Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Healing

This is the outline for the lesson of 2013-10-13 on John 5. We spent a lot of time discussing the issue of John 5:3b–4 not being in some bibles, added in a footnote in some, bracketed in some, just there in some. We will have to revisit this issue in John 8. Most of the stuff in the middle got skipped (due to time constraints), and I finished up listing the 4 witnesses from the last section.

The healing

  • READ 5:1–5
  • READ 5:6–9
  • Point out that v.3b–4 is not in the oldest manuscripts, and there are reasons to believe it was added later to explain v.7. Mention book: Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace (regarding reliability of the Bible).
  • SAY If others got to the water before this man, there must have been other people there. ASK (Uncomfortable question) Why did Jesus bypass all the others?
  • READ 5:10–14
  • Things we can learn so far:
    • Jesus went where the need was.
    • He met the need.
    • We can do the same.
    • We are nice, middle-class Americans in nice, middle-class houses. It’s tempting to say the needs are “over there.”
    • But our neighbors have needs, too.

The sign

  • SAY It appears Jesus left the man with the miracle. But in John’s gospel, the miracles Jesus performs aren’t just wonders, they are signs. ASK Where is the sign in all this?
  • READ 5:15-18
  • The sign was for the leaders of the Jews (Pharisees & Saducees), not for the man who was healed.
  • This is the beginning of the opposition to Jesus from the Jewish leaders who would eventually ask for his execution.

Jesus’ authority

  • Jesus tells the leaders that they are right about him: He is claiming to be equal with God.
  • READ 5:19–24
  • Back in verse 14, Jesus told the man he healed to “stop sinning.” But here he tells what is required for eternal life:
    • Hear the Gospel.
    • Believe it’s true.
    • READ Romans 10:14

The 4 witnesses to Jesus

  • John the Baptist: READ 5:33–35
  • The works (miracles -> signs): READ 5:36
  • The word of the Father (at Jesus’ baptism, at the transfiguration): READ 5:37–38
  • The Old Testament: READ 5:39, 45–47. Mention book: Jesus On Every Page by David Murray

No comments: