Jesus makes the point that anyone who believes in him is not judged but those who do not believe in him have been judged already.  In John 5.22 Jesus says that all judgment has been committed to himself.  In Rev. 20, the scene is of the Great White Throne judgment.  Here, all who have rejected Christ for their righteousness are judged according to their works.  Their works do no measure up to the perfect righteousness of Christ.  Then the book of life is checked to see if their name is in it.  This is a kind of double check by God since to be in the book of life means that you will not face judgment anyway.  Jesus bore all the believer's judgment.  For the one who depends on Jesus' substitutionary sacrifice there is no judgment.

This chapter concludes with a witness by John the Baptizer about Jesus and with, as we have now become familiar, with a word about believing.   John says that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life and that the one who doesn't (obey is substituted for believe in the equation so that "obey" equals "believe") awaits God's wrath.

Chapter 4

Jesus and the woman and the well is another rather detailed story of his conversation with with an individual.  While his ministry was to the Jews, Jesus did make some exceptions.  It is noteworthy that Jesus talked to a Samaritan and that she was a woman.  This was taboo behavior according to Jewish custom.  Again, like his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus turned the conversation to a spiritual matter.  Just as Jesus used water as a symbol to equal spiritual birth with Nicodemus, he uses water to symbolize eternal life with the woman.  Just like Nicodemus, the woman did not understand what Jesus meant by "living water" Gk. u3dwr zw=n.  She was thinking in physical, natural terms but Jesus was talking about a spiritual concept.  Jesus convinced her that he was the Messiah by talking to her about her troubled life.  His statement in verse 26 is one of his rare, clear declarations that he is the Messiah.  It is important to note that Jesus had a spiritual perception of people.  In his dealings with those who were trying to argue against him or trying to trick him, he often spoke in a shadowy manner.  To those who were genuinely seeking truth he was rather forthright.  This is described by him as "seeing and not seeing and hearing and not hearing" (Mt. 13.13).  Jesus gave answers as any wise man who will answer according to his questioners and the context of the situation.  This explains many of the answers that he gave to questioners.

After her conversation with Jesus, the woman went back to the city and told the men what she had found (the Messiah).  John's conclusion to this event is a familiar one, namely, "many of the Samaritans believed in him" (v. 39).  Personal testimony of the saving power of Christ reaches many.  People listen to other people and their experience. 

The second story of this chapter is another story of faith.   The nobleman "believed the word that Jesus spoke to him" (v. 50) and his son was healed.  This was the second sign that Jesus performed to testify that he was the Messiah. 

Chapter 5

In this chapter, John tells another story of faith--a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years.  As the normal lifespan was much shorter than today, the point John is making is that he had been sick most of his life.  Jesus asked him a seemingly impertinent but perceptive question, "Do you wish to get well?"  Sin is a disease which afflicts us all.  To be healed from it, we must wish to get well.  That is the beginning of salvation.  The man answered that he didn't have anyone to put him into the healing waters.  Jesus told him to get up, pick up his bed, and walked.  The important thing to notice is that the man didn't argue with Jesus, telling him that such a thing was easy for him to say, or that he couldn't get up because he was sick.  He obeyed Jesus, that is, he believed him.   John the Baptizer speaks directly to this matter in John 3.36 where he equates obeying with believing.  As soon as he obeyed (believed) he became well.  This parallels spiritual healing.  Before believing in Christ we are afflicted with a terminal disease--death itself.  When we believe in Christ we are given God's very own life which is eternal.  Jesus states this truth in v. 24.  He says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but has passed out of death into life." 

John reports the two reasons that the Jews hated Jesus and wanted to kill him: he broke the Sabbath (according to their definition) and he made himself equal with God.  Jesus pointed out that like a son, he only did the things that he saw his father doing.  This is an important concept to realize.  Jesus was not a superman walking about performing miracles to whomever and whenever he wished.  He was dependent on his Father and on the Holy Spirit. He was under his Father's authority and did those things that were in concert with his Father's will and pleasing to him.

