John 5 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - John) Free Bible Online

John 5

1 - After these things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 - Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew, "Bethesda", having five porches.
3 - In these lay a great multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water;
4 - for an angel went down at certain times into the pool, and stirred up the water. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.
5 - A certain man was there, who had been sick for thirty-eight years.
6 - When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been sick for a long time, he asked him,"Do you want to be made well?"
7 - The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I'm coming, another steps down before me."
8 - Jesus said to him,"Arise, take up your mat, and walk."
9 - Immediately, the man was made well, and took up his mat and walked.Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
10 - So the Jews said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to carry the mat."
11 - He answered them, "He who made me well, the same said to me,'Take up your mat, and walk.'"
12 - Then they asked him, "Who is the man who said to you,'Take up your mat, and walk'?"
13 - But he who was healed didn't know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a crowd being in the place.
14 - Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him,"Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you."
15 - The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16 - For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath.
17 - But Jesus answered them,"My Father is still working, so I am working, too."
18 - For this cause therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19 - Jesus therefore answered them,"Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise.
20 - For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21 - For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.
22 - For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,
23 - that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn't honor the Son doesn't honor the Father who sent him.
24 - "Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn't come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
25 - Most certainly, I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God's voice; and those who hear will live.
26 - For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.
27 - He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man.
28 - Don't marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice,
29 - and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.
30 - I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don't seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.
31 - "If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid.
32 - It is another who testifies about me. I know that the testimony which he testifies about me is true.
33 - You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.
34 - But the testimony which I receive is not from man. However, I say these things that you may be saved.
35 - He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
36 - But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John, for the works which the Father gave me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me, that the Father has sent me.
37 - The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form.
38 - You don't have his word living in you; because you don't believe him whom he sent.
39 - "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.
40 - Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life.
41 - I don't receive glory from men.
42 - But I know you, that you don't have God's love in yourselves.
43 - I have come in my Father's name, and you don't receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
44 - How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don't seek the glory that comes from the only God?
45 - "Don't think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, even Moses, on whom you have set your hope.
46 - For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.
47 - But if you don't believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"
John Images and Notes

The Book of John

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 20:31 - But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

St. John the Evangelist by Guido Reni
Painting of St. John the Evangelist by Reni - 1620

Introduction to The Gospel of John

The Word Gospel. The fourth book of the New Testament is the Gospel of John. John is the fourth of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of The Book of John

Brief Summary. Jesus was Jehovah God, the eternal Word made flesh. He came to His home, Israel, and He was rejected. He came to this world, and the world rejected Him, but anyone who  would believe and receive Him would have life through His name, and be given authority to call themselves a "son of god."

Purpose. John makes one thing clear in John 20:30, 31 - "these ( things) are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ; and that believing ye may have life in his name." John sought to lead men to eternal life by first convincing them of His deity, the miracles were actually recorded as "signs" to confirm His deity, that He was Jehovah God, the incarnate Word made flesh. John called Jesus the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, the way the truth and the life, the true vine, all clearly pointing to the deity of Jesus. In fact John points to everything in His life and teachings as a sign that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the Eternal Word of God who "became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14).

John Compared to the Other Gospel Accounts. The "Synoptic Gospels" - Matthew, Mark and Luke all have their unique perspective of the life of Jesus Christ, as well as John's approach. John is always emphasizing the deity of Jesus as well as His divine miracles. John also gives us a bit more information about Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem, where Matthew, Mark and Luke focus more on His Galilean ministry. There is also a difference regarding the chronology of the last week (Passion Week) of Christ's life. It is important to note that the Gospel accounts do not necessarily place their focus on chronology and orderly biography of the ministry of Jesus with names, places, and dates, but rather a full perspective of their unique portrayal of Jesus Christ.

Authorship. The author of the Gospel of John is identified in John 21:20 as "The disciple whom Jesus loved" who leaned on Jesus' breast. It is clear that John was that disciple and he did not wish to use his own name directly as the author, possibly for reasons of humility. Early church historical writings from early second century AD recognize the Gospel of John as a sacred book. Theophilus of Antioch (170 AD) was the first to write the name John as the author. Shortly after this Irenaeus identified John as the disciple who had leaned on Jesus' breast. This is especially important because Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, who had known the man John personally. Clement of Alexandria mentions John as having composed a "spiritual gospel."

Critics of John as the Author. There is a statement that was made by Papias that there were actually two men named John in Ephesus at the same time, and John the Apostle was referred to as "John the Elder". Many opponents of the apostle John's authorship give credit to the other John as the writer of the fourth Gospel. Although the answer cannot be positively determined by history, tradition and internal evidence definitely point to John the apostle as the author.

Date. It is worthy to consider the words of the most famous archaeologist of all time that according to archaeological evidence there is "no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80." Most scholars conclude that the book of John was written around 85 or 90 AD probably before the exile to Patmos. It is also important to consider John 5:2 when it mentions "Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep [market] a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches." This verse would indicate that this existed at the current time that the Gospel of John was written. This would place the written work before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. There is also no evidence as to whether John wrote the Gospel before or after his return to Ephesus from the Island of Patmos.

The Man John. John's book attributes the work to "the disciple whom Jesus loved." This say a lot about the man John, and the fact that Jesus left his mother Mary in John's care, having spoken the words from the cross, is very significant. Another indicator of John's character is found in the book of 1 John, he continually talks about love, loving one another, and that God is love, etc. It is also safe to say that John was a Jew, this can be clearly seen by his accuracy about Jewish customs, Jewish way of thinking, and by his quotations from the Hebrew Old Testament. He knew the topography of the land of Israel from a Jewish perspective quite well. It is easy to see in his writings that he was a close disciple of Jesus, an eyewitness of the events surrounding Jesus' ministry. One can determine by process of elimination, that the author is not just any John but John the apostle, the son of Zebedee, who is prominently mentioned in the Gospel accounts.

John and Church History.  Church tradition records that John came to Ephesus after Paul's work was finished there. Later, during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, he was banished to the Island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation. Shortly thereafter he was released and returned to the city of Ephesus.

Archaeology. The Rylands Papyrus Fragment was discovered in 1920 in Egypt containing a few verses from John 18 dating back to about 120-135 AD.

Outline of the Book of John

The Word of God - Chapter 1:1-51
His Public Ministry - Chapters 2:1-12:50
His Private Ministry - Chapters 13:1-17:26
His Death and Resurrection - Chapters 18:1-20:31
John's Conclusion - Chapter 21:1-25

Jesus written in Hebrew
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

John Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire
 

Bibliography Information

Free Bible Online - Picture Study Bible, King James Version. New York: American Bible Society: www.free-bible.com, 1995-2013. Bible History Picture Study Bible. Oct 31, 2024.


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