The Gospel of John

John 5:18-47 centers on Jesus's claim to be equal with God, sparking conflict with the Jewish leaders. Jesus had just healed a man who had been sick for 38 years on the Sabbath, provoking accusations of breaking the Sabbath law. Jesus defended His actions, declaring that He does what He sees the Father doing, asserting His shared divine nature and authority. He further emphasizes His oneness with the Father, stating that the Father's work is also His own.
These declarations lead to attempts by the Jews to kill Him because of what they assert to be His blasphemy—claiming equality with God. Jesus then identifies His own judgment (based on His divine authority) with the judgment of the Father. He explains that believing in Him means having eternal life, while rejecting Him means facing condemnation because of refusing the One sent by God. By highlighting the witness of John the Baptist, the Scriptures, and the works He performs, Jesus points to His own identity as the Son of God and the promised Messiah. Ultimately, from this passage we see the eternal truth of the consequences that come from either accepting or rejecting Him.

Further notes:

• According to verse 18, to the Jews, calling God your own Father made one equal with God.
• Jesus replied that He is only doing what He has seen His Father doing.
• This was the intent of the Father showing His Son all these things – and He will continue to show Him greater things so that the world will marvel at them.
• Jesus said that He will even give life, because this is also something that the Father has dominion over.
• Furthermore, there is an association (to judgment) with the "life-giving" that Jesus will do, because He links the statement about His ability to give life, with the fact that the Father does not judge anyone but has given all judgment to the Son.
• And more, this is so that those over whom He has the authority of life and death will honor Him (the Son) even as they honor the Father, because barring that they honor the Son, they do not honor the Father Who sent Him.
• Verse 24 necessitates recognizing Christ's oneness with the Father, since Christ declares that: A) eternal life results from 1) hearing (implying obedience) and 2) believing in the Father, who sent Him; and B) such individuals avoid judgment (the Son's domain), thus passing from death to life, escaping condemnation and receiving eternal life from both the Father and the Son.
• Now, those who are dead (condemned according to the preceding verses) will hear Christ’s Words and be redeemed (live).
• This, again, is the authority Christ has, which has been given to Him from the Father.
• Just as the Father gave His Son the authority to judge, so He gave Him the authority to grant life. One cannot go without the other because the authority to grant life also includes the authority to withhold the granting of the same. Therefore, Christ must have the authority to judge.
• Christ makes the connection between life and death in righteousness and hearing His Words to the physical death of those who have already been in the grave. Those, too, will be judged by Christ and pass into the same life/death, eternal life/eternal judgment, as those who are alive and remain, (ref. 1 Thes. 4:17).
• Even the judgment that Christ delivers, however, is subject to the necessity to have two witnesses, and Christ validates His authority to judge, declaring that He can do nothing from Himself, establishing the Father as the second witness, Whose will He is doing (vv32,37).
• Jesus states that the people will presume John the Baptist to be His witness, and indeed, he has borne witness to the truth of Christ as the Messiah, but in this, Christ asserts that the witness He receives is not from man, because Christ is saying these things so that the hearer may be saved. John was a light that they were happy to receive, but they rejected the greater light of Christ, Who is One with His Father.
• Those who think themselves righteous because they have searched the Scriptures think they have eternal life, but they have missed the whole point. These same Scriptures bear witness to Christ, to Whom they are unwilling to come, from Whom they are unwilling to receive life.
• But Christ does not receive glory from men. Nonetheless, men will readily receive glory from each other and believe each other without believing the truth of God that has come to them now in Christ (Mt 24:5). Christ will have no need to condemn them, for they are already condemned in the law they claim to know so well – the law of Moses. But Christ declares that their assertion to know the law of Moses, too, is false, because if they believed Moses, they would believe His Words also.

This chapter begins with the account of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with five barley loaves and two fish. In this, He not only satisfies the physical hunger of the crowd but also leaves them with an abundance of leftovers – 12 baskets. Following this miracle, Jesus retreats to the mountains alone, and at evening, He walks on water to reach His disciples, who are struggling against a strong wind on the Sea of Galilee, crossing to Capernaum. The disciples are afraid, but Jesus simply responds to them, It is I, do not be afraid.”
When they received Him into the boat, they were instantly at their destination, (makes you think, doesn’t it?)

