John 5:1-47

John 5:1-9(a):

^5:1After these-things there was a feast of the Judeans and Jesus ascended into Jerusalem. ^.2But there is a pool in Jerusalem on the Sheep-Gate, which is being said-also in-Hebrew Bethzatha having five pillared-porches; ^.3in these a multitude of the (people) being weak lay-down - blind, lame, dried; ^.5but some man was there thirty eight years having in his weakness. ^.6Jesus, having seen this (man) lying-down and having known that he has already much time, says to him, "Do you intend to become sound?" ^.7The (man) being weak answered him, "Lord, I do not have a man in order that, whenever the water may be disturbed, he may throw me into the pool, but in which (time) I come another descends before me." ^.8Jesus says to him, "You must rise-up, lift your mattress, and walk." ^.9(a)And immediately the man became sound and he lifted his mattress and he walked.

After the events recorded in John chapter 4, it was approaching the time of a Judean feast (the celebration of a certain festival) and Jesus went up into Jerusalem which is located on higher elevation than the surrounding areas.

This feast was in the year 27 A.D. - the Feast of Weeks, and the 50th day from Passover was known as Pentecost making a special sabbath on the first day of that week, a Sunday. It was the end of the month of May and beginning the month of June (7th Sivan in the Judean calendar).

There is a pool (of water for swimming or bathing) in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate, where the sheep are allowed to enter into the city to be kept until they were needed to be bought for sacrificial offerings. This place is also called in the Hebrew language Bethzatha  (meaning House of Olives [some Greek texts read Bethesda, meaning House of Mercy, or House of Double Springs, or other variations]). It was located in north-eastern side of Jerusalem, having 5 areas with pillars, arched entryways where people could gather.

Within these five pillared-porches a multitude (a numerous amount of the fullness) of the people being weak (without/lacking strength, infirm, feeble) were continuing to recline...

• blind (people without physical sight, who cannot see),
• lame (people who cannot walk),
• dried (people with a limb that is withered);
  • [Note: most Greek texts omit the words that the King James Version (KJV) and others have added at the end of verse 3 and all of verse 4.]

...but some man was there who had been weak (being without strength, with infirmity) for 38 years.

Jesus, after he had seen (perceived) this man lying-down and after he had personally known that by this time the man has spent a lot of chronological time, says to him...

• "Do you intend (do you will with active volition and desire)
  • to become sound (healthy, in good health, well)?"

The man being weak answered him...

• "Lord (he addresses Jesus as "Master" because from his viewpoint Jesus had more authoritative power and ability than he had in the situation),
• I do not have a man for the purpose and result that,
  • at whatever time that the water may be disturbed (stirred up, agitated - when it moves by an intermittent bubbling spring causing a rippling effect over the whole pool),
• he would throw (cast) me into the pool,
  • but by the time that emphatically I come (in Greek there is a definite word for “I” plus the verb meaning “I come” giving emphasis – whenever I myself go into the pool)
  • someone else goes down into it before me (prior to, in front of, in advance of me time-wise)."

Evidently the people thought that the first one into the pool when the water would move would receive healing benefits. This man explained to Jesus that yes he did want to be sound but he had a problem with his ability to get to the required place or location so that he could receive it. However, Jesus says to him...

• "You must rise-up (it is imperative that you arise),
• lift (take up and carry)
  • your mattress (referring to what he was lying-down on, something like a stretcher, a pallet),
• and walk."

And immediately (straightaway, directly) the man became sound (as verse 6 above) and he lifted his mattress and he walked.

[Reference: Leviticus 23:1-16; Deuteronomy 2:14, 16:1-9; Nehemiah 3:1 and 32.]

Verses 9(b)-16:

^.9(b)But it was a sabbath in that day; ^.10therefore the Judeans said to the (man) having been attended-to², "It is a sabbath and it is not permitted to you to lift your mattress." ^.11But he answered them, "The (man) having made me sound - that (man) said to me, 'You must lift your mattress and walk.'" ^.12They asked him, "Who is the man, the (man) having said to you, 'You must lift and walk'?" ^.13But the (man) having been healed had not known who he is, for Jesus moved-out (during) a crowd being in the place.

