John 5:1-23

Devotionals, Articles, and Bible Study Resources on John 5:1-23

1Some time later there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda.
3On these walkways lay a great number of the sick, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.
5One man there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
6When Jesus saw him lying there and realized that he had spent a long time in this condition, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am on my way, someone else goes in before me.”
8Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”
9Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day,
10so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your mat.”
11But he answered, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
12“Who is this man who told you to pick it up and walk?” they asked.
13But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while the crowd was there.
14Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”
15And the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him.
17But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”
18Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
19So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
20The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.
21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.
22Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,
23so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
— John 5:1-23

Related Resources from Heartlight

Doesn't Fit My Religious Agenda
Illustration of John 5:8-10a NLT

Illustration of John 5:8-10a NLT -- Jesus told [the sick man by the pool of Bethesda], "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!" Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected.

Father and Son, Greater Works!
Illustration of John 5:19-20 NLT

Illustration of John 5:19-20 NLT -- So Jesus explained, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished."

Honor the Son!
Illustration of John 5:22-23 NLT

Illustration of John 5:22-23 NLT -- [Jesus said,] "In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him."

My Father Never Stops Working
Illustration of John 5:16-17 NLT

Illustration of John 5:16-17 NLT -- So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules [by healing on the Sabbath]. But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I."

Stop!
Illustration of John 5:14-15 NLT

Illustration of John 5:14-15 NLT -- [About the man who had been healed, John wrote:] But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, "Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you." Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.

He Will Raise the Dead!
Illustration of John 5:21 NLT

Illustration of John 5:21 NLT -- [Jesus said,] "For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants."

Cross References for John 5:1-23

Cross References Provided by Open Bible

The Berean Standard Bible

The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern, clear, and faithful translation based on the best available Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Ideal for reading, study, and sharing, it entered the public domain in 2023. For more information, visit berean.bible.