John 5: Jesus heals an invalid on the Sabbath, He explains why men must honor the Son, Jesus promises to take the gospel to the dead, Man is resurrected, judged, and assigned his glory by the Son, Jesus obeys the divine law of witnesses.
VIEW Jesus Heals at the Pool of Bethesda 6 min.
VIEW also/or instead 3-D Depiction of the Healing at Bethesda 9 min
-What is the story about the pool and healing?
REVIEW John 5:1-9
READ Did Angels actually trouble the..in Additional Resources
-Why couldn’t the man be healed?
-Did Jesus understand the problem?
-What do you think is the significance of the question the Savior asked in verse 6?
READ Was this a type and shadow of Vicarious…in Add’l Res
-Did Jesus help him into the pool? What did He tell the man?
-What did the man do?
-What was the problem caused with the timing of this healing?
READ John 5:16
REVIEW John 5:6-15 How many times is “made whole” written?
-What do you think this phrase “made whole” means?
We can be made whole physically and spiritually only through the power of Jesus Christ.
-Can sin be “a worse thing” than a physical disease infirmity?
-In what ways might we be like the man at the edge of the pool of Bethesda?
John 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
John 5:16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
14-NT SSL: March 27-April 2, Matthew 14; Mark 6; John 5–6 “Be Not Afraid”
John 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
John 5:24 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.
John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
What was the fate of John the Baptist? “John preached and baptized for about six months before he baptized Jesus. He then continued about 6 to 9 months afterward until he was imprisoned by Herod Antipas. During the imprisonment John was probably tortured scourged and bound with chains, for such was the ancient custom….After 9 to 12 months in the dungeon, John was beheaded at the order of Herod, who in his lust for Salome, a dancing girl, had fallen prey to a murderous scheme of Herodias to destroy John.” (Matthews, “There is Not a Greater Prophet,” 16)
.The healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda leads into important doctrinal teachings. Examine the following scriptures, looking for what the Savior taught about His power to bring life to all people.
John 5:21 (The Father and Son are united in Their desires and have power to “quicken” people, or to bring them back to life.)
John 5:24 (Those who hear and believe Jesus Christ and His Father will have everlasting life and will pass “from death unto life.”)
John 5:25, 28 (Those who have died will hear the voice of the Savior, “and they that hear shall live.”)
John 5:29 (All will be resurrected, both those who have done good and those who have done evil.)
Jesus Christ is the Beloved Son of Heavenly Father
REVIEW John 5:16-47 How many times does Jesus use the word Father in these verses?
-What insights do you gain about Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son from these verses?
The Savior can magnify our humble offerings to accomplish His purposes.
Matthew 14 records the death of John the Baptist. This chapter also tells the Miracle of Feeding the 5000
READ What was the fate of John the Baptist?
Matt 14:13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and abrake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
Matt 14:22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
John 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
REVIEW Matt 14:13-21 What happens here?
-What had Jesus just heard about? Vs 13
-At a time when Jesus might have wanted to mourn John’s death what did He see? Vs 14
-What did He do?
VIEW The Feeding of the 5,000 3 min or/also-from The Chosen
Jesus Feeds 5,000 With 2 Fish and 5 Loaves 7:27 min
-When it was evening what did the disciples want to do?
-What did Jesus tell them to do?
-How many loaves and fish were gathered before He blessed them?
-How many were fed? -How much was fed how much was left over?
-How does reading about the miracle increase your faith in the Savior’s ability to bless you personally.
-What did Jesus then do?
READ Matt 14:22-23 Jesus finally finds some time to be alone.
READ How did Jesus put His Followers…..in Add’l Res
-How many were fed? Plus who else?
-How much was left over?
READ Why is the feeding of the multitude recorded in all four Gospels?...in Add’l Res
-How does this miracle increase your faith that the Lord can bless you?
-In what ways can the Savior feed us spiritually?
READ John 6:14-15
-What did the men of the multitude think?
-Where did Jesus go? Why?