^.14After these-things Jesus finds him in the temple and he said to him, "Look!, you became² sound; you must no-longer sin in order that something worse may not become to you." ^.15The man went-away and announced to the Judeans that Jesus is the (man) having made him sound; ^.16and because-of-this the Judeans persecuted Jesus because he did these-things in a sabbath.

The day in which Jesus healed the weak man was a sabbath, and following-on logically from this the Judeans said to the man who was already attended to (he had been treated therapeutically, taken care of as necessary by Jesus and he remained healed)...

• "It is a sabbath
  • and it is not permitted to you (it is not available to be done by you, you cannot do it without hindrance, it is not possible to/for you)
  • to lift your mattress (as verses 8 and 9 above)."

Those religious leaders in that community did not rejoice about the man's healing, but instead they were more concerned about someone not adhering to their traditions.

The man answered them, "The man who made me sound (healthy, in good health, well; as verses 6 and 9 above) - specifically it was that man who said to me, 'You must lift your mattress and walk.'" They asked him, "Who is the man, the man who said to you, 'You must lift and walk'?"

But the man who was healed (caused to recover from his illness) had not known and continued not to know (perceive) who he is, for Jesus moved-out (as turning his head in a different direction and then going that way out from where he had been) while there was a throng of people being in that location.

After these events Jesus finds (locates) him in the temple and he said to him...

• "Look (behold, see, pay attention)!,
• you became and continue to be sound (healthy, in good health, well);
• you must no-longer sin (it is imperative that you don't sin any longer; sin refers to aberration from God's Word, His will, His law, His precepts, missing the mark of what God says to/for His people at that time)
  • for the purpose and result that
  • something worse (comparatively more bad)
    • would not become (come to pass, happen, occur)
    • to you."

The "something worse" that might happen to that man if he were to sin against God, to which Jesus was referring, is not a physical weakness or disability but it is a lack of receiving eternal spirit-life from God at a future time.

The man went away and announced (messaged-up, reported-back, related the information that he received) to the Judeans which was that Jesus is the man who made him sound; and on account of this...

• the Judeans persecuted Jesus (they were continuing during that past time, historically, to pursue Jesus as an enemy with hostility)
  • because he did these-things (Jesus was continuing during that past time to perform, make, produce, bring about these things)
    • in (within, during)
    • a sabbath.

As we read on in this record we will learn why Jesus talked to this man at that time and made healing available to him, what "these-things" were from God's and Jesus' viewpoint, and why Jesus was continuing to do them on many occasions at various times during a sabbath day and other days also.

[Reference: Matthew 12:8 and 12; Mark 2:27; John 9:14.]

Verses 17 and 18:

^.17But he answered them, "My Father works until now, and I work." ^.18Therefore because-of-this rather the Judeans sought-after him to kill because not only did he loosen the sabbath but also he said (his) own Father (to be) God making himself equal with God. 

On some occasion when the Judeans were persecuting Jesus, he answered them...

• "My Father works (the Father of me - my Father is presently causing or effecting things to be operative with/by His actions, He produces effects by being in work, He is expending His energy)
  • until now (for the duration of time continuing up to this moment, this point in time),
• and emphatically I work (also I myself am presently causing or effecting things to be operative with/by my actions, I produce effects by being in work, I am expending my energy)."

Jesus is working his Father's works, not man's works.

Therefore on account of what Jesus said to them, rather (more-so, constantly increasing, more and more) the Judeans were continuing to look for a way to kill him during that past time, historically...

• because from their viewpoint:
  • not only did he loosen the sabbath (not alone was he continuing to unbind, unfasten, release, untie, in the sense of undoing or dismantling the sabbath from its usual or traditional role)
  • but on the contrary also emphatically he was continuing to say that his own Father was God making himself equal with God (equally proportioned, equality in measure and quality to/with God his Father pertaining to the action of working, as he stated in verse 17 above).

During the time-period of the writing of the Bible the son within a family helped his father in whatever the family business was. The son worked with his father in the family interest and did not normally branch off to "do his own thing"! Jesus was doing the work that his Father, the only true God, was instructing him to do at that time.

Note: In verses 11, 15, 16, 18, and many verses below in this chapter - the Greek root verb poieo is translated as either "to do" or "to make" depending on the context in order to communicate the meaning in English of a specific phrase.

[Reference: John 2:16, 4:34, 9:4; Philippians 2:6.]

Verses 19-23:

^.19Therefore Jesus answered and said to them, "With-certainty, with-certainty I say to you, the son is not able to do nothing from himself if-ever he may not observe the Father doing something; for which-things ever That-One may do - these-things also the son likewise does; ^.20for the Father loves the son and He points-out all-things to him, which-things He does, and greater works of these He will point-out to him in order that you may marvel; ^.21for wholly-as the Father raises-up the dead-people and makes-alive, thus also the son makes-alive whom he intends; ^.22for neither the Father judges not-one-person but He gave² all judgment to the son ^.23in order that all-people may honor the son according as they honor the Father; the (person) not honoring the son does not honor the Father, the (Father) having sent him.

Following-on logically from what is written in the previous verses, Jesus answered and was continuing to say to the Judeans...

• "With-certainty (surely, truly, amen!),
• emphatically with-certainty I say to you (by repeating this word "with-certainty" Jesus gives added emphasis to what he is saying - emphatically surely, truly, amen I am laying these words before you),
  • the son is not able to do nothing from himself (Jesus is referring to himself being the son, as stated in verse 17 above since God is his Father, and the usage of a double negative figuratively emphasizes that definitely the son does not have the able-power, the capability to perform, make, produce, bring about anything from himself, not one thing)
    • if it should ever happen that he would not observe (that he would not presently and actively be looking and mentally envisioning - even though the son may not physically see something with his physical eyes because Jesus could receive the information via the holy spirit within him - if-ever he may not be mentally-aware of and contemplating)
    • the Father doing something (performing, making, producing it, bringing it about);
• in truth, whatever things that specifically That-One would do (referring to God his Father) -
  • these things also the son likewise does (referring to Jesus himself who is God's son - in this manner similarly he performs, makes, produces them, brings them about);
• in truth, the Father loves the son (God loves Jesus His son with the brotherly or friendly kind of love, the expressed love that close family members or friends evidence towards each other)
• and He points-out all-things to him (God indicates everything to/for His son, as pointing them out to Jesus with His finger),
  • - what are the "all-things"? -
  • which-things emphatically He does (again there is emphasis by including a definite word for “He” – the things that He Himself is doing, what God is performing, making, producing, bringing about),
• and greater works of these (deeds, actions of expending energy, end-products that are comparatively more-great, larger in quantity, quality, magnitude, importance, rank, depth, degree, etc, relative-to the works that the son is currently doing; refer to verse 17 above)
  • the Father will point-out to the son (God will indicate to Jesus at a future time to when Jesus was speaking this)
    • for the purpose and result that
    • emphatically you may marvel (again there is emphasis by including a definite word for “you” – you yourselves, being the descendants of Israel/Jacob, would be astonished, look-on with wonder and amazement);
• in truth, entirely as the Father raises up the dead-people and makes-alive
  • (God causes the people who have died to rise up by giving them life, making them living again - referring to the time of their future resurrection and judgment; dead-people have no life at all in them until they will be caused to rise from death at a future time, which is the hope that God gave to people throughout the old covenant writings, first spoken about in Genesis 3:15 of the Christ, the Messiah - who is Jesus),
• in this manner also the son makes-alive whom he intends
  • (Jesus gives life to whom he wills with active volition and desire; the "life" that Jesus is referring to is not physical existence with soul/breath life, but this "life" is holy spirit-life);
• in truth, neither the Father judges not-one-person (the double negative emphasizes the point - God does not actively implement the decision made, the pronounced sentence directly on/regarding anybody, nobody)
  • but on the contrary, Jesus' Father (God) has already given and continues given (this remains unchanged)
  • all judgment (every pronounced decision, sentence passed, decision made or arrived-at by God issuing from His judging process)
  • to the son (for Jesus to implement on behalf of his Father)
• for the purpose and result that
• all-people may honor the son (everybody would esteem Jesus according to his holding-worth, the estimated value or price from God's viewpoint)
  • according as they honor the Father (just as, according to how, in comparison to the way that they are honoring God);
• the person who is not honoring the son is not honoring the Father,
  • emphatically and specifically the Father Who sent the son.

