John 5:1–15 Commentary

(The Healing at the Pool of Bethesda)

Verses 1–5 – The man at Bethesda

At a feast in Jerusalem, Jesus visits Bethesda, a pool where the sick gathered.
Feast (1859) heortē means feast, feast day, festival, holy day. In the NT heorte always denotes Jewish feasts or pilgrimage festivals (Passover =Lk 2:41, Feast of Unleavened Bread = Lk 22:1, Feast of Tabernacles = Jn 7:2). Mounce – Jesus and His disciples celebrated the feasts (Jn 2:23; 5:1; 7:10, 14). More than half of the occurrences of heortē are found in John (Jn 12:12; 13:1), where the beloved disciple demonstrates that the OT feasts find their true significance in Christ (Jn 7:37). There is only one usage of heortē outside of the gospels (Col 2:16). Here Paul teaches that believers are free to eat, drink, and celebrate feast days without condemnation. But they must always remember that these feasts are “a shadow of the things that were to come” and that Christ fulfilled these feasts (Col 2:17). (Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words)
“Bethesda” means “house of mercy,” a fitting term given the desperate state of the people lying there in hope of a miracle cure. Various spellings of the name of this pool are found in the Greek manuscripts. Nonetheless, there remains strong reason to identify this pool with a single large two-pool complex near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem and adjacent to the modern Church of St. Anne. The two pools are separated from each other by a partition. The remains of columns found around this site help confirm that the partition between the pools, along with each of the four sides surrounding the pool complex, likely contained the five roofed colonnades (i.e., five stoas, which are covered walkways; a “colonnade” is a row of columns). A fifth-century Byzantine basilica was built over this site.
A man had been an invalid for 38 years—symbol of helplessness.
Invalid (Gk. astheneia), in light of v. 7, probably means “paralyzed,” “lame,” or “extremely weak” (the Greek term is the general expression for a “disabled” condition).
Charles Swindoll writes that “When Jesus earlier cleansed the temple (John 2:13-22), He claimed ownership of Judaism’s most visible symbol. His purpose was to restore worship. Here, on His next visit to Jerusalem, He claimed ownership of Judaism’s most treasured institution: the Sabbath. His purpose on this occasion was to restore grace. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He apparently visited the sanitarium that lay in the shadow of the great temple built by Herod. The temple authorities, especially the Pharisees among them, would never have entered the place and probably rebuked any Jew who did…..Generally accepted theology held that illness was the result of God’s judgment for sin (Jn 9:2); he would not have found much sympathy in the temple.
Chrysostom: Christ goes where misery lies.
Wesley: “Long affliction should not make us despair.”
Henry: “The longer the disease, the greater the glory in healing.”
Ryle: “No case is too hard for Christ.”
Carson: Bethesda was associated with healing hopes, but true healing comes from Jesus.
Murray: “Hopelessness is the very place grace shines.”

Discipleship Reflection: Jesus seeks the broken and helpless—disciples must not fear hard cases.

Verses 6–9 – “Do you want to be healed?”

