up with their religion laws by carrying his bed of affliction.
In this life everyone has interests. It is therefore an error on one's part to assume interests for others.
It might shock 🤯 you: what you think is best for someone, the person might spite and spite you if you insist.
13And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
Jesus, like any normal person, had limited time, strength 💪 and resources.
He came to heal this guy and go do some other stuff.
He did not come to do a crusade or teaching service.
There would be time for that. His mission here in healing the man was done.
He had to go do other stuff.
In this case he was in the temple area, likely teaching some folks who by now were waiting on him.
Now imagine him going ahead and, being overwhelmed by the crowd, starting another crusade.
Such erratic behavior, unpredictable, and a total disrespect to those waiting on him.
14Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
So here we see the likely cause of the man's infirmity for 38 years... Wow. Sin... smh 🤦♂️
We see here a possible 🙆 cause of sickness 🤮 — sin.
This man had suffered for thirty-eight years.
If it was sin, what kind of sin was it?
Probably he committed this sin in his younger days. This man may well be in his 60s at this time.
15The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
Thur 16th Dec 2021
Where do I start from? To start with, the man did not know it was Jesus. Does that mean he did not know who Jesus was?
I 🤷♂️ doubt.
He likely might have heard of the teacher who heals the sick 🤮 but did not know who he was in physique.
So having established the fact that he did not know it was Jesus who was standing before him, how was his response when "the man" told him to rise up and walk 🚶?
Did he feel some power run through him for him to know that the power of God was at work? How did he know to take Jesus serious?
Picture this: here was the man by the pool, awaiting the stirring of the waters. And some random rabbi-looking guy asks him to take up his mat and 🚶.
How likely was he to obey such a command? Only if he felt well. And feeling well he felt, because the verse says
John 5:9 NKJV
And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.
He was made well.
Why all this going back and forth? It's because sometimes a lot of stress is made on the faith response needed by the sick to the word of God to make them well.
But here we see Jesus giving the word and immediately the healing taking place.
16And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
They persecuted Jesus and sought to slay him.
I wonder how else they persecuted him.
17But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
We all call ourselves children of God, but nobody implies in essence to have the attributes or function like God as Jesus was claiming here.
He was directly saying he functions like God: God works and he does in the same manner.
Such blasphemy from a common man, or so they thought 💭.
19Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
The way Jesus spoke and the things he said show how much info he had about GOD and from GOD.
I believe, and scripture witnesses to it, before Jesus came he was with GOD (John 1:1), so they spoke and planned out all this... What he was to do and how he was to go about it.
Now when he came, even as a child he remembered who he was and whose he was the moment he had conscience and was self-aware.
He was the carpenter's son and played the part all along, knowing who he was. He was GOD.
20For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Oh, Jesus was indeed the Son of God, the firstborn of God... He sees ALL that the Father does.
No wonder he was a 🚶 walking wonder.
21For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
22For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
23That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
We see the authority of the Father and the Son and their joint powers.
The kind of comparisons Jesus makes of himself with the Father are not the claims of a man 👨🏿.
He's claiming divinity not with the other gods of the heathen 🔥 but with God Almighty.
Including claims of divine judgement and life sources.
24Verily, 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.
25Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
The dead that hear — if they are dead, how do they hear?
This was spiritual death, I believe. The call to come to life in Christ, and as many as heed will live.
26For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
He had been given this authority to judge because he also is man 👨 and understands human beings better.
Our weaknesses and flaws.
28Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
30I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
As I hear, I judge.
This Jesus, as he hears he judges, and as he sees his Father do, he does.
He could not do anything of his own accord. And it's the same with us.
We don't have the power in ourselves. This God has not given to us.
But rather what we see and hear him do we also do, and that is where the supernatural becomes natural.
We also can do nothing of ourselves except what he gives to us to do.
By this statement we see the separation of Divinity.
The separation of God and his will from Jesus and his will.
We also see his humanity in that he, Jesus, cannot do anything on his own. He relies on seeing what the Father is doing so he can do likewise.
So he relies on the Father and has no power of his own.
This was why he spent much time in prayer.
However, after his resurrection all power was given unto him.
31If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
33Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.
34But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
35He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
36But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
37And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
What was Jesus implying?
That he had heard the voice of the Father, and not only that, had seen what no man yet sees and lived — his form or shape.
38And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
In essence eternal life is in Jesus.
If you believe eternal life is in the scriptures, fair enough; they point to me as the one to look up to for eternal life.
40And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
41I receive not honour from men.
42But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
43I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
44How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
They were too self-important in their self-dignity one to another to believe this carpenter's son and Nazarene.
They would have none of his teaching out of envy.
They did not so much as bother to check the scriptures to confirm; they would have none of him.
He was in their estimation too small for them, and to think of him as their Messiah. No no.
45Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
46For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
He has stated the truth. Even if they did not believe him but believed Moses, they would have been compelled to believe him, because he is plainly spoken of in the law and the prophets.
So these representatives of God were just seat 💺 occupiers and incompetent, yet will not relinquish their power.
The devil 👿 had infiltrated the church / synagogue.
47But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
The leaders were full of lies 🤥 and hypocrisy.
They claimed to believe in him, yet their actions prove otherwise.
Moses testified of Jesus; they believe Moses but deny Jesus.