John:5:16-30
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rwp @
John:5:16 @{
Persecute } (\
edi
kon \).
Inchoative imperfect , "
began to persecute "
and kept it up .
They took this occasion as one excuse (\
dia touto \,
because of this ).
They disliked Jesus when here first (
2:18 |)
and were suspicious of his popularity (
4:1 |).
Now they have cause for an open breach . {
Because he did } (\
hoti epoiei \).
Imperfect active ,
not just this one act ,
but he was becoming a regular Sabbath-breaker .
The Pharisees will watch his conduct on the Sabbath henceforth (
Mark:2:23 ;
strkjv @
3:2 |).
rwp @
John:5:17 @{
Answered } (\
apekrinato \).
Regular aorist middle indicative of \
apokrinomai \,
in John here only and verse 19 |,
elsewhere \
apekrith \
as in verse 11 |. {
My Father } (\
ho pater mou \).
Not "
our Father ,"
claim to peculiar relation to the Father . {
Worketh even until now } (\
he
s arti ergazetai \).
Linear present middle indicative , "
keeps on working until now "
without a break on the Sabbath .
Philo points out this fact of the continuous activity of God .
Justin Martyr ,
Origen and others note this fact about God .
He made the Sabbath for man '
s blessing ,
but cannot observe it himself . {
And I work } (\
kag
ergazomai \).
Jesus puts himself on a par with God '
s activity and thus justifies his healing on the Sabbath .
rwp @
John:5:18 @{
Sought the more } (\
mallon ez
toun \).
Imperfect active of \
z
te \,
graphic picture of increased and untiring effort "
to kill him " (\
auton apokteinai \,
first aorist active ,
to kill him off and be done with him ).
John repeats this clause "
they sought to kill him "
in strkjv @
7:1 ,
19 ,
25 ;
strkjv @
8:37 ,
40 |.
Their own blood was up on this Sabbath issue and they bend every energy to put Jesus to death .
If this is a passover ,
this bitter anger ,
murderous wrath ,
will go on and grow for two years . {
Not only brake the Sabbath } (\
ou monon elue to sabbaton \).
Imperfect active of \
lu \.
He was now a common and regular Sabbath-breaker . \
Lu \
means to loosen ,
to set at naught .
The papyri give examples of \
lu \
in this sense like \
luein ta penth \ (
to break the period of mourning ).
This was the first grudge against Jesus ,
but his defence had made the offence worse and had given them a far graver charge . {
But also called God his own Father } (\
alla kai patera idion elege ton theon \). "
His own " (\
idion \)
in a sense not true of others .
That is precisely what Jesus meant by "
My Father ."
See strkjv @
Romans:8:32 |
for \
ho idios huios \, "
his own Son ." {
Making himself equal with God } (\
ison heauton poi
n t
i the
i \). \
Isos \
is an old common adjective (
in papyri also )
and means {
equal }.
In strkjv @
Phillipians:2:6 |
Paul calls the Pre-incarnate Christ \
isa the
i \, "
equal to God " (
plural \
isa \,
attributes of God ).
Bernard thinks that Jesus would not claim to be \
isos the
i \
because in strkjv @
John:14:28 |
he says : "
The Father is greater than I ."
And yet he says in strkjv @
14:7 |
that the one who sees him sees in him the Father .
Certainly the Jews understood Jesus to claim equality with the Father in nature and privilege and power as also in strkjv @
10:33 ;
strkjv @
19:7 |.
Besides ,
if the Jews misunderstood Jesus on this point ,
it was open and easy for him to deny it and to clear up the misapprehension .
This is precisely what he does not do .
On the contrary Jesus gives a powerful apologetic in defence of his claim to equality with the Father (
verses 19-47 |).
rwp @
John:5:19 @{
The Son } (\
ho huios \).
The absolute use of the Son in relation to the Father admitting the charge in verse 18 |
and defending his equality with the Father . {
Can do nothing by himself } (\
ou dunatai poiein aph '
heautou ouden \).
True in a sense of every man ,
but in a much deeper sense of Christ because of the intimate relation between him and the Father .
See this same point in strkjv @
5:30 ;
strkjv @
7:28 ;
strkjv @
8:28 ;
strkjv @
14:10 |.
Jesus had already made it in strkjv @
5:17 |.
Now he repeats and defends it . {
But what he seeth the Father doing } (\
an m
ti blep
i ton patera poiounta \).
Rather , "
unless he sees the Father doing something ."
Negative condition (\
an m \=\
ean m \,
if not ,
unless )
of third class with present (
habit )
subjunctive (\
blep
i \)
and present active participle (\
poiounta \).
It is a supreme example of a son copying the spirit and work of a father .
In his work on earth the Son sees continually what the Father is doing .