When the water is stirred up indicates that people thought at least the first person entering the troubled water would be healed.
Stirred up (disturbed) (5015) tarasso literally means to shake back and forth and therefore to agitate and stir up (like the pool in John 5:4,7, Lxx = Ezek 32:2, 13, Isa 51:15). To shake together, stir up, disturb, unsettle, throw into disorder (Lxx = Ps 46; 2Sa 22:8 = of earth shaking). Most of the NT uses of tarasso are figurative and describe the state of one’s mind as stirred up, agitated or experiencing inward commotion.
Jesus initiates, asking the man’s will.
He commands: “Rise, take up your bed, and walk”—and immediately the man is healed.
Matthew Henry: Jesus saw him lie. Observe, When Christ came up to Jerusalem he visited not the palaces, but the hospitals, which is an instance of his humility, and condescension, and tender compassion, and an indication of his great design in coming into the world, which was to seek and save the sick and wounded. (John 5 Commentary)
Augustine: “The Physician came to the sick; He healed by His word.”
Luther: Healing shows Christ’s authority over body and soul.
Spurgeon: “Christ’s word is enough—‘Rise’—and the man arose.”
MacArthur: Miracles reveal Christ’s power to give life.
Morris: The command provoked controversy—it was the Sabbath.
Tozer: “When Christ commands, He enables.”
Warren Wiersbe comments that Jesus “asked him if he wanted to be healed. You would think that the man would have responded with an enthusiastic, “Yes! I want to be healed!” But, instead, he began to give excuses! He had been in that sad condition for so long that his will was as paralyzed as his body. But if you compare John 5:6 with John 5:40, you will see that Jesus had a spiritual lesson in mind as well. Indeed, this man did illustrate the tragic spiritual state of the nation.
Dr. H. A. Ironside: “We are all like these impotent people gathered by the pool.” We have all been sick in sin and blind to God. We cannot in and of ourselves walk tall and straight in the righteous ways of God. This is God’s verdict of us all that we are sick, blind, lame and withered by sin and none of us are in any position to debate with God about this point. We were all spiritually dry and dead and that is exactly the kind of person Jesus Christ loves to touch. There is a fountain that can heal any sinner from their sins. It is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
This miracle shows Jesus’ authority and identity. It illustrates that He is indeed the One in whom we believe for eternal life. It also can help remind us that true wellness is about much more than physical health. If Jesus were to ask us, “Do you want to be made well?” would we recognize, like the man at the Pool of Bethesda, that we can’t resolve our problems ourselves? Would we look to Him as this man did? GotQuestions.org
MacArthur: “Like many people, his expectations of what Jesus could do for him were limited to what he believed was possible.”
John Calvin: “This sick man does what we nearly all do. He limits God’s help to his own ideas and does not dare promise himself more than he conceives in his mind.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means obeying Christ’s word even when it seems impossible.

Verses 10–13 – The controversy begins

Charles Swindoll: “Just as the reader might begin to celebrate the man’s healing, John’s aside drops like a wet blanket. He says, in effect, ‘Oh, by the way, it was the Sabbath.’ Anyone who knew anything about Pharisees understood the significance of that simple statement. His literary killjoy foreshadows a bizarre twist to the story.”
The man is criticized for carrying his mat on the Sabbath.
J Vernon McGee comments that “Chapter 5 brings us to this very wonderful incident of the healing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda. Actually, in a sense, this miracle is the turning point in the ministry of Christ. You see, this miracle set the bloodhounds of hate on His track, and they never let up until they put Him to death on the cross (Jn 5:16).”
Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.
Chrysostom: The Jews cared more for rules than for mercy.
Henry: Formalists prize ceremony above compassion.
Ryle: “It is possible to be zealous for ordinances and blind to Christ.”
John MacArthur: “The false religion of Judaism, like all false systems, cannot change the inside, so it is left to manipulate life on the outside.”
ESV Study Note: It is the Sabbath. Nothing in the OT specifically prohibited such an innocent activity as carrying one’s bedroll on the Sabbath day (cf. Ex. 20:8–11), but the man was violating later Jewish traditions that had developed hundreds of minutely detailed and burdensome rules about what kind of “work” was prohibited, including a code that forbade carrying an object “from one domain into another” (Mishnah, Shabbat 7.2). Nonetheless, Jesus does not defend himself by getting into a rabbinic discussion on the nature of work. Rather, he claims he is working, just like God (John 5:17), and hence is, as the Synoptics teach, the lord of the Sabbath (cf. Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5).
Bruce: Sabbath disputes reveal deep conflict over Jesus’ authority.
Confronted with Jesus’ undeniable power to heal and restore, the religious leaders passed up their chance to reflect on the possibility that they were wrong. Instead, they dug in their heels and doubled down on their untenable position. Their stubbornness is a good reminder for us of our need to examine our beliefs and ensure they are biblical and in line with the Word of God. GotQuestions.org
Pink: “The carnal mind resents grace that breaks its traditions.”
Willard: “Legalism always misses the person for the rule.”
Swindoll: Imagine you had a neighbor who had been paralyzed from the neck down by an accident more than thirty years ago. One Sunday morning, just after six o’clock, the sound of a lawnmower jolts you from a deep, satisfying sleep. Annoyed, you bolt to the front door to see who would be so insensitive as to rattle every window on the block with that infernal noise so early on a day of rest. Upon seeing your formerly paralyzed friend gleefully mowing his lawn in perfect health, what do you think you would say? If you’re a normal person, you’d say, “Hank! What happened? How are you not paralyzed?!” But if you’re a Pharisee, you’d scream, “Hank! It’s Sunday morning! Turn that thing off!” Instead of looking for a wonder-worker to praise, the Pharisees went in search of a troublemaker to censure.

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means valuing people over manmade rules.

Verses 14–15 – “Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

Augustine suggests that “it is difficult in a crowd to see Christ, a certain solitude is necessary for our mind.” v.13
Jesus finds the man in the temple, warning him about sin.
Sin (verb) (264) hamartano literally means to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize). Hamartano means to act contrary to the will and law of God. To commit a wrong. To be in error. Hamartano emphasizes loss which always results from missing God’s mark or target, His good and acceptable and perfect will (Ro 12:2) Like hamartía, (hamartánō) is regularly used in ancient times of an archer missing the target (Homer, Aesch., etc). Every decision (action) done apart from faith (pistis) is sin (Ro 14:23; cf. Heb 11:6). Hamartánō (“choosing sin”) asserts the agenda of self, by (for) self, over God’s loving plan Believers experience loss every time they sin (cf. Heb 10:26), as it diminishes their unique glorification awarded by Christ at His return.
Healing is physical, but also points to spiritual transformation.
Sin no more may imply that the man’s suffering was due to sin, without suggesting that all suffering is due to personal sin (see 9:2).
Spurgeon’s Exposition: Probably, this man’s illness had been caused by sin. Christ bids him henceforth keep clear of sin, lest a worse calamity should come upon him.
D A Carson on something worse – The something worse must be final judgment (cf. Jn 5:29).
Wesley: Salvation is not only pardon, but holiness.
Henry: “It is vain to be healed in body and yet remain in sin.”
Ryle: “Health is a gift; use it for God’s glory.”
Carson: The greater issue is eternal judgment.
Chambers: “Christ’s cures always point to deeper holiness.”
A T Robertson: Instead of giving heed to the warning of Jesus about his own sins he went off and told the Jews that now he knew who the man was who had commanded him to take up his bed on the Sabbath Day, to clear himself with the ecclesiastics and escape a possible stoning…..The man was either ungrateful and wilfully betrayed Jesus or he was incompetent and did not know that he was bringing trouble on his benefactor. In either case one has small respect for him. (John 5 Commentary)
MacArthur: “It is astonishing that he would accept this healing after nearly four decades of terrible distress and then walk away from Jesus and show his loyalty to the Jews who hated Him. This has to be one of the great acts of ingratitude and obstinate unbelief in Scripture. He did not intend to praise or worship Jesus for healing him.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means walking in holiness, not just seeking relief from suffering.

John 5:16–30 Commentary

(Jesus’ Authority as the Son)

Jesus declares Himself equal with the Father—one in work, life-giving power, and judgment. To honor the Son is to honor the Father. Discipleship means living in awe of His divine authority, hearing His voice, believing His word, and walking daily in the life He gives.

Verses 16–18 – Jesus accused of breaking the Sabbath and calling God His Father

The Jews persecute Jesus for healing on the Sabbath.
He responds, “My Father is working until now, and I am working,” revealing His divine equality.
They seek to kill Him—not merely for breaking the Sabbath, but for claiming to be equal with God.
When Jesus says, “My Father is working until now, and I am working,” he implies that he, like the Father, is lord over the Sabbath. Therefore this is a claim to deity. These Jews recognize what he is claiming (see 5:18).
Chrysostom: “He calls God His own Father, not ours, showing unique Sonship.”
Luther: “Christ sets Himself beside the Father—He does not say, ‘Our Father,’ but ‘My Father.’”
Henry: “They charge Him with blasphemy for speaking truth.”
Ryle: “The Jews understood His meaning perfectly—He claimed divinity.”
Carson: The Sabbath discourse introduces Jesus as co-worker with God in sustaining creation.
Tozer: “The religious mind resents the freedom of divine love.”
Jesus does not defend himself by getting into a rabbinic discussion on the nature of work. Rather, he claims He is working, just like God (John 5:17), and hence is, as the Synoptics teach, the Lord of the Sabbath (cf. Mt. 12:8; Mk 2:28; Lk 6:5).
ESV Study Note: John 5:18 making himself equal with God. Jesus was claiming to be the Son of God, not in the way that ordinary human believers are sons of God but in the sense of one who was equal to God in his nature and in every way, yet who related to God in a Father-Son relationship (see 1:14). If Jesus had been merely a man (as his Jewish opponents thought), then this claim would have been blasphemy on Jesus’ part.
James Smith: The Gospel of John is the “Holy of Holies” in the tabernacle of the New Testament. John could no more invent the things taught in this book than he could make a ladder that would reach unto Heaven. John’s Gospel is the Gospel of “the Father and the Son,” or the Son’s relationship to the Father. With the exception of Matthew 11:27, this great theme is almost never touched by the other evangelists. This is “holy ground.” (Handfuls of Purpose)

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means recognizing Jesus not as a mere teacher, but as God Himself—worthy of worship and obedience.