Jesus also points out that all judgment is reserved to be executed by the son (v. 22, 27).  Most people avoid speaking about the judgment of God, preferring to concentrate on his love.  But the Scriptures present God's judgment as certain a reality as his love.  Jesus mentions two resurrections: the resurrection unto life and the resurrection unto judgment.  Life is realized through belief; to have life means that one is not subject to judgment.  Jesus clearly states this in verse 24.  It is important to clarify some confusion that may arise from Jesus' statement in verse 29.  Reading this verse out of context might lead one to believe that works are the basis of life or judgment.  A more wrong conclusion could not be drawn.  Jesus makes the point again and again that it is faith, belief, and trust alone that is the basis of life and freedom from judgment.  Jesus is speaking in absolute terms: life and death.  For God, "those who did good" are those who obeyed him, i.e. believed and trusted him and "those who committed evil," are those who have disobeyed, i.e. did not trust in the work of Christ.   In John 6.29, Jesus says, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."  This is the starting point.  Living a life such as Albert Schweitzer or Mother Teresa is meaningless to God apart from trusting in Christ.  Only Christ's work can give life.  It is the Son's work which reconciles men and women to God and solves the problem of evil.   When we trust in Christ we join God's side.  We join God's battle against evil and participate in his plan.  In the Old Testament this concept was illustrated by Balaam's declaration concerning Israel.  Balaam was constrained to say concerning an Israel in which one easily could find fault,  "He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel" (Num. 23.21).  In God's sight, what made all the difference was that Israel had YHVH for her God and trusted him.

In this section Jesus speaks of four witnesses to the truth of his words and life:

• Witness of the Father v. 30-32
• Witness of John the Baptizer v. 33-35
• Witness of Jesus' works v. 36
• Witness of the Father (again) v. 37-38
• Witness of the Scriptures v. 39

John concludes this section with his familiar refrain of belief.  Jesus says that he will not accuse the Jews who refuse to believe in him.   He says that Moses will--the one whom they think they are following but are not.   He says, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me.   But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (v. 46, 47).

Chapter 6 

The first story in this chapter involves Jesus' feeding the five thousand.  The Passover was near.  This is the second Passover mentioned by John (cf. 2.13, 23).  John mentions one other Passover in 13.1.  Thus, we can determine that Jesus' ministry extended for 3 years.  The events in this chapter take place about a year before he was crucified.  This is the fourth sign that Jesus performed and is an example of his works bearing witness to himself (cf. 5.36).  Apart from the miracle of the resurrection, it is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels.  In the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, the quantity overflows. God likes abundance and Jesus is the bread of life.  The reaction to this sign is given in v. 14, "When therefore the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world."   In Dt. 18.15, Moses had promised that God would raise up a prophet like himself.  As Moses had fed the people manna and delivered them from Egypt, Jesus had fed the people.  They saw in Jesus a power to deliver them from Rome and make him King but Jesus knew that national repentance and acceptance of him as Messiah had to come first (v. 15).

The next story deals with Jesus' walking on the water and the miraculous transportation of the boat from the sea to the land. With Jesus' arrival at the boat, he says, 0egw/ ei0mi, "I am".   While it is translated, "It is I" (v. 20), this is essentially a divine declaration of Jesus as YHVH.   Both this and the story above were tremendous witnesses to Jesus' disciples and to the people in general.  In v. 26 Jesus sadly tells the crowd the truth that the do not really understand the significance of the signs, i.e. that he is the Messiah; they only see regard the miracles as a free meal.  He tells them to pursue eternal things rather than merely physical things as the latter perish.  When they ask him what are the works of God, Jesus responds that believing in him is the work of God (v. 29).  This statement emphasizes again the significance of belief as the avenue to God and life and John's theme of belief.   The crowd responds by asking for a sign.  Probably they had heard about the miracle of the loaves and fish.  Wanting to see a similar miracle, they cited God's provision of manna which he had given to their ancestors.  Jesus responds in a similar vein to his response to the woman at the well: he is the bread of life.   Jesus declares that they do not believe (v. 36).   Again, Jesus plainly teaches that believing in him results in eternal life and that those who do will participate in the resurrection of life (v. 40).

Following this declaration, the Jews argued that Jesus was merely the son of Joseph, a mere man.  Jesus responds with a discourse on the sovereignty of God.  In v. 47, Jesus again plainly teaches, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life".   To this statement, the Jews argued even more; they refused to believe.  Jesus continues his dissertation on the importance of believing.  Even some of the disciples found Jesus' words difficult and Jesus gave them a further word on believing.  But some of his disciples abandoned him at this point and Jesus asked the twelve if they too would leave.  Peter, in one wonderful moment declares his faith, that Jesus alone is the way of eternal life.  To this Jesus responds prophetically, that one of the twelve is a devil--Judas Iscariot.

