Who is this Man? Jesus’ Claims about Himself. John 5:1-47 Reflections
These Reflections are the 6th part in a Gospel of John Series. The previous studies and reflections are as follows:
Reflections:
In John 5:19, after a man born lame but healed by Jesus is caught walking, authorities ask him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” This question, “who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” a question that if the focus of the authorities was different, should have been, “who was the man who healed you?” Who is this man? Who is Jesus? This is the question that Jesus Himself is answering in John 5.
In this story, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for an unnamed festival. The occurrence of the festival probably means that there were more people than usually in Jerusalem, that is to say, there were more eyewitnesses to the situation that occurs. Jesus comes across a man who has been lame from birth at the pool of Bethesda. We are told that there are a number of invalids around the pool, and yet for some reason, this story focuses on this particular man who has been unable to walk for his whole life—38 years of life. He is at the pool looking for healing—it is said that if an invalid is in the waters while they are stirred, the person will receive healing. And yet this man has never received healing, instead, he is handicapped to an ailment that has kept him since birth.
Some say that the man has grown accustomed to self-pity—that he has been sick for so long and has learned to commiserate with the other invalids around the pool so much so that his handicap has become a core part of his identity such that he may not actually even want to be healed. For these commentators, this is the reason that the man does not give a straight answer of “yes” when Jesus asks him if he wants to be healed. Instead, he makes excuses. Another reading may be the man is just stating facts—that he genuinely wants to be healed but is unable to get into the water. Regardless of whether the man had become so accustomed to his illness that he wanted to remain that way or just resigned himself to the reality that this was the reality that he has to deal with, we know one thing for sure, that just by nature of having been born an invalid and being present around the pool of Bethesda, his handicap constituted a core part of his identity for all of his life-a central part of what defined him; that is until Jesus comes on the scene.
Jesus' responds to the invalid with three simple yet life changing commands, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." And immediately the man was healed. Here, we see that Jesus' spoken word has the power to heal. In the same way the Creator spoke "Let there be" in the beginning and it was. When Jesus speaks, His words take power and things happen. As Jesus heals this man from an infirmity that has inflicted him from birth, Jesus also frees him from the identity of invalid to that of healed. Jesus removes a core part of his identity and offers him a new identity as one who has been healed by Jesus. Often, Jesus seeks to do the same in our lives, although all of us may not be physically healed, many of us carry very deep scars that have affected our self-perception for years. These scars may often be detrimental to ourselves but Jesus enters in and calls is out of self-pity and brokenness to know a new identity in Him. This is a recurrent theme in the gospel of John, that Jesus has the power to transform us and give us new life in Him. What are the ways in which Jesus may want to give you new life in Him? What are the areas of brokenness or hurt in your life that Jesus may want to make well? In what ways may Jesus be offering you a new identity in Him?
And yet, even though a miracle has taken place, tension arises when Jewish authorities see the former invalid carrying his mat. The authorities reprimand the man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath and he responds "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk." And the authorities respond "who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?'" Notice where the focus of the authorities lays. They are so preoccupied with the fact that this man is carrying his mat on the Sabbath that they feel to recognize the magnitude of what has taken place-an invalid was healed and made whole. They are so focused on their traditions and their self-righteousness that they failed to see the areas where God was at work. The man encounters Jesus who tells him to stop sinning or something worse may happen to Him. The implication here is not necessarily that his illness was a result of sin, in John 9 when questioned whether a man born blind's inability to see was a result of his sin or the sins of his parents, Jesus replies "neither." In this instance, there is nothing about Jesus initial interaction with the man that makes it seem that his being lame is necessarily the result of sin. Instead, Jesus' comment here points to the very real reality that there are worse things that physical ailments and the sin may lead us to places of bondage worse than these physical illnesses. This is an acknowledgement of the detrimental nature of sinning.