Verses 19–20 – The Son does what He sees the Father doing

Jesus reveals perfect unity and dependence with the Father.
The Son imitates, reflects, and executes the Father’s will.
Augustine: “The Son does not act apart, but in the Father.”
Wesley: “The Son’s will is wholly one with the Father’s.”
Spurgeon: “When we see Christ, we see the Father’s heart in action.”
MacArthur: The Son’s equality is not independence, but perfect harmony.
Morris: “Jesus’ relationship with the Father is both dependent and divine.”
Murray: “Union with the Father is the model for all true ministry.”
Charles Swindoll introduces John 5:19-30 with this thought – When Jesus went to the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem and chose to heal a superstitious invalid, He knew it would attract the attention of the religious authorities. Sure enough, after scolding the man for carrying his pallet, they hunted Jesus down and denounced Him for violating their rules. Their real purpose was to eliminate a threat to their authority; however, they masked their true intent by pretending to uphold God’s preeminence in the Sabbath. Jesus didn’t avoid the surface issue. He first corrected their faulty theology, and then He addressed the real question at hand: Who owns the Sabbath? The Lord answered that question with six specific claims:
- He is equal with God (Jn 5:19-20),
- He is the Giver of life (Jn 5:21, 26),
- He is the final Judge (Jn 5:22-23),
- He will determine the eternal destiny of humanity (Jn 5:24),
- He will raise the dead (Jn 5:25-29), and
- He is always doing the will of God (Jn 5:30). (Borrow Swindoll’s Insights on John)
ESV Study Note: Jesus’ claim that the Son can do nothing of his own accord, taken with vv. 17–18, affirms two themes: (1) Jesus is equal to God, i.e., he is fully divine (vv. 17–18); (2) the Father and the Son have different functions and roles (v. 19), and the Son is subject to the Father in everything he does, yet this does not deny their fundamental equality. See notes on vv. 21, 22, 23; 20:28. Only what he sees the Father doing may imply that Jesus had a unique ability to see the Father’s providential activities in the events of everyday life, activities that are ordinarily invisible to human beings.

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means aligning our actions with the Father’s will, as Jesus did.

Verse 21 – “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will.”

Jesus shares in the divine power of resurrection and life-giving authority.
Chrysostom: “He does not merely heal the sick, but raises the dead—divine work.”
Luther: “To give life is God’s prerogative; here Christ claims it.”
Henry: “He is not a messenger of life but its fountain.”
Ryle: “Only one who is truly God can give spiritual life to the dead.”
Bruce: Jesus’ authority includes physical and spiritual resurrection.
Pink: “Sovereign grace—He gives life to whom He will.”
ESV Study Note: Jesus’ statement that the Son also gives life to whom he will is another claim to deity, showing that Jesus does what only God can do, for the OT makes clear that raising the dead and giving life are the sole prerogatives of God (cf. Deut. 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:6; 2 Kings 5:7). This “life” is both the new “life” now given to believers (John 5:24; 11:25–26; 2 Cor. 5:17) and the resurrection of the body at Christ’s second coming (1 Cor. 15:42–57; 1 Thess. 4:13–18; see Dan. 12:2).
A T Robertson on gives life (zoopoieo) to whom He wishes (thelo) – 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; 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. (Word Pictures of the New Testament)

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means trusting Jesus as the source of both physical and eternal life.

Verse 22 – “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.”

Jesus is not only the giver of life but also the appointed judge.
The Father entrusts judgment to the Son to honor Him as divine. He has delegated the work of final judgment to the Son.
Augustine: “He who was judged by men shall one day judge all men.”
Wesley: “Christ the Savior is also Christ the Judge.”
Henry: “God has delegated judgment to the Son, who knows our frame.”
Ryle: “The Judge on the throne is the same Savior who died for sinners.”
Carson: Judgment reveals Christ’s divine prerogative, not mere prophetic role.
Tozer: “We shall stand before the eyes of love that once wept for us.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means living each day in the awareness that our Savior is also our Judge.

Verse 23 – “That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.”

