Tag: discipleship

Introduction: A Healing at the Pool of Bethesda.

The fifth chapter of the Gospel of John opens with a powerful and controversial event: Jesus’s healing of a disabled man at the Pool of Bethesda. This miracle, performed on the Sabbath, ignites a fierce debate with Jewish authorities that goes far beyond a simple disagreement over religious law. It becomes a pivotal moment where Jesus not only defends his actions but also reveals his divine nature, asserting his equality with God and his ultimate authority over life, death, and judgment.

The Long Wait for a Miracle.

The story begins in Jerusalem at the Pool of Bethesda, a place of hope for many disabled people—the blind, lame, and paralysed. This pool was believed to have healing properties when its waters were “stirred,” and a multitude of sick people would gather there, waiting for a chance to be the first one in. Among them was a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years, a particularly pitiable case.
When Jesus saw him, he didn’t wait for a sign or a request. Instead, he asked a seemingly obvious question: “Do you want to be healed?” The man’s response revealed his despair and helplessness. He didn’t say, “Yes, I want to be healed,” but rather, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going to the steps others go down before me.” He was trapped in a cycle of near-misses and constant frustration.
Jesus, however, bypassed the entire process of the pool. With a simple command, he said, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” The effect was immediate and complete. The man, who had been disabled for nearly four decades, was instantly healed. This wasn’t a slow recovery but a supernatural, instantaneous cure, a clear sign of divine power. To prove the perfection of the healing, Jesus instructed him to carry his mat, an action that would soon become a point of contention.

The Controversy of the Sabbath.

The man’s healing occurred on the Sabbath, a day of rest strictly governed by religious law. When Jewish authorities saw the healed man carrying his bed, they immediately challenged him. Their focus wasn’t on the miraculous cure but on the perceived violation of the Sabbath law, which forbade carrying burdens.
The man, grateful and bewildered, simply pointed to his authority: “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” This response shifted their anger from the man to Jesus, whom they began to persecute. Jesus’s actions were intentional. He was deliberately challenging their rigid interpretation of the law to reveal a higher truth.
Later, Jesus found the man in the temple and gave him a solemn warning: “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” This statement hints at a connection between the man’s long illness and a past life of sin, revealing Jesus’s deep insight into human character and the consequences of sin. When the healed man went and told the authorities that it was Jesus who had healed him, their persecution intensified.

The Authority of the Son.

The conflict over the Sabbath led to a profound discourse where Jesus made some of his most significant claims about his identity. In response to their persecution, he declared, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This statement was a direct claim to divinity. He was equating his work with God the Father, suggesting that just as God’s creative and sustaining work never ceases, neither does his. The authorities understood the implication perfectly: Jesus was making himself equal with God.

Witnesses to Jesus.

Jesus then provided irrefutable testimony to his claims. He first referenced the witness of John the Baptist, whom the people had once revered as a “burning and shining lamp.” John had testified that Jesus was the Messiah, but their temporary admiration for John’s light had waned when he pointed them to the true Light.
However, Jesus says he has an even greater witness: his own works. The miracles he performs—like healing the invalid man—are not just displays of power but are living proof that the Father has sent him. These works bear a greater testimony than any human could.
Finally, Jesus points to the ultimate witness: the Scriptures themselves. He challenges the Jewish leaders, who diligently studied the Scriptures in the hope of finding eternal life, to see that those same Scriptures testify about him. Yet, in their pride and obsession with human praise, they refused to come to the one who could give them the life they sought.
Jesus warns them that Moses, on whom they pinned their hopes, would be their accuser. If they had genuinely believed Moses, they would have believed Jesus, for Moses wrote about him. Their rejection of Jesus was not a new problem but a deep-seated spiritual one rooted in their failure to believe the very writings they professed to follow.

Conclusion.

This chapter presents a stark and powerful revelation of Jesus’s identity. What begins as a miracle on the Sabbath quickly escalates into a profound theological confrontation. Jesus asserts his divine equality with God, his authority over life and death, and his role as the final judge of humanity. He backs these claims with the powerful witness of his works and the testimony of the Scriptures. The message is clear: true belief requires not just an admiration for religious texts or traditions, but a personal, transformative acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God, the one who holds the keys to eternal life.

Further Reading.

The Gospel of John Chapter 5

• “The Historical Reliability of the Gospels” by Craig L. Blomberg
• “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel
• “The Gospel of John: A Commentary” by D.A. Carson

Jesus feeds the five Thousand.