[Reference: Genesis 3:15; Matthew 15:8, 28:2-7; John 2:22, 4:34, 6:63, 8:28 and 49, 21:14; Acts 10:40-42; Romans 2:16, 4:17, 8:11; I Corinthians 15:22 and 45; II Corinthians 3:6; I Peter 3:18, 4:5; Revelation 19:11 and chapter 20. Also refer to the article Hope and Resurrection.]

Verses 24-30:

^.24With-certainty, with-certainty I say to you that the (person) hearing my word and believing the (One) having sent me - he has eternal life and into judgment he does not go but he departed² out-from the death into the life.

^.25With-certainty, with-certainty I say to you that (the) hour comes and now is when the dead-people will hear the sound of the son of God and the (people) having heard will live; ^.26for wholly-as the Father has life in Himself, thus also He gave life to the son to have in himself, ^.27and He gave authority to him to make judgment because he is (the) son of man. ^.28You must not marvel-at this because (the) hour comes in which all the (people) in the memorial-places will hear his sound ^.29and they will journey-out - the (people) having done the good-things into resurrection of life, but the (people) having practiced the slight-things into resurrection of judgment.

^.30I am not able to do nothing from myself; according as I hear I judge, and the judgment, my (judgment) is righteous because I do not seek-after the intention, my (intention), but the intention of the (One) having sent me.

With-certainty, with-certainty I say to you (as verse 19 above) that...

• the person (member of mankind, human-being) who is
  • hearing my word (listening to the word that I speak to him/her; "word" refers to a spoken-account containing individual words constituting what is spoken – the spoken account of God’s inner thoughts which is what Jesus was speaking to people at that time to be heard by them)
  • and believing (having faith, trusting)
  • the One (God) Who sent me -
    • he has/holds eternal life (life which is lifelong-life, everlasting life, life which lasts throughout all durations of life, all ages; refer to John 4:14)
    • and into judgment he does not go (he does not go with a view to, directed to, resulting in him receiving the consequences of the action of pronouncing sentence, the process of making a separating decision, the passing of judgment regarding his wrong behavior which would result in his death at the final judgment time)
  • but on the contrary, that person departed and continues departed (he has changed his direction, moved)
  • out-from the death (from the state of being dead – referring to lack of holy spirit-life by mankind resulting in final death)
  • into the life (to the state of being alive – referring to his receiving holy spirit-life resulting in eternal life).

With-certainty, with-certainty I say to you (as verses 19 and 24 above) that...

• the hour is coming (a short limited period of time is presently in the process of going from its starting point towards its ending point of accomplishment)
• and now the hour exists (what is necessary for the following to occur in the future is a reality right now, at the present time)
  • when the dead-people (those who will have already died by that future time; refer to Revelation chapter 20)
  • will hear the sound (voice)
    • of the son of God (God's son; the word "son" emphasizes origin, quality, and essence; the word "God" means the First, Superior or Ultimate One, the One Who has power, executes judgment, and emanates what He is, His power and light; refer to John 1:34)
  • and the people who heard my word (as detailed in verse 24 above)
    • will live (they will be alive, living - eternally at the time of their resurrection, as verse 24 above);
• in truth, entirely as the Father has life in Himself (God holds life within Himself; He consists of, issues, emanates His spirit-life because God is Spirit; refer to John 4:24),
  • in this manner also He gave (to "give" anything to another is an unforced presenting or yielding something which the giver already has to someone else who does not have it yet - in this context God willingly gave)
    • life (spirit-life)
    • to the son (Jesus)
    • to have/hold that same spirit-life within himself,
  • and He (the Father, God) gave
    • authority (authoritative-power, permitted-right)
    • to him (the son, Jesus)
    • to make judgment (to produce, bring about, do, perform the action of pronouncing sentence, passing judgment regarding wrong behavior, which will result in death at the final judgment time; as verses 22 and 24 above)
    • because Jesus is the son of man (descended from the first man, Adam; refer to John 1:51 and 3:13).

You must not marvel at this (don't be astonished, look-on with wonder and amazement at what I am saying to you; as verse 20 above)...

