Wow! What a loaded passage! In John 5:18-47, Jesus is telling his Jewish audience all kinds of information about him, his relationship to the Father, what he's here for...just to name a few. As I read, I started to get overwhelmed trying to process it all. Then, I started thinking about how all this information was received and processed when Jesus was delivering it verbally and in person. Think about it. At a minimum, it must have been mind boggling.
So what did you get out of this reading? Was it clear? Anything you didn't understand? This isn't the easiest passage, so let's talk about it. And, if you have questions about what you're reading, send them over. We'd be happy to answer and, of course, encourage you to keep reading, learning and living out God's Word! Tami W.
I was raised in church, and I've had some good teaching. This passage wasn't difficult for me to understand. Also, we live in the age after Jesus death and resurrection. Pehaps that makes it easier to understand. That being said I can imagine that the disciples and the Pharisees were really blown away by what Jesus was saying. They didn't understand that the Kingdom of God was not an earthly kingdom. The disciples were hoping that Jesus would over take the oppressive Roman government. The Pharisees were most likely intimtated by what Jesus was saying.
Tami, I was blown away by this passage. It was indeed, as you say, loaded. Jesus is so straight-forward about everything He says here. There are no parables but rather the in-your-face truth about who Jesus is, where He came from, and why He is here. It's a lot to take in, to say the least. I don't know that there is anything concrete I can lay out there just yet, so I would like to continue to read and meditate on it. Perhaps this evening I can better express my thoughts here.
Can you comment on what Jesus meant when he said that Moses was their accuser. Does it go beyond the fact that Moses is the one who received the Law (and built on it) hence exposes our wrong deeds. Kindly expound
I'd like to comment on the above question.
Moses is inseparable from the Law. As the instrument through which God gave the Law, his name became nearly synonymous with the Law. When Jesus said that Moses was their accuser, He meant that the very Law which they so jealously guarded, bore witness against them. Instead of confirming their righteousness, it exposed their sinfulness.
Hope that helps.
Allen, Biblical Correspondent at Back to the Bible