Matt 14:24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And ain the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
What Blessings come from following Peter’s example? “It is my firm belief that if as individual people, as families, communities, and nations, we could, like Peter, fix our eyes on Jesus, we too might walk triumphantly over ‘the swelling waves of disbelief’ and remain ‘unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt.’ But if we turn away our eyes from him in whom we must believe, as it is so easy to do and the world is so much tempted to do, if we look to the power and fury of those terrible and destructive elements around us rather than to him who can help and save us, then we shall inevitably sink in a sea of conflict and sorrow and despair.” (Hunter,”Beacon in the Harbor of Peace,” 19)
Jesus Walks on the Water
The account in Matthew 14 (24-33) of Jesus Christ walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee provides an example of the Savior’s power over the elements. This experience teaches that the Savior, who can walk on water and calm storms, can also lift His disciples and give them peace during storms of opposition. The storm can also be seen as a symbol of the opposition the Lord and His disciples were facing at that time.
VIEW Jesus Walking On Water 2 min
REVIEW Matt 14:24-33
Jesus Christ invites us to set aside our fears and doubts so that we can more fully come unto Him.
READ Jesus Walking on the Sea of Galilee…in Add’l Res
-How might Jesus’s words have helped Peter have faith to leave the boat and walk on the water?
-How do Jesus’s admonitions to “be of good cheer” and “be not afraid” (verse 27) apply to us today?
-What can we learn from Peter about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and to trust Him?
READ What blessings come from following Peter’s example?
-Have you, like Peter, taken action to follow the Savior, even when the outcome was uncertain.
-How has Jesus Christ come to our rescue in our moments of fear or doubt?
As disciples of Christ, we must be willing to believe and accept the truth, even when it is hard to do.
John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
John 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
John 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
As disciples of Christ, we must be willing to believe and accept the truth, even when it is hard to do.
SUMMARY of John 6:Jesus feeds the five thousand --He is the living manna sent from God—Salvation is gained by eating living bread—Jesus explains how men eat His flesh and drink His blood—Peter testifies that Jesus is the Messiah.
VIEW I Am The Bread of Life about 7 min
READ John 6:26-27 The JST adds words to verse 26
JST John 6:26 … not because ye desire to keep my sayings, neither because ye saw the miracles …
-What is happening here? Why are the people following Him?
-What does the Savior tell them they should seek?
READ John 6:32–35, 48–51
-What are the people saying about Moses and manna?
-Did the manna come from Moses or from God?
-What does Jesus tell them about bread?
READ Who does the bread or manna represent?...in Add’l Res
-What does He mean “that a man may eat thereof and not die?”
-What does He mean in verse 51?
READ What does it mean to eat the bread…?...in Add’l Res
-How do we “eat of this bread?”
READ What do we learn about the Jews who chose to take Jesus literally regarding eating His flesh?...in Add’l Res
READ John 6:60-61
-What does it mean that “this is a hard saying?”
READ Elder Neal A. Maxwell…in Add’l Res
John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
JST John 6:65 … except he doeth the will of my Father who hath sent me.
John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
READ John 6:65-66 ALSO READ JST John 6:65
-Why did disciples leave?
-How did JST John 6:65 make Jesus’ words a “harder” saying?
READ What warning can be gained from this story…in Add’l Res
-What did Jesus then ask of the 12?
READ John 6:67
-What connection do you see between the Savior’s question in verse 61 and His question in verse 67?
-Do we have “hard sayings” in our time?
-Do we just want the free bread and fishes, or are we willing to “cometh, believeth” and follow Him?
READ John 6:68-71
-Will we answer like Peter: “to whom shall we go?
READ Where are the words of Eternal Life?...in Add’l Res
-Jesus answers in verses 70-71, who is the devil?
READ What does the Savior mean by saying one…in Add’l Res
-According to Harold B. Lee, do we have to guard against this today?
LAST WORD: In the Oct. 2016 GC,Elder M. Russell Ballard said: “One of the most heart-wrenching stories in scripture occurred when “many of [the Lord’s] disciples” found it hard to accept His teachings and doctrine, and they “went back, and walked no more with him.” As these disciples left, Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Will ye also go away?”
Peter responded:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”
“In that moment, when others focused on what they could not accept, the Apostles chose to focus on what they did believe and know, and as a result, they remained with Christ.”
In this day the same “hard sayings” written about in John 6, which caused some disciples to turn away, apply to us. The Lord expects us to believe and to remain with Him. Let us think of ourselves and what it would mean to “also go away.” It would be a conscious choice for us to make. perhaps because of some slight, some offense, some reluctance to act or serve, some desire to sever our relationship, which could have eternal consequences. In this situation, the question that Peter answers with his comment “where would we go” is one that a person should ask themselves. The decision “to walk no more with the Lord” will have long term impact that cannot be foreseen at this time.