• because the hour is in the process of coming
• during which all the people who are in the memorial-places (everybody who will have died by that time and their dead bodies put into sepulchral monuments, tombs, places hewn out of stone to preserve the memory of the dead-person put inside - the dead-people)
  • will hear his sound (the voice of Jesus, the son of God, at the time of their resurrection)
  • and they will journey-out (all of the people will make their journey, proceed, pass out from the memorial places) -
    • the people who have done the good-things (God is the One Who issues His goodness and He sets the standard of/for what is good to be conformed to by others – those who performed the things that are good in God's viewpoint while they were alive before they died)
      • into resurrection of life (with a view to, directed to, resulting in a standing up that consists of life - referring to receiving the eternal life of their new spiritual bodies like the Lord Jesus Christ received when God raised him up alive),
    • but the people who have practiced the slight-things (habitually, repeatedly doing and in the process of accomplishing things which are lacking any substance in connection with God and therefore can be blown away as trivia; refer to John 3:20)
      • into resurrection of judgment (with a view to, directed to, resulting in a standing up that consists of judgment - referring to receiving the effects of the implementation of the decision made, the pronounced sentence, the passing of judgment regarding their wrong behavior, which will result in their final death; refer to verses 22, 24 and 27 above).

Emphatically I am not able to do nothing from myself (in Greek there is a definite word for “I” plus the verb meaning “I am able” giving emphasis, plus the usage of a double negative figuratively emphasizes that – definitely I myself do not have the able-power, ability, capability to perform anything from myself, not one thing; as verse 19 above)...

• according as (just as, according to how, in comparison to the way that)
  • I hear (I am listening to the instructions from God my Father)
  • I judge (I am passing sentence by actively implementing the decision made by God, pronouncing sentence in judgment; as verse 22 above),
• and the judgment (the action of pronouncing sentence, the process of making a separating decision, the passing of judgment, the decision being made in judgment; as verses 22, 24 and 27 above),
  • emphatically and specifically my judgment (mine - the decision made or arrived-at by me issuing from my judging process)
  • is righteous (it is just/right, justified from God’s viewpoint)
• because I am not looking for the intention (the will, the active volition and desire),
  • emphatically and specifically my intention (mine),
• but on the contrary, I am looking for the intention of the One Who sent me (for God's will, His active volition and desire to be implemented).

Notes:

Hope and Resurrection

People who die (dead-people) remain dead until the time of their resurrection. Dead-people are dead (they are not alive in any form) until they are resurrected from being dead. At that point they will be judged and either receive eternal life or their second/final death being completely destroyed (refer to Revelation chapter 20).

Today - while all holy-people (true Christians) await the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to gather us all together with him in the air away from the earth - the only human-being who has already been raised up by God and given a new spiritual body, and will never die again, is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Between Revelation 20:15 and Revelation 21:1 - all the people who will be judged righteous (just) to receive eternal life will have their natural, physical, fleshy, soulish bodies changed into new spiritual bodies like the Lord Jesus Christ already has and like the holy-people/Christians will receive at the time of their gathering together away from the earth by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The son of God

Jesus Christ was dead but now he is alive. God marked Jesus Christ out as the son of God by raising him up from among the dead-people giving him his spiritual body. God gave him the name that is above every other name, designating the resurrected Jesus being Lord and Christ, and his name includes the name – SON – God’s son; he inherits everything that the firstborn son should inherit from his Father, the only true God. The word “son” emphasizes origin, quality, and essence. The spirit of holiness is the spiritual essence of the resurrected Christ Jesus. Refer to Matthew 3:17, 17:5; John 17:1; Acts 2:21 and 38, 3:6 and 16, 4:7-12 and 30, 9:20, 13:33, 26:23; Romans 1:3, 4 and 9, 5:10, 8:3, 29 and 32; I Corinthians 1:9, chapter 15; II Corinthians 1:19; Galatians 2:20, 4:4 and 6; Ephesians 1:19-23, 4:13; Philippians 2:9 and 10; Colossians 1:13 and 18; I Thessalonians 1:10; II Thessalonians 3:6; Hebrews 1:1-8, 3:6, 4:14, 5:5-10, 6:6, 7:3, 21 and 28, 10:29; II Peter 1:17; I John 1:3 and 7, 2:22-24, 3:8 and 23, 4:9, 10, 14 and 15, 5:5, 9-13 and 20; II John 1:3 and 9; Revelation 2:18.

