Reading John with the Light On: Jesus, Signs & the New Creation

Please Read John 5:1-18

Questions to consider about John 5:1-18:

1. Why do you think Jesus chose this particular man to heal? Why did He leave the others “blind, lame and paralyzed” (vv.3-4)?
2. What do we learn about the sick man’s faith in 5:7?
3. Was Jesus breaking the law in 5:8? Which law? Were the “Jews” correct in their accusation against the man in 5:9-10?
4. What does the description of those who were “blind, lame, and paralyzed” and waiting to be healed evoke within you? Think about the words: blind, lame, crippled. Remind you of anyone?
5. What’s the most surprising thing about verse 4? I know, right?
6. Why was Jesus’ answer in 5:17 understood by His accusers as “making himself equal with God” (5:18)? Can’t I do the same works my father does without making myself equal to my father?
7. What was Jesus really saying? Did Jesus’ accusers misunderstand Him? Did they twist His words or meaning? Was it fake news?
8. The human/divine nature of Jesus is one of the great mysteries of our faith (see John 1:14 & 5:18). How would you explain it?
9. Why do you think it’s important that Jesus has both a human and divine nature?
10. Look at the “Shield of the Trinity” below. What does it tell us about the Trinity? Can you list its twelve truths about God?
11. How does this diagram help us to make sense of John 5:18-30? Read through the verses and try to discover Jesus’ meaning by considering the orthodox view of His nature and of the Trinity.