John part 6- God the Father, God the Son

Key Verse of the Week: For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, 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.

(John 5:21-24 ESV)

Oh the compassion of Jesus! In chapter 5 of John we see the priorities of our Savior.  Despite the religiosity around Him and the disapproval of those who cared more about their own rules than the heart of God, He heals.  Jesus saw a man, lying there, lame and cripple for 38 years.  A friendless man with no one to help him.  His loneliness and lack of hope had been with him a long time.  So Jesus asks, “Do you want to get well (v6).”  Do you want to get well?  Is that why you come to this study today?  I hope so.  We are all sick and need to be made healthy again.  In Mark 2:17 Jesus says to these same religious people (the Pharisees) who are judging him for his closeness with alcoholics, sexually immoral, and greedy people, It is not the healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous , but sinners. For to come to Him and find healing, we first need to know we need Him.  May God open your eyes today to your need for Him and His perfect fulfillment in giving you everything you’ve ever needed, for if you’ve seen Him you’ve seen the Father. 

Read John Chapter 5

·         What is the miracle in this chapter? Describe the characters and circumstances of the healing. Be sure to note the different responses to the miracle.  Do any of them surprise you?  

·         Reread verse 14?  Does sin always cause physical disability?  Read John 9: 1-3 as you formulate your answer.  If not, then why would Jesus say that?

·         Find two reasons in the passage why the Jewish leaders wanted to persecute Jesus.

·         The concept of the Trinity is a hard one to grasp.  This is the Christian belief that God exists as one in three distinct persons-the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.  This section of scripture gives lots of examples of the relationship between the Father and Son.  Write down a list of all the things that show their relationship.  After you make you list, read it and make a distinct mark by the ones where Jesus is equating Himself as equal to God. 

·         Reread verses 31-40.  The word testimony (may be bear witness in other translations) is mentioned 11 time in this section so it must be an important concept. Jesus says if He testifies about Himself His testimony is not true.  He is not saying here that He is lying about who He is, but that legally (Duet 17:6, 19:15, Numbers 35:30, John 8:17-18) proof is required by more than one person.  What are the other four witnesses to who Jesus is mentioned in these verses?

Journal Prompt:  Jesus said in verse 44:  How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? My bible commentary says this about His statement: 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 (-quotation from ESV Study Bible).  Do you struggle with pleasing people and not the Lord?  How has this stumbling block affected your faith?