The son of man

The phrase "the son of man" refers to Jesus himself and emphasizes that he is the one who is descended from the man whom God created and made and formed as recorded in Genesis chapters 1 and 2, the first man Adam to whom God gave dominion, etc, on/over the earth. However this first man gave it to satan as recorded in Genesis chapter 3. In accordance with God's promise - Jesus is the seed of the woman (refer to Genesis 3:15).

Today of course Jesus has accomplished redemption and salvation and so he is the resurrected Christ, the second man, having received his spiritual body, the life of which is holy spirit (not soul/breath life). Therefore the title "the son of man" is not relevant to holy-people (Christians) because true Christians have the spirit of Christ within them - Christ being the new man, the last man. After the time that all Christians will be gathered together away from the earth, Christ Jesus will come to be present on earth for those who will believe at that time among the nation of Israel and the other nations, the Gentiles, as "the son of man" and he will exercise the authority that he has, his dominion on/over the earth having regained and replaced the first man and all that the first man gave to the devil/satan.

The resurrected Christ Jesus is now second-in-command to God his Father.

[Reference: John 1:12, 34 and 51, 3:13-20, 4:14 and 34, 12:44; Acts 3:15, 7:56, 10:42, 24:15; Romans 1:2-4; II Timothy 1:1; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 1:2-6, 2:6; I John 3:8 and 14, 5:10-12 and 20; Revelation 1:13, 2:18, 14:14, and chapter 20. Also refer to the article Hope and Resurrection and the Chart of Events.]

Verses 31-40:

^.31If-ever I may witness concerning myself, my witness is not true - ^.32another is the (One) witnessing concerning me and I knew² that the witness which He witnesses concerning me is true.

^.33You apostled² (people) towards John and he bore the truth witness², ^.34but I do not receive the witness from man but I say these-things in order that you may be saved; ^.35that (man) was the lamp, the (lamp) burning and shining-light, but you intended to be exulted towards an hour in his light.

^.36But I have the witness greater of John, for the works - which the Father gave² to me in order that I may make them complete, the works themselves which I do - witness concerning me that the Father apostled² me, ^.37and the Father having sent me That-One witnessed² concerning me.

Neither His sound at-any-time did you hear², nor His seen-thing did you see², ^.38and His word you do not have remaining in you, because whom That-One apostled this-one you do not believe; ^.39you search the writings because you consider to have eternal life in them, and those are the (writings) witnessing concerning me, ^.40and you do not intend to come towards me in order that you may have life.

If it should ever happen that emphatically I may witness concerning myself (again there is emphasis by including a definite word for “I” – if ever I myself would attest with information, if I alone am giving the declaration of knowledge that I personally have about myself and therefore I state and confirm it on the strength of my own authority)...

• then in that case my witness is not true (there has to be at least 2 witnesses giving the same information about something to establish that it is true from God's viewpoint according to what God says) -

...another is the One Who is witnessing concerning me (referring to God giving His attestation encompassing, encircling, about Jesus as indicated in verses 37 and 39 below)...

• and I knew and continue to know (perceive, see to the end of perceiving and knowing with my mind)
  • that the witness (the attestation or declaration which is borne bringing to light or confirming what is witnessed as being authentic information or knowledge)
    • which He (God) is witnessing
    • about me
  • is true (it is the essential reality, God’s inherent verity).

Emphatically you apostled and continue apostled people (you yourselves sent people forth/away on a specific mission or assignment towards John the baptizer, and that fact has not changed; refer to John 1:19)...

• and John bore the truth witness and continues to witness regarding the truth (attesting with information which he personally has and therefore he states with authority about the truth, witnessing to God’s essential reality, His inherent verity),

...but emphatically I do not receive the witness from man (I myself do not actively take the attestation from any member of mankind being the source of it so as to use it - that is not what I am referring to, in the context of verse 32 - no fleshy natural man is the source from-whom the witness I am talking about proceeds)...

• but on the contrary and emphatically I am saying these-things (laying out a collection of words in sentences to communicate information to you and giving the substance or content of it)
  • for the purpose and result that
  • emphatically you may be saved (so that you yourselves, being the descendants of Israel/Jacob, would have the opportunity to be made-safe to God from sins and their consequences, from destruction);
• that man (John) was continuing during a past time (historically - because at this time John had already been put into prison and Jesus knew this fact),
  • to be the lamp (figuratively referring to John the baptizer as a lamp; a literal lamp was usually supplied with oil to burn from a limited container of oil - but in this figurative context Jesus explains as follows),
    • emphatically and specifically the lamp that is
    • burning (so as to produce light outwards)
    • and shining-light (bringing or causing light to shine so as to be evident, clearly seen),
• but emphatically you intended (you yourselves willed with active volition and desire)
  • to be exulted (elated, as leaping a lot, jumping, springing about, dancing)
    • - for how long? -
    • towards an hour (approaching a short limited period of time)
  • within the sphere of action of his light (the absolute light emanating from John the baptizer).

But emphatically I have the witness greater of John (I myself have/hold the witness that is comparatively more-great, larger in quantity and quality, magnitude and importance relative-to the John, than the witness that John gave)...

• in truth, the works (deeds, the things wrought, the end-products, the effects produced with/by the action of expending energy)
  • - which the Father has already given and continues given to/for me (this remains unchanged)
    • for the purpose and result that
    • I would make them complete (cause these works to reach the ending-issue, make them perfect, cause them to arrive at the ultimate state of completeness),
  • the works themselves which I do (I am performing these same works) -
• witness concerning me
  • that the Father apostled me and this truth has not changed (God Who is my Father sent me forth/away on this specific mission or assignment),
• and the Father having sent me
  • specifically That-One (God Who is my Father)
• witnessed and continues to witness concerning me.

Jesus had 2 witnesses - the works and the Father - and at the time when Jesus was speaking there was no need for another witness from a member of mankind about Jesus. The direct witnesses of the works and the Father were far superior to the witness given by any man - not even from Jesus himself or John the baptizer.

Jesus continues regarding God his Father:

• You did not hear and continue not to hear His sound at any time (you have not listened to the Father's voice - that-which God Who is Spirit uttered to be heard by mankind),
• nor did you see and continue to see His seen-thing (you have not perceived with your eyes so as to understand the object-of-sight in your mind's thoughts as a result of physical sight - what object of sight? - that-which the Father has made available to be seen by mankind),
• and you do not have His word remaining in you (you are not holding the Father's word for it to be presently and actively staying, continuing, abiding within you; the "word" refers to the spoken-account containing individual words constituting what is spoken – the spoken account of God’s inner thoughts),
  • because whom That-One apostled (the cause being that the one whom God, the Father, sent on a specific mission or assignment)
    • this-one emphatically you do not believe (you yourselves presently do not have faith, you do not trust the information that I am saying to you);
• you search the writings (you, being the descendants of Israel/Jacob, track or trace the old covenant scriptures, as a child traces a picture or drawing from a book by using semitransparent tracing paper and a pencil)
  • because emphatically you consider (you yourselves suppose)
  • to have/hold eternal life in them (that by them you gain access to everlasting life; as verse 24 above),
    • and those are the writings which are witnessing concerning me (they contain details revealed by God to/for His people which attest with information about me),
  • and you do not intend to come (you do not will with your active volition and desire to go)
  • towards me
  • for the purpose and result that you would have/hold life (referring to eternal life).

[Reference: Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 11:7-11, 14:3, 18:16; Luke 24:27; John 1:7, 15, 18-34 and 45, 3:17, 4:34, 8:13-18; Romans 1:19-23, 2:17-24; I Corinthians 2:14; II Corinthians 13:1; II Timothy 3:15-17; I John 2:14, 5:9.]

Verses 41-47:

^.41Glory from men I do not receive ^.42but I knew² you that you do not have the love¹ of God in yourselves; ^.43I came² in the name of my Father and you do not receive me. If-ever another may come in the name, (his) own (name), that-person you will receive; ^.44how are you able to believe - glory from one-another receiving, and the glory, the (glory) from the only God you do not seek-after?

