2016.10.02                                     John 5: 13-30

             Jesus confronts the Hypocrites

Good morning everyone…. I am glad that you are here… I have good news for you… His name is Jesus… We are studying the through the Gospel of John verse by verse…. We want to see the big picture… We want to understand our great God and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ… We are studying Chapter 5 at the moment…

We see at least three main things going on in John 5…

1 Jesus Heals a man who had been sick for 38 years…. We saw that last week… 2 He confronts the Hypocrisy of the rulers and leaders of Israel… and 3 He declares that He and the Father are one… One in purpose and plan… Equals…We looked at the first of these last week... The healing of this man at the pool of Bethesda… Jesus went to this man and only to this man… He Healed Him in an Instant and then disappeared… The man doesn’t even know who healed him… Look with me at John 5: 13…

John 5: 13                           NKJV    slt 2000

13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.

13 Aber der Geheilte wußte nicht, wer es war, denn Jesus war weggegangen, weil so viel Volk an dem Ort war.

So we ask… Why did Jesus heal him and then disappear?.. Why did  Jesus did disappear without anyone even knowing who he was or why he did it? The answer comes in verse 14… Look at it with me…

John 5:14    NKJV  slt 2000

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

14 Danach findet ihn Jesus im Tempel und spricht zu ihm: Siehe, du bist gesund geworden; sündige hinfort nicht mehr, damit dir nicht etwas Schlimmeres widerfährt!”

This man did what he should have done… He went to the Temple to present Himself to the Priests… Remember…. The culture said that this man was cursed by God… He was not allowed to go to the temple at all…Because he was unclean… Now he had been made well... The external evidence of the curse was removed… He was healed… He went to the House of Prayer rejoicing in God´s mercy and grace… I am sure that the priests gave him a clean bill of health…. He was as far as anyone could see… Whole… Perfectly restored… But that was only because man looks at the outward appearance…

But Jesus who knows everything… Knows that he needs to be transformed from the inside… He needs a new heart… This is why Jesus chose Him… He knew that he was ready for the living water that will transform his life forever…

Jesus is saying…  I have found so that I can explain why I healed you… I healed your body to get your attention…. Now I am going to heal you Spiritually as well… In the NLT Jesus says… Look you are healed… Now stop sinning… Before something worse happens… This simple Gospel message is the very reason that Jesus did any miracles…. To demonstrate that he is the Messiah… That he has the power to forgive sins… This connection between Jesus power to forgive sins and physical healing is wonderfully illustrated in Matthews Gospel… look at Matthew ch9…v1-8…

Matthew 9: 1-8                             NKJV   slt 2000

1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” 3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 7 And he arose and departed to his house. 8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

Matthew 9: 1-8                 NKJV   slt 2000

1 Und er trat in das Schiff, fuhr hinüber und kam in seine Stadt.

2 Und siehe, da brachten sie einen Gelähmten zu ihm, der auf einer Liegematte lag. Und als Jesus ihren Glauben sah, sprach er zu dem Gelähmten: Sei getrost, mein Sohn, deine Sünden sind dir vergeben!

3 Und siehe, etliche der Schriftgelehrten sprachen bei sich selbst: Dieser lästert!

4 Und da Jesus ihre Gedanken sah, sprach er: Warum denkt ihr Böses in euren Herzen?

5 Was ist denn leichter, zu sagen: Deine Sünden sind dir vergeben! oder zu sagen: Steh auf und geh umher?

6 Damit ihr aber wißt, daß der Sohn des Menschen Vollmacht hat, auf Erden Sünden zu vergeben — sprach er zu dem Gelähmten: Steh auf, nimm deine Liegematte und geh heim!

7 Und er stand auf und ging heim.

8 Als aber die Volksmenge das sah, verwunderte sie sich und pries Gott, der solche Vollmacht den Menschen gegeben hatte.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost…. He came to forgive us of all of our sins…. So that we can have life in Him… And He did many miracles… They were all to prove that He is indeed the Messiah… the Savior of the World… This man was also healed… But the goal was His redemption and transformation… Back to John 5… Remember that the leaders were amazed and demanded to know who would dare to heal him and tell him to carry his bed on the Sabbath… look at verses 15-18…

John 5: 15-18                 NKJV    slt 2000

15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

John 5: 15-18                 NKJV    slt 2000

15 Da ging der Mensch hin und verkündete den Juden, daß es Jesus war, der ihn gesund gemacht hatte. 16 Und deshalb verfolgten die Juden Jesus und suchten ihn zu töten, weil er dies am Sabbat getan hatte.17 Jesus aber antwortete ihnen: Mein Vater wirkt bis jetzt, und ich wirke auch. 18 Darum suchten die Juden nun noch mehr, ihn zu töten, weil er nicht nur den Sabbat brach, sondern auch Gott seinen eigenen Vater nannte, womit er sich selbst Gott gleich machte.

What a reaction… The Jewish Priests and leaders are ballistic… They have had it with this miracle worker… They are more and more determined to Kill Jesus… Remember last week I said that Jesus was setting up a conflict… A confrontation with the Priests and religious leaders… He was doing it to show them their own pride and Hypocrisy… You see, they were judgmental and critical…. They demanded perfect obedience to the law…. Even though they themselves were failing to keep it perfectly…. They knew that they were not even obeying the simplest commandment…. You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart…. They knew that they were not loving God like that… They needed a new heart…. They needed to repent… They were angry with Jesus…. He was offering grace to one who had been condemned by God…  Jesus´ goal is always the same… Repentance from the heart… These angry leaders had a choice in front of them… 1 Believe that God had sent Jesus as the Messiah… or 2… refuse to believe and refuse to repent… sadly… Most of them chose to refuse to repent… and so they renewed their hatred of Jesus… They are ready to kill Him…

Let´s look at Jesus relationship with the Father…

v16 says that the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he had healed this man on the Sabbath… Jesus knew that and answered in v17…

v17… ‘My Father is working until now, and I am working… All of this was done on the Sabbath…

Jesus knows what he has done… He healed a man on the Sabbath… Jesus told him to carry his bed as a sign and celebration that he is made well...