Elder Ballard continued: “If you live as long as I have, you will come to know that things have a way of resolving themselves. An inspired insight or revelation may shed new light on an issue. Remember, the Restoration is not an event, but it continues to unfold. So before you make that spiritually perilous choice to leave, I encourage you to stop and think carefully before giving up whatever it was that brought you to your testimony of the restored Church of Jesus Christ in the first place. Stop and think about what you have felt here and why you felt it. Think about the times when the Holy Ghost has borne witness to you of eternal truth. Brothers and sisters, I promise you in the name of the Lord that He will never abandon His Church and that He will never abandon any one of us.”
It is my testimony that this promise made by Elder Ballard, which has also been made to each of us by the Savior, is true. We are His children, He loves us, we were not sent here to fail, He is our leader and has placed His representatives here on earth to guide us. We have received the Holy Ghost which will confirm the truth of what we are given, what we receive, and to guide us along His path. We need to take our journey along that path. This is not compelled but done by our choice, it is our use of the free will, the agency to act, that each of us possess. But the choice should be relatively easy. After all, “where [else] would we go/”
A quote I read this week said this: “Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.” Have a good week. Spring is now here, it’s time for new growth!
Greg
How did Jesus put His followers’ needs ahead of His own? (Matt 14:16) “Jesus left shortly thereafter by ship to ‘a desert place apart. But instead of solitude, he met up with a multitude in need of his healing and care.
Moved with compassion towards them, Jesus postponed any moment of renewal he might have desired and responded to their needs. Not only did he heal their sick, but he saw to it that all present were fed.
As I read these verses, I came to feel by the Spirit how much the Savior understands my trying moments.” (Merkley, “Loaves, Fishes and Compassion,” 30)
Why is the feeding of the multitude recorded in all four Gospels? “The feeding of the five thousand men--in addition to women and children--was recorded by all of the Gospel writers….It is assumed that the simple peasant meal of two small fishes and five barley loaves (barley being a staple grain of the poor) was a fulfillment of the Jewish tradition that the Messiah would signed His advent by repeating the miracle of manna. Rabbis taught for generation, ‘As the first Savior--the deliverer from Egyptian bondage’ caused manna to fall for Israel from heaven, so the second Savior--the Messiah--will also cause manna to descend for them once more.” (Black, 400 Questions and Answers, 133-34).
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Did Angels actually trouble the waters to heal people? “No doubt the pool of Bethesda was a mineral spring whose waters had some curative virtue. But any notion that an angel came down and troubled the waters, so that the first person thereafter entering them would be healed, was pur superstition. Healing miracles are not wrought in any such manner.” (McConkie, Doctrinal NT Commentaries, 1:118)
Was this a Type and Shadow of Vicarious Ordinances? [The] account of the healing at the pool of Bethesda could foreshadow vicarious temple work. Just as we go down into the water for baptism, those who were to be healed needed to go down into the pool. There were numerous powerless individuals near the water who were waiting for an angel to help them because they could not to do the work themselves. They have waited a long time. We become like angels to those who have passed on when we stir the water for them by being baptized. It is the Savior’s power that allows us to rise up, it is significant that the man is found rejoicing at the temple after being healed. This helps us understand why this chapter includes Christ prophesying that the dead will be taught the gospel in the spirit word, and that they will resurrected according to their works (vv 28-29). (Valletta, The NT Study Guide, 356)
What does it mean to eat the bread and live forever? There are saving ordinances that enable us to live forever. “The sacrament is indeed a saving ordinance for the membership of the Church, and through righteous participation in the ordinance, we may build upon the rock of Christ that becomes our foundation as we come out of the waters of baptism. Through building upon the rock of Christ, we can achieve eternal life.” (Nyman, “The Sacrament,” 137)
What do we learn about the Jews who chose to take Jesus literally regarding eating His flesh? “There was little excuse for the Jews pretending to understand that our Lord meant an actual eating and drinking of His material flesh and blood. The utterances to which they objected were far more readily understood by them than they are by us on first reading, for the representation of the law and of truth in general as bread, and acceptance thereof as a process of eating and drinking, were figures in everyday use by the rabbis of that time. Their failure to comprehend the symbolism of Christ’s doctrine was an act of will, not the natural consequence of innocent ignorance.” (Talmage, “Jesus The Christ,” 342)
Jesus Walking on the Sea of Galilee “in the Fourth Watch”
The Romans divided the night hours into four watches, corresponding roughly to 6:00–9:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m.–midnight, midnight–3:00 a.m., and 3:00–6:00 a.m. When the Savior came to the disciples in the fourth watch, they had been rowing all night against a contrary wind. Sister Susan W. Tanner, while serving as Young Women general president, testified that the Lord will come to each of us, though we may need to be patient:
“I know that [the Lord’s] tender mercies and His miracles, large and small, are real. They come in His way and on His timetable. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Jesus’s disciples on the Sea of Galilee had to toil in rowing against a contrary wind all through the night before Jesus finally came to their aid. He did not come until the ‘fourth watch,’ meaning near dawn. Yet He did come. (See Mark 6:45–51.) My testimony is that miracles do come, though sometimes not until the fourth watch” (“My Soul Delighteth in the Things of the Lord,” Ensign, May 2008, 83).