The chapter continues with Jesus teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, where He introduces the concept of Himself as the “Bread of Life.” He explains that just as Moses provided manna in the wilderness, He offers Himself as the true bread from heaven, emphasizing the need to believe in Him for eternal life. This teaching causes division among the crowd, as many find it difficult to accept. Jesus challenges them, asserting that spiritual sustenance comes from partaking in Him. Check this out from verse 56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” When we get to John 15:7, this verse will unlock a great mystery! This verse also foreshadows the the Lord's Supper. Nonetheless. many of His disciples turn away from Him at this point, prompting Jesus to question the twelve apostles about whether they too will depart. But correctly they acknowledge (but not all), led by Peter, that Jesus is the Holy One of God. There is nowhere else for them (or us) to go. Christ has the words of eternal life!

John 7:1-24 recounts Jesus' brothers urging Him to go to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, believing it would be a good time for Him to reveal Himself publicly. Jesus replies that He is not “yet” going, knowing the Jewish authorities are seeking to arrest Him. He goes after His brothers have already departed, in secret, rather than publicly. After listening to the grumbling among the crowds concerning Him, when it was the middle of the feast, Jesus makes His public appearance, by going up into the Temple and teaching. Jesus' teaching at the Feast, generates both awe and opposition, highlighting the division of opinion about Him within Jerusalem. Jesus' teachings attract both followers and enemies. The opening to the chapter reveals the skepticism and lack of faith within His own family, prompting reflection on the challenges of faith within one's personal relationships. That context is relevant, because John follows this introduction with the more profound theological and spiritual discussions that follows.

In verse 18, we read Jesus’ words, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him, the same is true and no unrighteousness is in Him,". This verse is pivotal in discerning genuine spiritual teaching. The verse provides a litmus test for evaluating the motives of anyone claiming to teach or speak in God's name. A teacher primarily focused on personal gain, recognition, or power demonstrates a self-seeking motivation (seeking his own glory). By contrast, righteousness is associated with the teacher whose desire is to glorify God (the One who sent Him). The truthfulness and righteousness of a teacher are directly linked to his underlying motives.

A deeper understanding is gained exploring the Greek. "Speaks from himself" (ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λαλεῖ - ap' autou lalei) suggests self-originated speech, lacking external divine authority. "Seeks his own glory" (τὴν δόξαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ζητεῖ - tēn doxan tēn heautou zētei) signifies a self-centered ambition for recognition. Conversely, "seeks the glory of Him who sent Him" (τὴν δόξαν τοῦ πέμψαντος αὐτὸν ζητεῖ - tēn doxan tou pempsantos auton zētei) emphasizes a focus on glorifying God, the Source of truth and authority. The Greek word for "true" (ἀληθινός - alēthinos) means genuine and authentic, while the absence of unrighteousness (ἀδικία - adikia) points to a life lived in accordance with God’s will. The words doxa (glory) and zēteo (seek) appear frequently throughout the New Testament, in contexts relating to God's character and the purpose of Christian life. For example, doxa is used extensively in the Gospels to describe God's attributes and Jesus's ministry, and zēteo is often connected with seeking God's kingdom and righteousness. Careful examination of these words in their various biblical contexts illuminates the profound significance of verse 18 as a crucial criterion for judging spiritual teaching.

John 7:25-52 describes a period of escalating tension between Jesus and the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. The passage opens with some of the crowd questioning Jesus's identity and origins, with some believing He is the Christ while others are skeptical. This leads to a discussion on whether the Messiah will come from Galilee, which is not considered an area of prestigious lineage. *Note that Nathanael had said similarly in John 1:46 before he joined Jesus as one of His disciples, questioning "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (in Galilee). Jesus utilizes the opportunity to teach, highlighting the hypocrisy of those who seek to arrest Him but secretly believe in Him. He criticizes their lack of understanding of the Scriptures and accuses them of being motivated by worldly desires rather than a genuine seeking of truth. The discussion evolves into a heated debate, as Jesus asserts His divine authority and some wanted to sieze Him (v44) but none did. When the Pharisees sent the temple officers to apprehend Jesus, the conflict deepened between Jesus and the religious establishment. This passage is showing us the growing opposition towards Jesus and the hardening of hearts amongst His adversaries. Today similar hypocrisy surrounds us. The world declares a righteous indignation towards the "judgemental attitudes of the church." We are declared to be hateful, because in our desire to reflect the nature of God in Christ, we reject sin. Becasue the world is sinful, and we seek to honor a holy God, we are despised as hateful. The unrepentant man will prefer to remain wrong (dead in sin), than to be told how to become right (life in Christ).