^.45You must not consider that I will accuse you towards the Father - Moses is the (person) accusing you into whom you hoped², ^.46for if you believed Moses you ever believed me, for that-person wrote concerning me; ^.47but if you do not believe the writings of that-person - how will you believe my spoken-matters?"

Jesus continues: I do not receive glory from men (I do not actively take importance, splendor, renown from members of mankind being the source of it so as to use it - that is not what I am seeking after from you)...

• but on the contrary,
• I knew and continue to know you (I have a truly active and relative knowing of you, I am personally knowledgeable regarding you)
  • that you do not have (hold)
    • the love¹ of God in yourselves (God's kind of love within your sphere of action, manifesting, evidencing it forth during the everyday living of your lives);
• emphatically I came and continue come (this has not changed)
  • in the name of my Father (which incorporated the fullness of everything involved with my Father, including His ability, workings, etc, His distinguishing and distinctive constitution, character, and quality; the word "Father" emphasizes Jesus' sonship relationship with God and it lets everyone listening to him know that what he is saying and doing is performed by the power and authority of his Father, not by Jesus' own power or authority)
    • and you are not receiving me (actively taking me - so as to use what I say and do appropriately in your own lives, even though my Father is giving you the opportunity to receive me).
• If it should happen at any time that someone else would come
  • in the name, emphatically and specifically his own name (because he is not sent by another, but he is claiming to do everything by his own power and authority),
    • that person (man, human-being) you will receive (you will take to yourselves);
• how are emphatically you able to believe (in what manner do you yourselves have the able-power, the capability to have faith in what I say and do, how can you trust me coming in my Father's name) -
  • while you are receiving (actively taking)
    • glory from one-another (the importance, splendor, renown from someone else, another member of mankind being the source of your glory),
  • and the glory,
    • emphatically and specifically the glory from the only God (the source of it being God alone, there is no other God; refer to verse 25 above)
  • you do not seek-after (you are not presently and actively looking for glory from the only God)?

It is imperative that you do not suppose that emphatically I will accuse you towards the Father (that I myself will speak publicly regarding/against you with the Father, God, as in a court proceedings)...

• Moses is the person accusing you (he is the one speaking publicly regarding/against you via his writings; Moses himself is dead and will remain dead until the time of resurrection as recorded in Revelation chapter 20)
  • into whom emphatically you hoped and continue to hope (you yourselves direct your expectation of future events coming to pass based on what Moses said/wrote),

...in truth, if you were continuing during a past time, historically, to believe Moses (to have faith relative to Moses, trust him, believe what he said/wrote)...

• you would have continued believing me,
  • for that-person wrote about me;
• but if you are not believing the writings (the individual letters or characters written making-up one writing and then all the writings together making the scriptures, the physically written-down laws or precepts on scrolls, etc)
• of that-person (Moses) -
  • how will you believe emphatically my spoken-matters (mine - the portions of the whole of God’s Word that I speak, each containing a specific discourse necessary for a particular situation or circumstance)?"

No direct answer is given to this question because Jesus has already explained why they do not believe what he says and does in the verses above.

This concludes the record of events occurring in Jerusalem during the Feast of Weeks - and the 50th day from Passover was known as Pentecost, referred to in verse 1 above.

In verse 41, the verb "to love¹" comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love. To love with His love means to love the same way as God loves, to manifest God's love towards another, whether it is towards God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Before the day of Pentecost (which is recorded in Acts 2:1-4), God told His people how to Godly-love in His revealed spoken and/or written words (and at times certain individuals among His people received holy spirit from God temporarily whereby they received information from Him regarding how to love in different specific situations).

It is the carrying out of God's commandments, His Word, which is the correct usage or way to manifest God's kind of love according to His will by any member of mankind (refer to I Corinthians chapter 13 and I John 5:1-3). It is not the same as the brotherly or friendly kind of love, nor is it the same as the emotional/feelings/sexual kind of love.

[Reference: Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18; Luke 24:27 and 44; John 1:17 and 45, 3:34, 7:19, 10:25, 17:3; I Thessalonians 2:6; I Timothy 1:17; Jude 1:25. Also refer to the articles Love in I Corinthians 13 and The Name of God. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

John Chapter 6