Tensions continue to rise between Jesus and those who oppose Him. Readers are told that Jewish leaders begin to persecute Jesus because of His Sabbath actions. However, Jesus does not just stop offending the authorities with the healing on the Sabbath, actions that they deem to be work and thereby a Sabbath violation, Jesus goes on to make a very bold statement, Jesus states “my Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” In verse 18, we are told that this statement leads Jewish authorities to want to kill Jesus. We should remember that the authorities that are opposing Jesus are doing so out of a deep belief that that his healing of the invalid on the Sabbath is deeply offensive to God and against the law of Moses. And yet again, the authorities are missing the bigger picture; the reality that a man who was lame his entire life has been healed and essentially given new life. You would think that this miracle would lead authorities to want to praise and worship God that this human being has experienced such a powerful transformation, and yet, their focus continues to be on the fact in their eyes the Sabbath law was broken. Furthermore, because of Jesus’ Sabbath actions, the Jewish authorities are convinced that Jesus cannot be a representative of God, since in their mind a representative of God would never violate the Sabbath, and because Jesus can’t be a representative of God, how much more offensive is it to hear a man who breaks the Sabbath law claim that God is “his own” Father. There are a lot of things going on here. As Jesus begins to make bold claims about Himself, we begin to see a debate open up before our very eyes about Jesus’ identity. Who is Jesus and what does this mean for all of our lives? This dialogue that follows is extremely important because it point to Jesus’ own answers to a question that authorities were asking while He was still on Earth and that people are still asking today. This question again being, “who is Jesus and what does this mean for our lives?”
Jesus launches into a very intense monologue where He proceeds to make extremely bold and radical claims about Himself that many of us are still wrestling with today. Jesus monologue reveals His deep belief that He is indeed Son of God who shares a will with the Father. Jesus’ reveals the depth and intimacy of His relationship with God—his complete dependence on God. Jesus asserts that He does nothing on his own, but rather all of his actions are a result of knowing the Father and doing what He sees the Father does. Beyond this, Jesus speaks of the Father’s love for Him and His delight to show the Son (Jesus referring here to Himself) all that He does. His authority to raise the dead and give life just like the Father—who but God has power over life and death? If it is not yet clear that Jesus is making Himself one with the Father and is essentially calling Himself God, Jesus goes on to explicitly say that He is the one whom the Father has appointed as judge and that the only way to honor God, the Father, is by honoring him. Imagine what it must be like for the authorities, who have rejected Jesus because of His seemingly blasphemous Sabbath actions as a way of defending and honoring the God of their ancestors, imagine what it must be like to hear Jesus go on to say that not only is He from God, He is One with God, He is their judge, and in order to truly honor God, they must honor Him. If this isn’t enough, Jesus goes on to hit the hammer on the head of the nail as he goes on in verses 24-30 to insist that the way to eternal life, or to heaven, is through Him because He, again, is the one who grants life, He is judge, He is God. Contrary to what the authorities believe, to Jesus, not only are His actions pleasing to the living God, He is One with the living God.
Jesus’ claims must have been completely offensive and even outrageous to the authorities listening to Him. What complete and utter blasphemy? Who is this man that dare challenge our authority? Who is this man that dare equate Himself with the living God? How dare He set Himself up as our judge? How dare He say that the way to honor God is by honoring him? How dare He insist that the way to eternal life is through Him? He must be crazy! This can’t possibly be true! Does He hear what He is saying? The nerve. This man must be out of His mind. These must be just some of the things that the authorities and other people listening to Jesus were thinking. And these claims, up until this very day, are still outrageous to so many people. How similar is this line of thinking and accusations against Jesus to accusations that are made today? How dare Christians believe Jesus to be the only way to God? How dare Christians assert that people must worship Jesus to truly honor God? How could Jesus be divine? Jesus couldn’t possibly be God; He was just a mere man. How arrogant is it to believe in the exclusivity of Christianity and Jesus as the way to God? Do we see how similar the comments levied against Christianity today are to the authorities that accused Jesus while He was still on Earth?
And yet, this contention surrounding Jesus’ identity is nothing new, and it is indeed what eventually leads Jesus to be crucified on the cross with the title “King on the Jews” written mockingly over His head in Greek, Aramaic, and Sanskrit for all of the world to see that this is the man who dared equate Himself to the living God, who dare assert Himself to be the King of the Jews, the coming Messiah, the Son of the Living God, He through whom life and salvation are ultimately given.
Granted, there are differences between the frustrations of the Jewish authorities in John 5 and modern day frustration and opposition against Christianity. Whereas much of the modern day offense and frustrations with Christianity comes from the seemingly arrogant and exclusive view that Christianity, more specifically, accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior as the true path to knowing God and eventually going to heaven, many of the Jews of Jesus’ day would have deemed other religious practices to be abhorrent whereas many people today believe that all religious practices and viewpoints should be held in the same esteem—that all religions are equally valid. The underlying issue here is the question of the reality of absolute truth. Is there such a thing as absolute truth? If so, who has the power or the right to claim that their truth is the truth? In our society, people who claim to know absolute truth are viewed with suspicion. Why should we believe anything that they have to say? And again, who are they to claim that people must believe and think the same way that they do? This viewpoint seems to be so intolerable to us (with much reason, for many people and people groups who have believed themselves to be the bearer of truth have done and are still doing a lot of harm by imposing their viewpoints on others). And yet in this passage, Jesus addresses why He so forcefully says the things that He does about His relationship with the Father and honoring Him being the way to truly honor the Father. Jesus begins to cite evidence that validates his testimony of Himself.