The Gospel of John, Chapter 6, is a powerful exploration of spiritual and physical needs. It takes us on a journey with Jesus from a simple act of compassion—feeding a massive crowd—to a profound and challenging discourse on what it means to be truly nourished. The chapter starts with a public spectacle of divine power and ends with a private and difficult moment of truth, revealing the very core of Jesus’s identity and mission.

Jesus’s Miracles.

Jesus, followed by a large crowd drawn to his healing miracles, finds himself on a mountain near the Sea of Galilee. As the Passover feast approaches, the crowds are a reminder of both spiritual expectation and human need. When Jesus sees the thousands of people, He tests His disciple Philip, asking where they can buy enough food for everyone. Philip’s response highlights the impossibility of the situation; even a fortune’s worth of bread wouldn’t be enough.
It is at this moment that another disciple, Andrew, brings forward a boy with an insignificant offering: five barley loaves and two small fish. This is the catalyst for one of Jesus’s most famous miracles. Taking the meagre meal, Jesus gives thanks, and the loaves and fish are distributed to the five thousand men, plus women and children, who are all satisfied. When they have finished, the disciples gather twelve baskets full of leftovers, showing not only the abundance of the miracle but also a lesson in avoiding wasting gifts from God. The crowd, witnessing this incredible sign, immediately recognizes Jesus as the long-awaited Prophet and tries to make him their king by force.

Walking on Water and The Unseen Journey.

After the miracle, Jesus withdraws to the mountain alone to pray, sensing the crowd’s misplaced zeal for Him to be King immediately. Meanwhile, His disciples get into a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. As a strong wind whips up the waves, they struggle against the storm. In the midst of their toil, they see Jesus’ walking on the water toward them. At first, they are terrified, mistaking Him for a spirit. Jesus reassures them with the words, “It is I; do not be afraid.” They welcome Him into the boat, and as soon as He boards, they miraculously find themselves at their destination. This second miracle not only demonstrates Jesus’s dominion over nature but also His ability to be present with His disciples in their time of struggle.

The Search for the Bread of Life.

The next day, the crowd that had been fed finds Jesus in Capernaum. They are astonished by His sudden appearance and ask Him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus, however, knows their true motivation. He bypasses their question and cuts straight to the heart of the matter: they are seeking Him not because of the spiritual sign of the miracle, but because they were physically fed.
Jesus challenges them to seek a different kind of food—one that doesn’t perish but endures to eternal life. He tells them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” He explains that while their ancestors ate manna in the desert and still died, He offers a true, life-giving bread from heaven. This profound claim confuses His listeners. How could He be the bread from heaven? They knew Him as Jesus, the son of Joseph. Next, we read Jesus’s words, John Chapter 6:32-51
” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

The Difficult Truth of Spiritual Nourishment.

Jesus does not soften His words. He explains that His body is the “living bread” given for the “life of the world” and that true life comes from “eating his flesh and drinking his blood.” The Jews and even many of His followers are scandalized by this. They argue among themselves, questioning how such a thing is possible.
Jesus clarifies that His words are not about literal consumption but about spiritual assimilation. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” This is a crucial distinction. The nourishment He offers is not a physical one but a spiritual one, received through faith in His words and His person. He knew from the beginning who would believe and who would betray Him.

Hard Sayings and Peter’s Profession of Faith.

Jesus says in john Chapter 6:
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
Because of this “hard saying,” many of Jesus’s disciples turn away and no longer follow Him. It is a moment of crisis and a test of faith. Jesus turns to the twelve disciples and asks, “Do you want to go away as well?”
Simon Peter’s response is one of the most poignant moments in the Gospel. He declares, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Peter recognizes that although Jesus’s teaching is difficult, there is no alternative for true spiritual fulfilment. He knows that Jesus is the way to eternal life, a promise far greater than a temporary meal.
The chapter ends with a sobering note as Jesus reveals that even among the twelve, one is a “devil”—referring to Judas Iscariot, who would eventually betray Him. This serves as a reminder that the choice to believe is a personal one, and not everyone who walks with Jesus is truly committed to His spiritual truth.

Further Reading.

• The Gospel of John: A Commentary by Craig S. Keener (A comprehensive and scholarly look at the Gospel of John).
• John Chapter 6. ESV
• Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham (Explores the reliability of the Gospels from a historical perspective).

A Collision of Worlds: Jesus at the Feast of Booths.

During the vibrant and celebratory Feast of Booths in Jerusalem, a different kind of gathering was taking place. As crowds flocked to the city for this annual festival, Jesus arrived, not publicly as his brothers had urged, but in private, avoiding the attention of those who sought to harm him. This chapter of John’s Gospel captures a critical turning point where Jesus’s public ministry in Jerusalem intensifies, revealing the profound division he creates and the divine truth he embodies.