The Son is to receive equal honor and worship with the Father.
Honor (5091) timao for time = honor, prize) means to show high regard respect for and so to count as valuable, to esteem, to value, to honor or to revere. To show respect to someone is to recognize their worth as a person (and if they are a parent to recognize the validity of their role and their authority) and implies a considered evaluation or estimation. Therefore, timao means to ascribe worth to someone. To hold in awe. To assign value to something, including people considered as property (slaves). It means to fix a value or price upon something and so to prize it. The idea is to treat as precious! To honor is a social action describing how people within a society should evaluate one another. Honor usually results in people being elevated in the eyes of the community. Honoring involves a proper attitude as well as appropriate behavior.
Chrysostom: “To dishonor the Son is to dishonor the Father.”
Luther: “The honor due to God must also be given to Christ.”
Spurgeon: “If Jesus were not God, this verse would be idolatry.”
Ryle: “No one can rightly claim to worship God who does not honor Christ.”
Morris: Equal worship reveals equal nature.
Murray: “True worship always centers on Christ.”
J C Ryle: “They who profess zeal for the one God do not honour Him aright, unless they honour the Son as they honour the Father.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means worshiping Jesus as fully divine—honoring Him as we honor the Father.

Verse 24 – “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Eternal life begins now through faith.
Believers pass from death to life immediately.
Has eternal life is one of the most striking statements in John regarding the present possession of eternal life. Eternal life begins immediately, in a partially realized but significant way, when one believes in Jesus. Those who believe can face the last judgment with confidence (cf. 1 John 5:11–13).
Augustine: “Faith is the gate of life; unbelief is death.”
Wesley: “Salvation is present—‘has eternal life,’ not ‘will have.’”
Henry: “Faith unites us to Christ; there is no condemnation.”
Graham: “You don’t have to wait for heaven to begin eternal life.”
Carson: “Hearing and believing are inseparable; life is a present possession.”
Tozer: “The life of God in the soul begins the moment we trust Him.”
Guzik: With these words Jesus lifted Himself far about the level of any mere man. Think of it: “Hear My word and have everlasting life.” This was either the babbling of an insane man or the words of God Himself. There is no neutral ground to be found here. (OR AS C. S. LEWIS’ IN HIS TRILEMMA said JESUS WAS EITHER “LUNATIC, LIAR OR LORD!”
Does not come into judgment (krisis)- The NIV says “will not be condemned” and experience eternal death because “Christ died for us (HIS DEATH IN OUR PLACE).” (Ro 5:8). As Paul says “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Ro 8:1).
Adam Clarke: “Has changed his country, or place of abode. Death is the country where every Christless soul lives. The man who knows not God lives a dying life, or a living death; but he who believes in the Son of God passes over from the empire of death, to the empire of life.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means living the reality of eternal life now, not waiting for someday.

Verses 25–27 – The Son’s authority over life and judgment

The “hour” is coming—and now is—when the dead will hear His voice.
Jesus is the appointed judge because He is the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13).
Chrysostom: “The voice that raises the dead in spirit now will one day raise the body.”
Wesley: “The same word that saves now will judge then.”
Henry: “He who gave His life for men shall call them from their graves.”
John MacArthur explains what it means that the Father gave to the Son… life – The Son from all eternity had the right to grant life (Jn 1:4). The distinction involves Jesus’ deity versus His incarnation. In becoming a man, Jesus voluntarily set aside the independent exercise of His divine attributes and prerogatives (Php 2:6-11). Jesus here affirmed that even in His humanity, the Father granted Him “life-giving” power, i.e., the power of resurrection (Jn 5:20). (The MacArthur Study Bible)
Keener: The Son of Man title links to Daniel’s apocalyptic vision of divine rule.
Murray: “Resurrection power and judgment rest in the same pierced hands.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means hearing His voice now in faith, before we hear it in final judgment.

Verses 28–29 – “All who are in the tombs will hear His voice.”

Two resurrections: life for believers, judgment for unbelievers.
Resurrection is certain; destiny depends on response to Christ.
Augustine: “One voice calls both, but not to one end.”
Wesley: “The just rise to joy, the unjust to shame.”
Henry: “Those who would not hear Him now shall hear Him then.”
Ryle: “There will be a resurrection of both the godly and ungodly.”
Carson: Jesus’ authority extends universally over life and death.
Pink: “His voice will awaken every sleeper—none can resist.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means living in readiness for resurrection—faith determines our destiny.

Verse 30 – “I can do nothing on my own.”