In healing this poor man he was doing what the Father wishes him to do . {
For what things soever he doeth ,
these the Son also doeth in like manner } (\
ha gar an ekeinos poi
i tauta kai ho huios homoi
s poiei \).
Indefinite relative clause with \
an \
and the present active subjunctive (\
poi
i \).
Note \
ekeinos \,
emphatic demonstrative ,
that one ,
referring to the Father .
This sublime claim on the part of Jesus will exasperate his enemies still more .
rwp @
John:5:20 @{
Loveth } (\
philei \).
In strkjv @
3:35 |
we have \
agap
i \
from \
agapa \,
evidently one verb expressing as noble a love as the other .
Sometimes a distinction (
21:17 |)
is made ,
but not here ,
unless \
phile \
presents the notion of intimate friendship (\
philos \,
friend ),
fellowship ,
the affectionate side ,
while \
agapa \ (
Latin _diligo_
)
is more the intelligent choice .
But John uses both verbs for the mystery of love of the Father for the Son . {
Greater works than these } (\
meizona tout
n erga \). \
Tout
n \
is ablative case after the comparative \
meizona \ (
from \
megas \,
great ).
John often uses \
erga \
for the miracles of Christ (
5:36 ;
strkjv @
7:3 ,
21 ;
strkjv @
10:25 ,
32 ,
38 |,
etc .).
It is the Father who does these works (
14:10 |).
There is more to follow .
Even the disciples will surpass what Christ is doing in the extent of the work (
14:12 |). \
Deixei \
is future active indicative of \
deiknumi \,
to show .
See also strkjv @
10:32 |. {
That ye may marvel } (\
hina humeis thaumaz
te \).
Purpose clause with \
hina \
and present active subjunctive of \
thaumaz \.
Wonder belongs to childhood and to men of knowledge .
Modern science has increased the occasion for wonder .
Clement of Alexandria has a saying of Jesus : "
He that wonders shall reign ,
and he that reigns shall rest ."
rwp @
John:5:21 @{
Quickeneth whom he will } (\
hous thelei z
opoiei \).
Present active indicative of \
z
opoie \ (
from \
z
opoios \,
making alive ),
common in Paul (
1Corinthians:15:45 |,
etc .).
As yet ,
so far as we know ,
Jesus had not raised the dead ,
but he claims the power to do it on a par with the power of the Father .
The raising of the son of the widow of Nain (
Luke:7:11-17 |)
is not far ahead ,
followed by the message to the Baptist which speaks of this same power (
Luke:7:22 ;
strkjv @
Matthew:11:5 |),
and the raising of Jairus '
daughter (
Matthew:9:18 ,
22-26 |).
Jesus exercises this power on those "
whom he wills ."
Christ has power to quicken both body and soul .
rwp @
John:5:22 @{
He hath given all judgement unto the Son } (\
t
n krisin p
san ded
ken t
i hui
i \).
Perfect active indicative of \
did
mi \,
state of completion (
as in strkjv @
3:35 ;
strkjv @
6:27 ,
29 ;
strkjv @
10:29 |,
etc .).
See this prerogative claimed for Christ already in strkjv @
3:17 |.
See the picture of Christ as Judge of men in strkjv @
Matthew:25:31-46 |.
rwp @
John:5:23 @{
That all may honour the Son } (\
hina pantes tim
sin ton huion \).
Purpose clause with \
hina \
and present active subjunctive of \
tima \ (
may keep on honouring the Son ). {
He that honoureth not the Son } (\
ho m
tim
n ton huion \).
Articular present active participle of \
tima \
with negative \
m \.
Jesus claims here the same right to worship from men that the Father has .
Dishonouring Jesus is dishonouring the Father who sent him (
8:49 ;
strkjv @
12:26 ;
strkjv @
15:23 ;
strkjv @
1John:2:23 |).
See also strkjv @
Luke:10:16 |.
There is small comfort here for those who praise Jesus as teacher and yet deny his claims to worship .
The Gospel of John carries this high place for Christ throughout ,
but so do the other Gospels (
even Q ,
the Logia of Jesus )
and the rest of the New Testament .
rwp @
John:5:24 @{
Hath eternal life } (\
echei z
n ai
nion \).
Has now this spiritual life which is endless .
See strkjv @
3:36 |.
In verses 24 ,
25 |
Jesus speaks of spiritual life and spiritual death .
In this passage (
21-29 |)
Jesus speaks now of physical life and death ,
now of spiritual ,
and one must notice carefully the quick transition .
In strkjv @
Revelation:20:14 |
we have the phrase "
the second death "
with which language compare strkjv @
Revelation:20:4-6 |. {
But hath passed out of death into life } (\
alla metabeb
ken ek tou thanatou eis t
n z
n \).
Perfect active indicative of \
metabain \,
to pass from one place or state to another .