Jesus knows this will create a conflict… He is not surprised by their anger…  Jesus is not only showing mercy and compassion to this man…. But by healing him on the Sabbath… He is showing mercy and compassion on His enemies… He freely offers Grace to people who do not deserve it… People like you and me… And they hate him for it…  He is going to confront them over and over for their sin and pride and hypocrisy… They are going to go Ballistic about this healing… Exactly because it occurred on the Sabbath…

He is shining the light of truth on their sin and pride and self righteousness… He is inviting them the look at their own desperate need for inner healing and forgiveness… He tells them That He is the Messiah…. But they hate Him for telling the truth… And so they refuse to repent and instead they decide to Kill Him…

Jesus has offended them by breaking their interpretation of the law…. But He has done something far worse… Forgetting their anger about the Sabbath healing…  They focus on what Jesus said about His Father… Look at v18… This is what they heard Jesus say about his relationship to God…

v18b… but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.…

That was pure blasphemy to them… They were unwilling to accept the Truth about Jesus… They struggled to accept Jesus and Savior and Messiah… They could have known…. Because the scriptures show that the Messiah is God… But they were blind… Blinded by lust and sin and pride… Because of the blindness of sin and lust… They were unwilling to face the truth…. They were unwilling to repent…

I know that some of you are struggling with the Truth about Jesus… We struggle because we are also often unwilling to repent from our hearts…  and trust Jesus to save and forgive us… Some of you are not sure that You believe this Book… Is it all true?… Yes… Every Word of it is true… Jesus is the Lord and Savior…. He is our only hope… As soon as we repent and turn from our sins we are born again and the scales fall from our blind eyes… Our hearts of stone are changed into hearts of flesh… And we receive the grace that we did not deserve… The light of truth is what we need every day… So that we do not deceive ourselves into thinking that we are already great men and women of God… It is in here…

Ok,  When He said that God was His Father…. They went nuts… Look at verses 19 and 20… Jesus is acting as if he is equal with God in the way he talks about God…

John 5: 19,20                 NKJV  slt 2000

19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

19 Da antwortete Jesus und sprach zu ihnen: Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch: Der Sohn kann nichts von sich selbst aus tun, sondern nur, was er den Vater tun sieht; denn was dieser tut, das tut gleicherweise auch der Sohn.

20 Denn der Vater liebt den Sohn und zeigt ihm alles, was er selbst tut; und er wird ihm noch größere Werke zeigen als diese, so daß ihr euch verwundern werdet

The most important phrase is the second half of verse v19b…“Whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”

This is saying… “Whatever the Father does,” Jesus does... When the Father acts… Jesus acts... This is what the Jews heard Jesus saying… And they said… You talk like you’re equals…

v20… For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things… Jesus is revealing great truths about the Kingdom to them… I made a list…

Life Changing Truth about Jesus

1 Jesus Does Only What the Father Does… v19…

2 The Father loves the Son and shows Him everything… v20

3 Jesus has the power to raise the Dead… v21…

4 The Father Acts in Step with Jesus… v22…

Jesus… Because He loves them… Tells them 

I Am the Messiah… And

I and the Father are One…

Look at verse 21-23…

John 5: 21-23                        NKJV    slt 2000

21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

21 Denn wie der Vater die Toten auferweckt und lebendig macht, so macht auch der Sohn lebendig, welche er will. 22 Denn der Vater richtet niemand, sondern alles Gericht hat er dem Sohn übergeben, 23 damit alle den Sohn ehren, wie sie den Vater ehren. Wer den Sohn nicht ehrt, der ehrt den Vater nicht, der ihn gesandt hat.

v21… the Son gives life to whom He will… Forget the power to heal broken bodies… Jesus says… I have the power to forgive sins… And I have to power to raise the dead to new life… No wonder they are so angry… Only God can do these things…

v22… The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.... This is the natural conclusion to the statement that He can raise the dead… Jesus is pointing to the final Judgment… Now Jesus is saying I will sit on the judgment seat at the end of days… And I will Judge righteously with the Father… Jesus is saying that He and the Father in perfect agreement will decide all things… We are inseparable… Their heads are spinning by now… 

That’s why we read this in v23…

v23… Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”

If people honor Jesus for who he really is… then God the Father is honored for who he really is... It is impossible to claim to Love God… and not love and honor the Son as well… Jesus is indicting them…. He is saying be careful… Do not reject the truth that can save you…. I am the Messiah and I and the Father are one… let´s take the next section… Jesus is also inviting them… He offers all of them Eternal Life… v2 Jesus loves His Enemies… He loves the Scribes and Pharisees… He is telling them that there will  be 2 Resurrections and He is inviting them to the Resurrection of life… As we continue the rest of Ch 5 next week… Jesus will present 5 witnesses that He is indeed the Messiah… and that He is Equal with God… He loves them and He is giving them every reason to repent and believe and be saved from the Resurrection of Judgment…  Let´s pray…