Jesus closes with humility and unity—He judges only as the Father directs.
His dependence expresses divine harmony, not weakness.
Chrysostom: “He humbles Himself, yet affirms equality of will.”
Luther: “Perfect obedience is not inferiority but divine unity.”
Henry: “Christ’s will and the Father’s are one.”
Ryle: “Dependence without division—this is the mystery of the Trinity.”
Morris: “Obedience defines divine Sonship, not limits it.”
Willard: “Jesus lived in perfect submission—the pattern for every disciple.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means learning Christlike dependence—acting only from unity with the Father’s will.

John 5:31–47 Commentary

(The Witnesses to Jesus’ Authority)

Jesus presents an unbroken chain of witnesses—John the Baptist, His miraculous works, the Father, and the Scriptures—all testifying that He is the Son of God. Yet unbelief persists because of pride. True disciples receive the testimony, honor the Son, and let Scripture lead them to life in Him.

ESV Study Note: In this section, Jesus speaks of several witnesses who bear testimony concerning him. The Johannine “witness” theme, in turn, is part of the larger “trial motif,” according to which it was not Jesus who was put on trial and condemned by the world but rather the world that was put on trial by Jesus. In order to demonstrate Jesus’ innocence and the world’s guilt, John parades before the reader a multitude of witnesses who bear testimony to Jesus’ true messianic identity and hence establish the world’s guilt in rejecting Jesus.

Verse 31 – “If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.”

Jesus acknowledges the principle of corroboration: truth requires multiple witnesses under the Law (Deut. 19:15).
He doesn’t deny His own truthfulness but affirms that His claims are confirmed by other divine witnesses.
Testify (witness) (3140) martureo from martus/martys = witness = one who has information or knowledge of something and can bring to light or confirm something. English = martyr) in its most basic sense refers to a legal witness. To confirm or attest something on the basis of personal knowledge or belief. Thus the verb martureo means to be a witness, to testify, to give evidence, to give testimony, to bear record, to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something. The words testified related to fact, not opinion, as in a courtroom setting.
Augustine: “He speaks thus not because His word lacks truth, but because human unbelief requires witness.”
Wesley: “Christ condescends to legal forms to convince the doubting.”
Henry: “He needs no proof, yet gives proof for our sakes.”
Ryle: “Jesus meets men on their own ground, providing evidence upon evidence.”
Carson: Points to the covenantal framework of testimony in Jewish law.
Tozer: “Christ stooped to explain Himself to those He could have judged—such mercy!”
Charles Swindoll points out that “Jesus declared no less than six truths about Himself in John 5:19–30, all of which point to a single overarching declaration that demands a response. Jesus claimed equality with God, which left humanity no room for compromise, no middle ground on which to stand. We must choose to believe or reject His declaration.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship welcomes truth confirmed by God’s witnesses, not human pride or doubt.

Verses 32–35 – “There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.”

ESV Study Note: The Jews may think another refers to the Baptist (cf. vv. 33–35), but Jesus is talking about God the Father (v. 37).
Wycliffe Bible Commentary: Another bears witness, even the Father. Unfortunately the Jews do not recognize the Father’s witness (cf. Jn 7:28; 8:19), and so are incapacitated for recognizing the support it brings to Jesus’ claims (Jn 5:32).
Pulpit Commentary: It is a mistake to suppose that this refers to the testimony of John the Baptist. By Augustine, Hengstenberg, Luthardt, Godet, Meyer, etc., it has been perceived that the “other” (allos) refers to the Father. Jesus expressly declines to receive John’s testimony as his justification or sufficient vindication, and he contrasts it with the higher confirmation which in three distinct ways is already and continuously vouchsafed to him. The present tense, μαρτυρεῖ, is in striking contrast to the testimony of John already silenced by imprisonment or death. The methods of this testimony are subsequently analyzed and described.
Steven Cole: God sent John the Baptist in fulfillment of His promise (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1) to bear witness of Jesus (John 1:6–8, 23). But John was not Jesus’ “key witness” in that he was human. Jesus’ main witness was the Father. But Jesus mentions John here because for a while the Jews were flocking out to hear him and Jesus wants them to be saved. If they would have believed John’s testimony that Jesus was the Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29), they would have been saved. John was a lamp, not the light, but he bore witness to the Light. (The Witnesses to Jesus)
John bore witness to the truth, calling people to repentance and to recognize the Lamb of God. The Jews rejoiced in his light for a season but did not follow his testimony to Christ.
Keener: John represents prophetic testimony now fulfilled in Jesus.
Murray: “A borrowed light draws men to the True Light—Christ.”
Matthew Henry: The Father Himself bore testimony to him (v. 32): There is another that beareth witness. I take this to be meant of God the Father, for Christ mentions his testimony with his own (John 8:18): I bear witness of myself, and the Father beareth witness of me. Observe, the seal which the Father put to his commission: He beareth witness of me, not only has done so by a voice from heaven, but still does so by the tokens of his presence with me. See who they are to whom God will bear witness. [1.] Those whom he sends and employs; where he gives commissions he give credentials. [2.] Those who bear witness to him; so Christ did. God will own and honour those that own and honour him. [3.] Those who decline bearing witness of themselves; so Christ did. God will take care that those who humble and abase themselves, and seek not their own glory, shall not lose by it. The satisfaction Christ had in this testimony: “I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. I am very well assured that I have a divine mission, and do not in the least hesitate concerning it; thus he had the witness in himself.” The devil tempted him to question his being the Son of God, but he never yielded.

