Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
John
Book: John
Chapter: 5
Overview:
The cure at the
Pool of
Bethesda.
(1-9) The Jews' displeasure.
(10-16) Christ reproves the Jews.
(17-23) Christ's discourse.
(24-47)
1-9 We are all
By nature impotent folk in spiritual things,
Blind,
Halt, and withered; but full provision is made for our
cure, if we attend to it. An
Angel went down, and troubled the
water; and what disease soever it was, this water cured it, but
only he that first stepped in had benefit. This teaches us to be
careful, that we let not a season slip which may never return.
The
Man had lost the use of his limbs thirty-eight years. Shall
we, who perhaps for many years have scarcely known what it has
been to be a
Day sick, complain of one wearisome night, when
many others, better than we, have scarcely known what it has
been to be a
Day Well?
Christ singled this one out from the
Rest. Those long in affliction, may comfort themselves that
God
keeps account how long. Observe, this
Man speaks of the
unkindness of those about him, without any peevish reflections.
As we should be thankful,
So we should be patient. Our
Lord
Jesus cures him, though he neither asked nor thought of it.
Arise, and walk.
God's command, Turn and live; Make ye a new
Heart;
No more supposes power in us without the
Grace of
God,
his distinguishing
Grace, than this command supposed such power
in the impotent
Man: it was
By the power of
Christ, and he must
have all the
Glory. What a joyful surprise to the
Poor cripple,
to find himself of a sudden
So easy,
So strong,
So able to help
himself! The proof of spiritual cure, is our rising and walking.
Has
Christ healed our spiritual diseases, let us go wherever he
sends us, and take up whatever he lays upon us; and walk before
him.
10-16 Those eased of the
Punishment of
Sin, are in danger of
returning to
Sin, when the terror and restraint are over, unless
Divine
Grace dries up the
Fountain. The misery believers are
made whole from, warns us to
Sin No more, having felt the smart
of
Sin. This is the voice of every
Providence, Go, and
Sin No
more.
Christ saw it necessary to give this caution; for it is
common for people, when sick, to promise much; when newly
recovered, to perform only something; but after awhile to forget
all.
Christ spoke of the wrath to come, which is
Beyond compare
worse than the many hours, nay,
Weeks and years of pain, some
wicked men have to suffer in consequence of their unlawful
indulgences. And if such
Afflictions are severe, how dreadful
will be the
Everlasting Punishment of the wicked!
17-23 The Divine power of the
Miracle proved
Jesus to be the
Son of God, and he declared that he worked with, and like unto
his
Father, as he saw good. These ancient enemies of
Christ
understood him, and became more violent, charging him not only
with
Sabbath-breaking, but
Blasphemy, in
Calling God his own
Father, and making himself equal with
God. But all things now,
and at
The final Judgment, are committed to the Son, purposely
that all men might honour the Son, as they honour the
Father;
and every one who does not thus honour the Son, whatever he may
think or pretend, does not honour the
Father who sent him.
24-29 Our
Lord declared his authority and character, as the
Messiah. The time was come when the dead should hear his voice,
as the
Son of God, and live. Our
Lord first refers to his
raising those who were dead in
Sin, to newness of
Life,
By the
power of the
Spirit, and then to his raising the dead in their
graves. The office of
Judge of all men, can only be exercised
By
one who has all knowledge, and almighty power. May we believe
His
Testimony; thus our
Faith and
Hope will be in
God, and we
shall not come into condemnation. And may His voice reach the
hearts of those dead in
Sin; that they may do
Works meet for
Repentance, and prepare for the solemn
Day.
30-38 Our
Lord returns to his declaration of the entire
agreement between the
Father and the Son, and declared himself
the
Son of God. He had higher
Testimony than that of
John; his
Works bore
Witness to all he had said. But the Divine
Word had
No abiding-place in their hearts, as they refused to believe in
Him whom the
Father had sent, according to his ancient promises.
The voice of
God, accompanied
By the power of the
Holy Ghost,
thus made effectual to the
Conversion of sinners, still
proclaims that this is the beloved Son, in whom the
Father is
Well pleased. But when the hearts of men are full of pride,
ambition, and the
Love of the world, there is
No room for the
Word of God to abide in them.
39-44 The Jews considered that eternal
Life was revealed to
them in their Scriptures, and that they had it, because they had
the
Word of God in their hands.
Jesus urged them to search those
Scriptures with more diligence and attention. "Ye do search the
Scriptures," and ye do
Well to do
So. They did indeed search the
Scriptures, but it was with a view to their own
Glory. It is
possible for men to be very studious in the
Letter of the
Scriptures, yet to be strangers to its power. Or, "Search the
Scriptures," and
So it was spoken to them in the nature of an
Appeal. Ye profess to receive and believe the
Scripture, let
that be the
Judge. It is spoken to us as advising or commanding
all Christians to search the Scriptures. Not only read them, and
hear them, but search them; which denotes diligence in examining
and studying them. We must search the Scriptures for
Heaven as
our great
End; For in them ye think ye have eternal
Life. We
must search the Scriptures for
Christ, as the new and living
Way, that leads to this
End. To this
Testimony Christ adds
reproofs of their unbelief and wickedness; their neglect of him
and his doctrine. Also he reproves their want of the
Love of
God. But there is
Life with
Jesus Christ for
Poor souls. Many
who make a great profession of religion, yet show they want the
Love of
God,
By their neglect of
Christ and contempt of his
Commandments. It is the
Love of
God in us, the
Love that is a
living, active principle in the
Heart, which
God will accept.
They slighted and undervalued
Christ, because they admired and
overvalued themselves. How can those believe, who make the
praise and applause of men their
Idol! When
Christ and his
followers are men wondered at, how can those believe, the utmost
of whose ambition is to make a fair show in the
Flesh!
45-47 Many trust in some form of doctrines or some parties, who
No more enter into the real meaning of those doctrines, or the
views of the persons whose names they
Bear, than the Jews did
into those of
Moses. Let us search and pray over the Scriptures,
as intent
On finding eternal
Life; let us observe how
Christ is
the great subject of them, and daily apply to him for the
Life
he bestows.