The word "believe" is used repeatedly in the book of John, and "belief in Jesus" is a constant theme throughout. But there are sections in the book where, instead of responding in belief, people refused the words of Jesus entirely. We should pay careful attention to these sections of scripture, for there awaits an important lesson for us.
Chapter five begins with Jesus traveling to Jerusalem. When Jesus arrived, he saw a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years. He said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk.", and the man was healed at once. However, the Jews received word of this and became contentious, because it was on the sabbath day that Jesus had healed the man.
This is an interesting Chapter in the book of John. Prior chapters were filled with examples of people who had believed in Jesus (1:49, 2:11, 2:23, 4:39, 4:53). This believing in Jesus led to genuine saving faith. But in chapter five, this belief is nowhere to be found, and we have to ask the question "why not?".
The text gives us some insight into the hearts of these Jews. When they saw the healed man carrying his bed, they rebuked him for working on the sabbath.
For thirty-eight years they had seen this man lying in the dust. Wouldn't they be amazed when they saw him walking down the street? Wouldn't they want to come to know the one who had healed him? Not at all. These people would rather persecute another Jew by the letter of the law than rejoice with a former paralytic who had been healed by a miracle.
Later, Jesus responds to them by saying,
"And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life... I know that you do not have the love of God within you" (John 5:37-42)
What Jesus reveals about these Jews in this passage is sobering. Despite their religious devotion and biblical astuteness, they did not know God. These were people who had placed their hope for salvation in their knowledge of the bible, and because of this they were not willing to receive Jesus. They knew the scriptures, but not the Savior.
As I've wrestled with how I might apply this to my own life, one question comes to mind: Am I more aware of my personal knowledge of the scriptures than I am of my need for an encounter with Jesus?
This is a crucial question that I need to be asking myself even as I'm writing this. Biblical knowledge does not have the power to save anyone. Salvation comes only through belief in Jesus. For the Christian, this means that my greatest aim in life is to meet with Jesus as often as possible. Becoming a Bible scholar is a noble aspiration, but if my studies do not lead me to a deep longing to encounter the person of Jesus Christ, then all my learning would be wasted.
Jesus assumed authority over the sabbath, which only God himself could possess, when he healed the lame man. Jesus' audience, as well as John's readers, are left to wrestle with two possibilities: This is either blasphemy, or this truly is the Savior of the world.
Jesus assumed authority over the sabbath, which only God himself could possess, when he healed the lame man. Jesus' audience, as well as John's readers, are left to wrestle with two possibilities: This is either blasphemy, or this truly is the Savior of the world.
The Jews in this story made a critical mistake. In all of their studies, they did not ask the question "Where's the coming Savior?". Jesus even told them, "...if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me." (John 5:46) but they did not have eyes to see the Savior standing there in front of them.
John chapter five reminds me that every time I open my Bible I need to be asking, "what does this scripture tell me about Christ?".