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means hearing faithful witnesses and following their message to Christ Himself.

Verse 36 – “The works that the Father has given Me to accomplish… bear witness about Me.”

Jesus’ miracles are divine works validating His mission and identity. Accomplish speaks of Jesus fully carrying out the purpose for which the Father sent Him into the world, the ultimate work being His death on the Cross which was validated by His resurrection from the dead (the greatest sign).
Augustine: “Works are His words in action.”
Wesley: “Miracles were seals of His divine commission.”
Spurgeon: “Christ’s deeds are sermons that cannot be silenced.”
MacArthur: Miracles confirm His equality with the Father.
Bruce: The works are signs pointing beyond themselves to divine life.
Tozer: “The works of God are love made visible.”
John MacArthur: Jesus’ miracles prompted Nicodemus to confess, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (Jn 3:2). John 7:31 records that “many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, ‘When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?’ ” Even Jesus’ bitter enemies “the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, ‘What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs’ ” (Jn 11:47). As He did here, the Lord Himself repeatedly pointed to His miraculous works as confirmation of His claim to be the Son of God and the Messiah (cf. Jn 10:25, 37–38; 14:11; Matt. 11:3–5). The gospels record at least three dozen of those miracles, and Jesus performed countless others that Scripture does not record (Jn 20:30).
Precept Austin: Jesus’ final work as a Man was His sacrificial fully atoning death on the Cross, recorded by John – “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished (tetelestai = perfect tense of teleo)!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (Jn 19:30) And His resurrection from the dead was the evidence that the Father approved of His work and was satisfied with (propitiated by) His sacrificial offering.

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means recognizing God’s power in Christ’s works and letting them strengthen our faith.

Verse 37 – John 5:37 “And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,”

The Father Himself testifies—through the voice at Jesus’ baptism, through the works, and through the Scriptures.
Yet many fail to hear or see because of hardened hearts.
Chrysostom: “The Father’s voice was heard, yet they heard not.”
Wesley: “They had the oracles of God but not the life of God.”
Henry: “The ear may hear the sound, yet the heart be deaf.”
Ryle: “The Father’s witness is plain to faith but hidden to pride.”
Carson: Revelation has come, but unbelief blinds perception.
Willard: “Spiritual hearing comes only through surrendered hearts.”
NET Note: You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time. Compare Deut 4:12. Also see Deut 5:24ff., where the Israelites begged to hear the voice no longer—their request (ironically) has by this time been granted. How ironic this would be if the feast is Pentecost, where by the 1st century A.D. the giving of the law at Sinai was being celebrated.

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means developing a heart that hears the Father’s voice through Christ.

Verse 38 – “You do not have His word abiding in you.”

The Jews searched Scripture but missed its living message.
Precept Austin: The sad paradox is that the Jews had the Old Testament Scriptures, but they did not have the Scriptures abiding or at home in their hearts. This explains why they could neither hear His voice or see His form in Jn 5:37! As Jesus stated later in John “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” (Jn 8:47) In short, these Jews were not of God and He goes on to explain in the next clause why they were not of God.
To reject Christ is to show that Scripture has not taken root.
Augustine: “The letter lay upon their lips, but grace was not in their hearts.”
Luther: “They read the Bible, yet knew not the Word made flesh.”
Henry: “Where the Word does not dwell, it cannot govern.”
Ryle: “Knowledge without faith leaves a man unsaved.”
Carson: Scripture must be read in light of Jesus.
Tozer: “The Word in the mind is information; the Word in the heart is transformation.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means allowing Scripture to dwell richly in us, leading us to Christ.