Chapter 7

In this chapter we see how much the opposition against Jesus by the Jewish authorities has intensified.  It has gone from mere arguing to attempting to arrest and kill Jesus.  The events in Chapter 6 took place near the passover (6.4).  The events of this chapter take place at the Feast of Tabernacles (7.2), approximately six months later.  At the end of Chapter 6 John reports that many of Jesus' disciples left him.  Jesus declared that the crowds coming to see him were not coming because of his Messiahship and because they were awaiting the kingdom of God but rather because they wanted a free meal.  This  must have been depressing to Jesus and he must have felt very alone.  The open hostility of the Jews is mentioned (7.1).  His brothers (actually half-brothers since Jesus had no human father cf. 2.12) urged him to go into Judea and demonstrate his Messiahship rather than remain in Galilee.  But this was not an encouragement but more of a challenge, even a taunt.  That the Scriptures clearly declare that Jesus had brothers demonstrates that the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary is heretical.  Jesus' brothers did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah at this time (v.5) but apparently they later did (cf. Acts 1.14).  The apparent contradiction between v. 8 and v. 10 may be resolved (various explanations have been given) by accepting the variant reading ou0/pw for ou0k in v. 8.  This reading would render Jesus' words as "I am not at this time going up to this feast" or "I am not yet going up to this feast" (this is the reading in the KJV) rather than "I am not going up to this feast".  Why did Jesus wait till his brothers left?  Perhaps he needed to be alone.  He was facing tremendous opposition; Jewish authorities were constantly hounding him and trying to kill him.  Even those closest to him didn't accept his claims. 

Jesus does go to the Feast and in the middle (day 3 or 4), he went to the Temple and taught.  The Jewish authorities were astounded by his teaching since Jesus had never received formal theological training.  There is obvious irony here.  Jesus challenges their thinking of the Sabbath and presents them with the conundrum of "if it is all right to circumcise on the Sabbath, why is it wrong to heal a man on the Sabbath?"  These passages show a great conflict between Jesus and the Jewish authorities.  This is no meek and mild Jesus.  The Jesus in these passages (vv. 28-36) is militant, argumentative, and confrontational.  In verses 37-39, we have another reference to water (one that has become familiar by now) in which Jesus equates water to the new birth and the Holy Spirit. 

For some reason there seems to have been confusion about Jesus' origin for they all regard him as coming from Galilee where they know the Messiah cannot originate (vv. 41-42).  Why they did not know he was born in Bethlehem is unknown.  Despite this, Jesus declares that they do know him and where he is from (v. 28).  So what Jesus is saying is that this is not innocent ignorance but willful rejection.  The officers response to the chief priests and Pharisees is a testimony to the power of Jesus' presence.  They had been ordered to arrest Jesus.  When questioned as to why they had not obeyed their orders, they replied, "Never did a man speak the way this man speaks" (vv. 45-46).  Nicodemus tried to reason with the Sanhedrin.  It is clear that he had been influenced by his meeting with Jesus (Jn. 3).  But even though he was one of them, they turned on him like feral dogs.   Such is the nature of opposition to God.

Chapter 8

In this chapter John continues to demonstrate the opposition and rejection of the Jews of Jesus.  This rejection builds in this chapter to the point of the Jewish leadership declaring Jesus to be a bastard and a half-breed demoniac.   Jesus declares that because of their rejection of himself they will die in their sins and that their father is the Devil.  

There is a large textual issue with regard to the passage 7.53-8.11.  Most of the manuscript evidence is against its being original.   Although one can make a case for the passage's inclusion, an equally strong case can be made against it.  Given the manuscript evidence, it was probably not part of the original; it was added later.  This passage demonstrates as do all the cases of the scribes and Pharisees interaction with Jesus that they were not concerned with truth or righteousness; they only "cooked up" situations to try and trick and entrap Jesus.  But Jesus gives a brilliant response.  He both shames his accusers and is merciful to the woman.  He doesn't condone her actions but he realizes the situation.  She is a pawn in the larger game of the Pharisees in which he is the target.  It should be realized that in all these confrontations, Jesus responded according to the situation.  Had there been genuine searching for truth, he undoubtedly would have responded differently.

