(5:40–47) Introduction: men reject Jesus’ claim to be “equal with God” (Jn. 5:18). Jesus gave six reasons for their rejection.
1. People refuse to come to Christ (vv.40–41).
2. People do not love God (v.42).
3. People accept false messiahs (v.43).
4. People seek the approval and honor of mere men (v.44).
5. People do not believe prophecy—do not believe Moses’ writings (vv.45–46).
6. People do not believe the words of the true Messiah (v.47).
1 (5:40–41) Will: men do not “will” to come to Christ. The will is stressed. Men deliberately choose to reject Jesus Christ. They actually exercise the will not to come to Him for salvation. There is an obstinacy and a hardness within man, a rebellion against God (see Jn. 1:11; Mt. 23:37).
“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Ac. 7:51).
“Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear” (2 Chr. 24:19).
“And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction” (Je. 32:33).
“As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee” (Je. 44:16).
a. Jesus claimed that life was in Him
“In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (Jn. 1:4).
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself” (Jn. 5:26).
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10).
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (Jn. 11:25).
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6).
b. Men receive life by coming to Jesus Christ. They keep from dying by coming to Jesus Christ (see notes—Jn. 5:21; 5:24–25; DEEPER STUDY # 1—He. 9:27).
“For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will” (Jn. 5:21).
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (Jn. 5:24–25).
c. Jesus was not claiming to be the Son of God in order to receive the praise and glory of men (v.41). He was proclaiming the truth because He loved them, and the fact of His deity is the truth. Men must face up to the truth if they wish to be saved. Man’s rejection cuts the heart of Christ, and the hurt is seen in the tenderness and appeal of this verse. There is a pleading in His words: “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”
“For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Ac. 28:27).
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” (He. 2:3).
“See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven” (He. 12:25).
2 (5:42) Rejection—Profession, False: men will to reject Christ, to reject the claim of Christ because they do not love God. The love of God is not in their hearts.
a. The people to whom Jesus was speaking professed to love God deeply. They …
• worshipped faithfully
• knew the Scriptures
• were always praying
• were unashamed to talk about Him
However, the love of God was not in them, not really. It was not shed abroad in their hearts, not the kind of love that honors and praises God, giving all that one is and has to love and help people.
“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Ro. 5:5).
“Beloved, let us love one other: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love” (1 Jn. 4:7–8)
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Mt. 15:8).
Thought 1. If men loved God, they would receive Christ.
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.… And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.… We love him, because he first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:9–10, 16, 19).
b. Jesus said, “I know you.” He knows a man’s heart, if a man’s profession is true and genuine or false and counterfeit. Jesus sees right through a man’s words, down deep into his heart.
“For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad” (Lu. 8:17).
“For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings” (Job 34:21).
“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings” (Pr. 5:21).
“For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD” (Je. 2:22).
“For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes” (Je. 16:17).
“Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Je. 32:19).
“And the spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them” (Eze. 11:5).
“For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right” (Amos 5:12).
3 (5:43) Messiah—Messiahship: men receive false messiahs. There is a contrast here.
a. Jesus said, “I have come in my Father’s name,” but “another shall come in his own name.” Jesus came in the name, that is, in the authority and truthfulness, of God. “Another,” the false messiah, comes in the authority and word of himself.
b. Jesus said, “Ye receive me not,” but “him ye will receive.” Men reject God’s Son, the true Messiah, but they receive the false messiah. Why?
Men want either to escape from the world or to get all they can from the world.
? Some want to escape the pressure, tension, immorality, selfishness, hatred, and injustices of the world.
? Others want either a reasonable amount of prosperity, pleasure, power, recognition, or fame of the world.
Jesus, being the Son of God, cannot lie to man. He has to tell the truth. The way to life is not by escaping the world nor by getting plenty of the world. The way to life is to do exactly as Jesus said:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Lu. 9:23–25).
