John 5:12

Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? THEN ASKED THEY HIM, WHAT MAN IS THAT WHICH SAID UNTO THEE, TAKE UP THY BED, AND WALK? They ingeniously parry the man's thrust, asking him, not who had "made him whole" - that would have condemned themselves and defeated their purpose-but who had bidden him "take up his bed, and walk," in other words, who had dared to order a breach of the Sabbath? ''Tis time we were looking after him'-thus hoping to shake the man's faith in his Healer....

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!...

WHAT MAN IS HE ... - In this verse there is a remarkable instance of the “perverseness” of men, of their want of candor, and of the manner in which they often look at a subject. Instead of looking at the miracle, and at the man’s statement of the manner in which he was healed, they look only at what they thought to be a violation of the law. They assumed it as certain that nothing could make his conduct, in carrying his bed on the Sabbath day, proper; and they meditated vengeance, not only on the man who was carrying his bed, but on him, also, who had told him to do it. Thus men often assume that a certain course or opinion is proper, and when anyone differs from them they look only at the difference, but not at the reasons for it. One great source of dispute among men is that they look only at the points in which they differ, but are unwilling to listen to the reasons why others do not...

EXPOSITION Here commences the second division of the Gospel (John 5:1) II. THE CONFLICT WITH THE CHOSEN PEOPLE IN JERUSALEM, GALILEE, AND JERUSALEM, TO THE DEATH SENTENCE RECORDED BY THE SANHEDRIN. JOHN 5:1 1. _Christ proved, by signs and wonders and testimonies, to be Source of life._ JOHN 5:1 (1)

THEN ASKED THEY HIM,.... Suspecting who had made him whole, and gave him this order: WHAT MAN IS THAT WHICH SAID UNTO THEE, TAKE UP THY BED AND WALK? they take no notice of the cure, being unwilling to give any glory to Christ, and still less to spread it; but chose rather that it should be obscured, hid, and unobserved; but they laid hold on that, which they thought might be improved to his reproach and scandal; and they call him a man, as supposing him to be a mere man, and a wicked man too, for giving orders to transgress a tradition of the elders, though no mere man could work such a cure as this was. And so the Jews since, though they cannot find fault with the cure, which they put an "if" upon, yet are highly displeased with the order, to take up his bed and carry it: "if (say they a) he wrought a cure, lo, that is good, but why did he bid him take up his bed?'' the answer may b...

John 5:1. _After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem._ For he had respect to the Law. As long as the Law lasted, Christ observed it. Oh, that we were as careful to obey the rules of the Gospel as our Lord was to observe the ritual of the Law! Moreover, he went to Jerusalem because he had an opportunity of addressing great numbers of people there. While I have been resting at Menton, I have been very glad to be of service to a few friends who were either seeking the Saviour, or needing some guidance in their spiritual life; but I cannot tell you how happy I am to be once more in the Tabernacle, preaching to the great congregation. Fisherman like to cast their nets where there are plenty of fish; and fishers of men delight to be where there are many men who may be enclosed in the gospel net. «After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jer...

CHAPTER 5 _ 1. The Healing of the Impotent Man. (John 5:1 .)_ 2. The Opposition of the Jews. (John 5:10 .) 3. His Unity with the Father. (John 5:19 .) 4. The Present Hour. Believers Delivered from Death and Judgment. (John 5:24 .) 5. The Future Hour. His Power to Raise the Dead. (John 5:26 .) 6. Witness Concerning Himself. (John 5:30 .) 7. The Witness of John. (John 5:33

JOHN 5:9 _B_ - JOHN 5:15. THE CONFLICT WITH THE AUTHORITIES. With the man himself the Jews raise the question of bearing burdens on the Sabbath (_cf._ Jeremiah 17:21). The man's ignorance of who had healed him is _one_ of the many details which suggest that the author is following tradition, or using his memory, rather than inventing for didactic purposes. In John 5:5_ b_ a reference is often found to the thirty-eight years of the wandering in the wilderness, mentioned only in Deuteronomy 2:14, too obscure a passage for the origin of the detail,

WHAT MAN IS IT THAT SAID UNTO THEE, TAKE UP THY BED, AND WALK? This question betrays the narrow bigotry of these officials. They do not ask, "Who healed thee?" but confine themselves to the charge of Sabbath breaking. They care nothing that the man is healed, and would far rather that he was lying on his couch, sick, and unable to move, than that he should carry it on the Sabbath....

MAN'S HELPLESSNESS AND CHRIST'S POWER (John 5:1-9)...