This chapter has four "I am" Gk.  0egw/ ei0mi declarations by Jesus--vv. 12, 24, 28, and 58.  By including these, John provides a strong strong presentation that Jesus is YHVH, the eternal self-existent one--the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In v. 12 Jesus declares that he is the light of the world.   Surely John had in mind the following passage from Isaiah,

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.  The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them (Is. 9.1-2).

This passage fits well into the context of John's reporting of Jesus being from Galilee. 

Through John's prose we can hear the Pharisee's whining accusation that Jesus is bearing witness of himself.  The Pharisees are cowardly bullies trying to use the Scriptures to trick and condemn Jesus.  As Jesus is the light of the world, one can see how dark the world of the Pharisees is.  Jesus counters their argument by saying that he is witnessing and his Father is witnessing and that this meets the Law's requirement of two witnesses (Dt. 19).   Jesus continues, saying that they are from this world while he is not and that if they persist in their rejection they will die in their sins. 

It should be clear that those who believed in Jesus in v. 30 are different from those in v. 31.  Linguistically, the construct is different, i.e. pisteu/w ei0j (v. 30) as opposed to pisteu/w + the dative (v. 31).   Contextually, those believing in Jesus in v. 31 had not put their trust in him as Messiah.  They exhibit self-righteousness (based on being the physical offspring of Abraham) rather than the righteousness which is dependent upon God's mercy.  Jesus accuses them of trying to kill him; they then they call him a bastard.  True believers in Christ do not revile their Lord.  Jesus tries to reason with them and tells them that those who keep his word will never taste death (v. 52).  The Jews challenge Jesus by asking him who does he think he is.  Jesus responds that Abraham rejoiced to see his day (the time of  the Messiah).  They respond by saying this is not possible since Jesus isn't even fifty years old.  Jesus then drops a safe on them.  He says, "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham existed, I am" (v. 58).   Jesus uses the divine declaration of eternal self-existence,  0egw/ ei0mi, "I am".  The Jews responded by trying to stone him to death.  They understood that Jesus was claiming to be YHVH, the eternal God. 

Chapter 9

In this chapter, Jesus, the light of the world, gives sight to a blind man.  Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would do this (42.7, cf. 29.18, 35.5).  The man was born blind from birth.  All of us are born spiritually blind (dead).  Only Jesus can give us sight and life.  The concepts of light and life are joined in Jesus' statement in 8.12 "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." 

Jesus corrects his disciples' assumption that the man's blindness was caused by a sin committed by the man himself or his parents.  All misfortunes ultimately trace back to Adam's fall.  However, making direct causal relationships between misfortune and sin is highly problematic since they cannot be verified.  Job's comforters did this and their assumptions were without merit.   It is true that God does use natural disasters and other misfortunes as judgment, e.g. Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt, Nebucanezzar's madness, etc.  The reason we know this is because the Bible reveals this to us.  Without direct revelation, it is impossible to know such things.  The point Jesus makes and the point that is important for us is that God can overcome misfortune and sin and that in Christ all will be made alive and whole.  He is capable of turning cursing into blessing and evil into good.  As we have seen throughout John, belief is paramount.   It is the way we have a relationship with God.  Jesus told the man to "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam".  The man believed Jesus and obeyed him.   Had he not trusted Jesus, he would have remained blind.  It is only through trusting in Jesus that we have light and life. 

The antagonism against Jesus by the Jewish authorities continues to be emphasized by John.  By this time the Sanhedrin had formulated a policy that if anyone said that Jesus was the Messiah then he would be excommunicated (v. 22).  The blind man's response to the Jewish leadership is simply to tell the truth.   All he does is report what happened.  Truth towers above lies regardless of one's station in life.  By telling the truth, he confounded the theological learned leaders and their arguments.  For his honesty and because he was willing to follow Jesus he became an outcast from Jewish society (v. 34).  Jesus approached the man after his excommunication and revealed himself to him.  He responded to Jesus and was accepted.  The Pharisees reacted against Jesus and were rejected.