The false messiah or human deliverer is not truthful. He is a mere man, full of all the weaknesses and infirmities of men. A false messiah is a person born of mere man and woman; he is a person who will die as a mere man just as all other men die. The false messiah is a deceiving person with leadership qualities and charisma who has learned to promise what men crave: escapism and possessions. Therefore, he sets himself up claiming that belief in his “name,” that is, in what he says, will meet man’s needs. Jesus says that most men “will receive” such a false messiah or deliverer. (See Mt. 24:23–26. See DEEPER STUDY # 2—Mt. 1:18.)
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:19).
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Co. 11:13–15).
“Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm” (1 Ti. 1:7).
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Ti. 4:3–4).
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Pe. 2:1).
“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father” (1 Jn. 2:22–23).
4 (5:44) Seeking Approval—Pride—Self-Suffering: men seek the approval and honor of mere men. Men make two gross mistakes.
a. They seek the acceptance and approval, the recognition and honor, of other men, and such becomes the driving force of their lives. People seek …
• the right position in which to be seen
• the right place to live and work
• the right car to drive
• the right clothes to wear
• the right looks to attract
• the right gifts to secure honor
• the power and wealth to possess
• the recognition and fame to be known
They do not seek the acceptance and approval nor the recognition and honor of God.
b. They measure themselves against other men, not against God. When a man measures himself by other men, he is seen to be good and acceptable. He does not come short often, if at all. But note something: when a person is being praised and honored by others, he feels acceptable, complete, fulfilled. Therefore, he often senses no need for God. Only when men measure themselves against God do they see themselves for what they are: “short of God’s glory” (Ro. 3:23). Only then do they bow in humility and beg forgiveness and cast themselves upon the mercy of God. Note the question of Christ: “[In light of this,] how can ye believe?”
“For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Ga. 6:3).
“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (Js. 1:26).
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8).
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Re. 3:17).
“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” (Pr. 20:6).
“For men to search their own glory is not glory” (Pr. 25:27).
“Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Is. 5:21).
“Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men” (Ho. 10:13).
“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD” (Obad. 3–4).
5 (5:45–46) Man, Unbelief—Prophecy: men do not believe prophecy, do not believe Moses’ writings. Note two things.
a. Jesus said, “Moses wrote of me.” All the prophecies in Genesis through Deuteronomy are the prophecies to which Jesus was referring
b. Jesus said that Moses was the one who condemned man’s unbelief, not Him. The men standing before Jesus professed to believe Moses, but they did not—not really.
? They did not believe what Moses said about the promised Messiah.
? They did not live as Moses said to live.
? Their profession would be condemned by the very one whom they said they trusted, by Moses himself.
“And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mk. 7:9).
“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye” (Mk. 7:13).
“Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken” (Lu. 24:25).
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (Jn. 3:36).
“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24).
“Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee” (Ps. 50:17).
“Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel” (Is. 5:24).
“That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD” (Is. 30:9).
“Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant” (Is. 30:12–13).
“To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it” (Je. 6:10).
“Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it” (Je. 6:19).
“The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?” (Je. 8:9; cp. Je. 9:13–16; Ho. 4:6; Amos 2:4).
“Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts” (Zec. 7:12).
6 (5:47) Unbelief—Jesus Christ, Words—Word of God: men do not believe the words of the true Messiah. Jesus gave two reasons why men do not believe Him.
a. They did not believe Moses’ writings, the words of Scripture. How then could men believe the promises of the Messiah?
b. They did not believe the testimony of a man whom they professed was a great and honorable man. They honored Moses, calling him great and honorable; yet they treated him as a liar, a man whose testimony was unreliable. How then could men believe the words of Christ?
Thought 1. How many acknowledge Christ as a great and honorable man yet treat Him as a liar, a man whose testimony and claims are totally untrustworthy?
“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jn. 12:48).
“He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (Jn. 14:24).
“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings” (1 Ti. 6:3–4).
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (Jn. 8:51).
“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15).
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 Jn. 2:3).
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2004). The Gospel according to John