Verse 39 – “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.”

The Jews studied Scripture diligently but missed its central subject—Christ.
Chrysostom: “They handled the letter, but the life escaped them.”
Wesley: “Reading Scripture without seeing Christ is to miss the way.”
Henry: “The Bible is the road; Christ is the destination.”
Spurgeon: “A Bible that does not lead to Jesus only puffs up the reader.”
Keener: Jewish devotion to Scripture could become idolatry when detached from God Himself.
Murray: “The Scriptures are not an end, but a voice leading us to the Living Word.”
John MacArthur: The Pharisees in particular were fanatical in their preoccupation with Scripture, studying every line, every word, and even the letters in an empty effort to understand the truth.
ESV Study Note: The study of Scripture does not by itself impart life. The Scriptures rather bear witness to the One who gives life, namely, Jesus (cf. vv. 46–47). Consequently, the study of the Bible ought to result in genuine faith in Jesus, followed by obedient action and transformed lives, not merely acquisition of Bible knowledge. it is they that bear witness about me. People who (like Jesus’ Jewish opponents) read the OT without seeing that it all points to Jesus fail to understand its message.

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means reading the Bible to find Christ, not to boast of knowledge.

Verse 40 – “Yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.”

The tragedy of unbelief: truth known but rejected.
Augustine: “They sought life in pages, but not in the Person.”
Wesley: “Knowledge unaccompanied by obedience leads to death.”
Henry: “It is not ignorance but willfulness that ruins men.”
Ryle: “Refusal, not lack of evidence, condemns the soul.”
Carson: Faith is moral submission, not intellectual assent.
Tozer: “Many admire Christ, but few surrender to Him.”
MacDonald: The real reason people do not accept the Savior is not because they cannot understand the gospel, or find it impossible to believe on Jesus. There is nothing about the Lord Jesus that makes it impossible for them to trust Him. The real fault lies in man’s own will. He loves his sins more than he loves the Savior. He does not want to give up his wicked ways.

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means not just studying Christ’s words but coming to Him in faith.

Verses 41–44 – “I do not receive glory from people.”

Jesus seeks the Father’s glory, not human praise.
One reason people fail to believe is that they long for the approval and favor of others instead of seeking the approval and favor of God.
Their unbelief stems from loving human approval more than God’s.
Chrysostom: “They sought honor from men and lost the honor of God.”
Luther: “Pride blinds faith; humility opens the eyes.”
Henry: “To value man’s praise is to despise God’s truth.”
Ryle: “The craving for applause is the root of unbelief.”
Bruce: Faith cannot thrive where self-glory rules.
Chambers: “We cannot glorify Christ while we are still defending our egos.”

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means living for God’s approval, not man’s applause.

Verses 45–47 – “There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.”

The Jews trusted Moses, but Moses’ writings pointed to Christ.
To reject Christ is to reject the very Scriptures they claimed to honor.
Augustine: “Moses was their accuser, for his law led to Christ.”
Wesley: “He whom they trusted will witness against them.”
Henry: “The greatest condemnation is to reject the one of whom Moses spoke.”
Ryle: “The lawgiver becomes the accuser when men refuse the Gospel.”
Carson: Jesus fulfills, not abolishes, Moses; unbelief reveals hardness, not ignorance.
Murray: “Scripture always points to Christ; miss Him and you miss everything.”
ESV Study Note: If you believed Moses, you would believe me assumes that genuine believers have a heart that is receptive to the true words of God, and therefore those who believe the words of God as written by Moses (that is, Genesis–Deuteronomy) will also recognize and eagerly receive the words of God as spoken by Jesus. Those who disbelieve Moses’ writings will also disbelieve Jesus. For he wrote of me applies not only to specific predictions like Deut. 18:15 but also to all the ways in which the history of salvation in these writings pointed to Christ (e.g., Luke 24:27, 44; John 1:45; 3:14; 8:56; Acts 26:22; 28:23; 1 Cor. 10:4; Heb. 11:23–26; 1 Pet. 1:10–12; Jude 5).

Discipleship Reflection: Discipleship means letting all Scripture lead us to Jesus—the fulfillment of Moses and the prophets.