Out of spiritual death into spiritual life and so no judgement (\
krisis \).
rwp @
John:5:25 @{
And now is } (\
kai nun estin \).
See strkjv @
4:23 |
for this phrase .
Not the future resurrection in verse 28 |,
but the spiritual resurrection here and now . {
The dead } (\
hoi nekroi \).
The spiritually dead ,
dead in trespasses and sins (
Ephesians:2:1 ,
5 ;
strkjv @
5:14 |). {
Shall hear the voice of the Son of God } (\
akousousin t
s ph
n
s tou huiou tou theou \).
Note three genitives (\
ph
n
s \
after \
akousousin \, \
huiou \
with \
ph
n
s \, \
theou \
with \
huiou \).
Note three articles (
correlation of the article )
and that Jesus here calls himself "
the Son of God "
as in strkjv @
10:36 ;
strkjv @
11:4 |. {
Shall live } (\
z
sousin \).
Future active indicative ,
shall come to life spiritually .
rwp @
John:5:26 @{
In himself } (\
en heaut
i \).
The Living God possesses life wholly in himself and so he has bestowed this power of life to the Son as already stated in the Prologue of the Logos (
1:3 |).
For "
gave " (\
ed
ken \,
timeless aorist active indicative )
see also strkjv @
3:35 ;
strkjv @
17:2 ,
24 |.
The particles "
as " (\
h
sper \)
and "
so " (\
hout
s \)
mark here the fact ,
not the degree (
Westcott ).
rwp @
John:5:27 @{
Because he is the Son of man } (\
hoti huios anthr
pou estin \).
Rather , "
because he is a son of man " (
note absence of articles and so not as the Messiah ),
because the judge of men must partake of human nature himself (
Westcott ).
Bernard insists that John is here giving his own reflections rather than the words of Jesus and uses \
huios anthr
pou \
in the same sense as \
ho huios tou anthr
pou \ (
always in the Gospels used by Jesus of himself ).
But that in my opinion is a wrong view since we have here ostensibly certainly the words of Jesus himself .
Songs:in strkjv @
Revelation:1:13 ;
strkjv @
4:14 | \
huion anthr
pou \
means "
a son of man ."
rwp @
John:5:28 @{
In the tombs } (\
en tois mn
meiois \). \
Taphos \ (
grave )
presents the notion of burial (\
thapt \,
to bury )
as in strkjv @
Matthew:23:27 |, \
mn
meion \ (
from \
mnaomai \, \
mimn
sk \,
to remind )
is a memorial (
sepulchre as a monument ).
Jesus claims not only the power of life (
spiritual )
and of judgement ,
but of power to quicken the actual dead at the Last Day .
They will hear his voice and come out (\
ekporeusontai \,
future middle indicative of \
ekporeuomai \).
A general judgement and a general bodily resurrection we have here for both good and bad as in strkjv @
Matthew:25:46 ;
strkjv @
Acts:24:15 ;
strkjv @
2Corinthians:5:10 |
and as often implied in the words of Jesus (
Matthew:5:29f .;
strkjv @
10:28 ;
strkjv @
Luke:11:32 |).
In strkjv @
John:6:39 |
Jesus asserts that he will raise up the righteous .
rwp @
John:5:29 @{
Unto the resurrection of life } (\
eis anastasin z
s \). \
Anastasis \
is an old word (
Aeschylus )
from \
anist
mi \,
to raise up ,
to arise .
This combination occurs nowhere else in the N .
T .
nor does "
the resurrection of judgement " (\
eis anastasin krise
s \),
but in strkjv @
Luke:14:14 |
there is the similar phrase "
in the resurrection of the just " (\
en t
i anastasei t
n dikai
n \).
Only there note both articles .
Here without the articles it can mean "
to a resurrection of life "
and "
to a resurrection of judgement ,"
though the result is practically the same .
There are two resurrections as to result ,
one to life ,
one to judgement .
See both in strkjv @
Daniel:12:2 |.
rwp @
John:5:30 @{
I } (\
Eg \).
The discourse returns to the first person after using "
the Son "
since verse 19 |.
Here Jesus repeats in the first person (
as in strkjv @
8:28 |)
the statement made in verse 19 |
about the Son .
In John \
emautou \
is used by Jesus 16 times and not at all by Jesus in the Synoptics .
It occurs in the Synoptics only in strkjv @
Matthew:8:8 ;
strkjv @
Luke:7:7f |. {
Righteous } (\
dikaia \).
As all judgements should be .
The reason is plain (\
hoti \,
because ),
the guiding principle with the Son being the will of the Father who sent him and made him Judge .
Judges often have difficulty in knowing what is law and what is right ,
but the Son '
s task as Judge is simple enough ,
the will of the Father which he knows (
verse 20 |).