The Unbelieving Family and the Perfect Timing.

Jesus’s own brothers, who at this point did not believe in him, urged him to go to the feast in Judea to gain more public recognition. They challenged him to “show yourself to the world,” believing that his miraculous works should not be hidden. Jesus, however, operated on a different timetable. He explained that his “time” had not yet come, while their time was always ready. He knew the world hated him because he testified against its evil deeds, and a premature public appearance could lead to his death before the appointed moment. Instead of traveling with the pilgrim caravans, he went to the feast “in a manner secretly,” in his own time and on his own terms.
This passage underscores a fundamental contrast: humanity’s desire for immediate, visible glory versus the divine plan that unfolds with perfect timing and purpose. Jesus’s journey was not a pursuit of fame but a fulfilment of his mission.

The Debate in the Temple.

When Jesus finally appeared in the temple courts, his teaching captivated and perplexed the crowd. They were astonished by his deep understanding of scripture, asking, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” This observation was an important admission by the religious leaders that Jesus’s wisdom did not come from any rabbinical school, challenging any human explanation for his authority.
In response, Jesus revealed the source of his wisdom: “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” He presented a powerful principle: anyone who truly desires to do God’s will can discern whether his teaching is divine or from his own authority. He who speaks for his own glory is false, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true. This principle acts as a filter for spiritual truth, highlighting that a pure heart is the key to true understanding.

Judging by Appearances.

Jesus then confronted his opponents with their own hypocrisy, referencing his earlier healing of a man on the Sabbath. He pointed out that they would perform a circumcision on the Sabbath to obey the law of Moses, a practice passed down from their ancestors. If this was acceptable, why were they so angered that he had made a man’s entire body well on the same day? His powerful message was simple and direct: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” He exposed their superficial, letter-of-the-law thinking, urging them to look past outward forms and see the true spirit of the law, which is rooted in compassion and healing.
This exchange reveals the tension between rigid religious tradition and the living; breathing will of God. It challenges us to look beyond the surface and seek a deeper, more righteous understanding.

Confusion and Division.

As Jesus continued to teach, the crowd became a mix of awe and bewilderment. Some of the citizens of Jerusalem, aware of the plot to kill him, marvelled that he was speaking openly and the authorities were doing nothing. This led some to wonder, “Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?” Others were sceptical, claiming they knew where he was from—Nazareth—while the Messiah’s origin was expected to be mysterious and from Bethlehem.
Jesus responded to their confusion by loudly proclaiming, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.” He wasn’t just a man from Nazareth; he was sent by God, whom they didn’t truly know. This statement left them so enraged that they sought to arrest him, but no one could, because his “hour had not yet come.” The people were deeply divided, with many believing in him and others wanting to arrest him.

The Rivers of Living Water.

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus made a monumental proclamation. He stood and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’“. This statement, according to the commentary, was in reference to the Holy Spirit, who had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified through his death and resurrection. The feast celebrated the drawing of water from the Pool of Siloam to be poured on the altar, a ritual of immense joy and a symbol of God’s provision.
By declaring himself the source of “living water,” Jesus positioned himself as the ultimate fulfilment of the feast’s symbolism and the true source of spiritual life. This was the ancient prophecy of God’s Spirit being poured out, now made a reality through him.

The Unflinching Truth and an Impotent Rage.

When the officers sent to arrest Jesus returned empty-handed, the chief priests and Pharisees were furious. Their agents explained their failure with a simple, profound statement: “No one ever spoke like this man!” This noble testimony from unsophisticated men speaks to the divine authority and power of Jesus’s words. The religious leaders dismissed this, calling the crowd “accursed” for not knowing the law.
Nicodemus, a member of the council who had previously met with Jesus, timidly spoke up, asking if their law judged a man without first giving him a hearing. He was met with scorn and taunts, a sign of their blind rage. This entire episode reveals the impotence of human hostility against divine purpose. They could not arrest him because his hour had not yet come. The ultimate control remained in the hands of God, not man.
This chapter is a powerful illustration of the inherent division that truth creates. Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem forced everyone to choose a side, revealing hearts and exposing motives. His words were not just a source of information but a divine force that separated belief from unbelief.

Further Reading:

• The Feast of Tabernacles: To understand the cultural and religious context of this chapter, research the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) and its significance to the Jewish people.
• Old Testament Prophecies: Explore the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus references, such as those concerning the coming of the Messiah and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit (e.g., Ezekiel 47:1-12, Joel 3:18, Zechariah 14:8).