There are a couple of things that Jesus says testify in His favor as far as the claims that He makes: His works (v. 33), the Father (vs. 36), and Scripture (vs. 46). Jesus says that His works of miracles from healing the sick to driving out demons to feeding the masses in multiplying fish and loaves of bread, to turning water to wine demonstrate that He comes from God. If He didn’t know God, how would He have the power to do all of these things? How would He have the authority to heal the sick and raise the dead? Furthermore, Jesus says that these works testify to His relationship with the Father, that the Father has indeed sent Him. Finally, Jesus says that the Hebrew Scripture, or the Old Testament for modern readers, testify to Him. Here, Jesus is referring to the numerous prophecies throughout the Old Testament that speak of the coming of the Messiah and the way that Jesus fulfills these testimonies like being born of a virgin, the suffering servant, and more.
Jesus claims about Himself, and the way that these claims are adopted into Christianity as a religious worldview, mainly the belief that Christianity is the way to God, are still very offensive to many people. For this reason, many Christians are prone to say, although I believe in Jesus, I do not believe He is necessarily the way to God for everyone, but rather everyone should be free to choose the religious path and practices that best suit them. This is the popular view to hold because it is not as offensive, and yet, Jesus does not give His hearers that option. Jesus forces those who would come to Him to wrestle with the claims that He makes about Himself, and Jesus makes no apologies about the claims that He makes about Himself because He is convinced that the words that He speaks are the truth. And if Jesus, who is one on whom Christianity is founded, constantly asserted that honoring Him as the Son of God was the true way to worship, we cannot excuse ourselves from wrestling with these truth claims and their implications for our lives, our communities, and the world around us. And yet, as we wrestle with these questions, we must also ask ourselves who gets to define Jesus? Is Jesus who we say He is or is Jesus who He says He is? And for Muslims who believe that Jesus is important, the question of who did Jesus believe Himself to be is also a very important question. For Muslims, Jesus was an important prophet, but in Islam it is utterly blasphemous to worship Jesus as the Son of God. Outside of Islam, there are many people who are willing to accept the broad sweeping impact of Jesus’ life and ministry on human history, but disagree with the claim that He is God and thus absolute truth lies in Him; instead, it is often said that Jesus was a great moral teacher but that is all. C. S. Lewis addresses this claim in Mere Christianity when he says,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” –C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Jesus comes to earth to do a work, in John 1, we hear the apostle and author of the gospel of John assert that Jesus has come in grace and truth to make the Father known and that those who believe in Him are granted access to the family of God through Him. By the end of the gospel, we see that Jesus’ claims concerning Himself eventually cost Him His life. And yet, we learn that in dying, Jesus reconciles us to God by both cleansing and redeeming us from our sinful nature. And yet, death does not get the final say of Jesus’ story because in addition to the evidence that He says testifies to His identity, ultimately, the reality of Jesus’ resurrection becomes the greatest justification to His claims that He is indeed the living Son of God—the Second person of the Trinity. If we focus solely on the claim that Jesus is the way to God without understanding the larger context that Jesus’ is entering into or the larger worldview that for which Bible, and many Christians, are advocating, it is easy to dismiss why Jesus is so central to everything. The Biblical worldview from the very beginning in Genesis argues that the main problem with the world is not just injustice or broken systems, but rather the main problem with the world and with humanity is that people are fallen, broken, sinful, and corrupted—broken systems do not create themselves, after all. The problems with the world are caused, perpetuated, and maintained by sin (be it pride, lust, anger, hatred, greed, envy, etc.) that begins in the human heart and impact all of us. This sinful nature separates us from a Holy God. And yet, the work that Jesus does throughout His Earthly ministry that eventually culminates in His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to the Father, uniquely addresses the pervasiveness of the sin and corruption.
How do you feel about Jesus’ insistence that He is the way to eternal life? Why is Jesus able to say the things that He does about Himself? Do you believe that the evidence Jesus’ cites as to His identity is compelling? If the evidence is or is not compelling, how does that impact our decision to follow Jesus and how we wrestle with His teachings? If Jesus’ evidence and teachings are compelling, how then does that impact our perception of the nature and existence of truth/absolute truth and the relationship between truth and other religious teachings? What do you think about the Christian worldview?
