The gospel of John emphasizes that there is life in Jesus. John 1:4 says, “In Him was life and the life was the light of man.” Jesus affirmed of Himself, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the father save by me” (John 14:6) and “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). Peter asked, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). In John 5 Jesus taught the Jews in Jerusalem this truth. He actually emphasized two truths: there is physical life in the Son, and there is also spiritual life in Him.
John 5 records a miracle which is only found in John’s gospel: the healing of a lame man by the pool of Bethesda (vv. 2-9). A great controversy arose because Jesus had commanded when He healed him, “Arise, take up thy bed and walk” (v. 8). The healing was on a Sabbath, and the Jewish teachers approached the healed cripple and said, “It is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed” (v. 10). From the fact that the man was carrying his bed on the Sabbath, to the fact that Jesus had healed him on that day produced Jewish accusations Jesus had broken the Sabbath by His healing.
Jesus further inflamed His accusers when He said, “My Father worketh even until now, and I work” (v. 17). He incited them even more by adding, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. For the Father loveth the Son and showeth him all things that himself doeth and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth the dead and given them life, even so the Son doth give life to whom he will” (vv. 19-21). Does Jesus refer to spiritual or physical life in v. 21?
In the exchange which followed, Jesus spoke both of physical life and spiritual life. He spoke of spiritual life first: “Verily, verily I say unto you: the hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of God and live” (John 5:25). That it is of spiritual life which Jesus spoke in this verse is evident, the preceding verse makes this clear. All who hear the Son’s voice “shall live” and for those in v. 25, “the hour has come AND NOW IS” (present time). Now notice vv. 28-29: “Marvel not at this, the hour cometh in which all that are in the tombs shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” Those “who hear” in v. 28 refers to something yet future — physical life. Notice two evident differences: for “those who hear” in v. 25, the hour cometh and now is. For these in vv. 28-29, He said that for those that hear “the hour cometh.” He does not add “and now is.” For those in v. 25, all “who hear” live. For those in v. 28 some “who hear” it will be unto the resurrection of life; but for others “who hear” it will be unto the resurrection of judgment.
To which of the two, spiritual resurrection or physical resurrection, does v. 21 belong? Most likely to a physical resurrection. Jesus had healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda. Before speaking of the Father raising the dead and giving them life, He said, “For the Father loveth the Son and showeth all things that himself doeth: and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel.” He connected v. 21 to v. 20 by using the word “For.” The Father had raised the dead; the Son would also raise the dead. The Father had raised the physical dead in past ages through His prophets, Elijah and Elisha. So His Son would also raise the physical dead.
Harmonies of the life of Jesus place this healing among the first miracles Jesus performed. Up to this point He had raised no one from the dead. Later He raised the widow’s son (Luke 7), Jarius’ daughter (Luke 9), and Lazarus (John 11). The raising of the widow’s son and the raising of Jarius’ daughter occurred in Galilee. The resurrection of Lazarus occurred in Judaea, just a short distance from Jerusalem where Jesus had healed the lame man, and where He promised that God would show greater “works than these … that ye may marvel.” This miracle did come to the attention of the Jewish rulers. While the Jewish rulers could not help but acknowledge the genuine truth of Jesus’ miracles and questioned, “What do we? For this man doeth many signs” (John 11:47), they did not believe for “from that day forth they took counsel that they might put him to death” (v. 53).
Jesus gives life to the spiritual dead conditionally. Those who are “dead” must “hear (obey) His voice that they might live.” The prophet David urged, “Today, if ye shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation” (Psalm 95:11). John recorded the invitation of the Spirit and the bride in Revelation 22:17 who say, “Come. And he that hearth let him say come, he that will and take of the water of life freely.”
Jim McDonald