Who does the bread or manna represent? “Israel would have perished in the wilderness were it not for the bread or manna sent down from Heaven. That heaven sent bread symbolized that all men would have perished had it not been for Christ, who came down from heaven as the food or spiritual nourishment of which all must partake or die as to the things of the Spirit.” (McConkie, “Gospel Symbolism,” 4)
What warning can be gained from this story of those who walk away from Christ? “In [this] little story is something of the danger in our day. It is that in our contemporary success and sophistication we too may walk away from the vitally crucial bread of eternal life; we may actually choose to be spiritually malnourished, willfully indulging in a kind of spiritual anorexia. Like those childish Galileans of old, we may turn up our noses when divine sustenance is placed before us.” (Holland, “He Hath Filled the Hungry,” 65)
Where are the words of Eternal Life? When the Savior turned to His disciples and asked, “Will ye also go away?” Peter boldly responded, �“To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of Eternal Life.” Elder Neal A. Maxwell challenged us: “If there are disappointments, let us not turn away but turn to, remembering Peter’s immortal interrogative of the Savior, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go?’ There is, my brothers and sisters, no other ‘plan of happiness’, only multiple-choice misery.” (“Net Gathers of Every Kind,” 15)
The Saviors words of eternal life are available today. As the Prophet Joseph Smith declared, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the words of eternal life.” (History, 1838-1856, Vol E-1 [1 July 1843-30 April 1844],” 6h 1771, josephsmithpapers.org).
What does the Savior mean by saying one was a devil? The word for devil in Greek means to “set in opposition” and “to give false information,” that is to slander and accuse falsely. “Today the greatest enemies we have are those who, for flattery of the world, would betray the Savior by denying His prophets and making light of Church pronouncements on vital issues that strike at the very foundation of the Lord’s work. Such we have among us today--make no mistake.” (Teachings of Harold B. Lee, 39)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote about why people abandoned Jesus and why we must be willing to accept the hard doctrines of the gospel, even when they are unpopular with the world:
“When Jesus first began to preach strong doctrines (the scriptures refer to these as ‘hard sayings’), many of those who followed Him ‘went back, and walked no more with him.’ (John 6:66.) Once His doctrines really began to make demands of people, it was too much for many.
“There are equivalent ‘hard sayings’ about our secular societies that one hesitates to utter but which need to be heard. They are not popular. … A truth may touch us, bore us, or merely make us uncomfortable. But those are reactions to truth, and reactions do not alter the reality of truth itself. … Hard sayings … when pondered, may make it easier to let go of the world. …
“Nephi lamented the fact that so many people will not ‘understand great knowledge.’ (2 Nephi 32:7.) Complexity is scarcely the cause, for the gospel is so plain and simple. Rather, the failure to comprehend seems to be rooted in a resolute refusal to let go of the world long enough to ponder the precious truths in the message of the Master” (Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward, 6–7, 22).
“Neither do we ask others to believe this doctrine because it is comforting--only because it is true! In fact, premortality is not an easy doctrine. Like other central truths in the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is a hard saying. It brings much needed identity but also much accountability.” (“But For a Small Moment,” 82)