Faith, Judgement, and Change?

We're still in John's gospel, and it's a very different place to be. But don't worry; we'll be back in Galilee with Matthew, Mark and Luke soon. Still, it's intriguing to see Jesus' famous discourses in the context of a ministry spanning miles and years, rather than one spanning pages in a book.

(37)Life and Judgement

Jesus has just healed on the Sabbath AND claimed to be the Son of God. The authorities’ heresy radar is bristling. They want to “judge” rightly and determine whether or not Jesus is the Messiah, but it’s difficult. What makes it hard for us to be both faithful and impartial in judging what others say or do?

Read John 5:24-30 What is your first impression of what you’ve just read? Which verse are you still thinking about?

1.       Verse 24 Can you paraphrase this? Is Jesus talking to people who might casually say “Sure, I believe it,” or to people for whom belief is central to their lives? What might “crossed over” from death to life imply?

2.       Verse 25 Can you paraphrase this? Which “dead” did the Jewish leaders place their faith in? And which dead needed to hear the voice of the “Son of God”?

3.       Verse 26-27 How are life and judgement intertwined?

4.       Verse 28 Who is marveling—in a good way or a horrified way?

5.       Verse 24 said those who believed would live, but verse 29 says only those who’ve done good. Again, how does the context—who Jesus is speaking too and about, & when and where—make a difference to how you read this?

6.       Verse 30 How can we ever tell if our “judgement” is righteous? Is this why we shouldn’t judge?

Read John 5:31-40 Again, what is your first impression of what you’ve just read? (And for a second impression—did your Bible start this passage with a heading? One of mine starts with “Four Testimonies about Jesus.”)

1.       Verse 31 How might this distinguish Jesus from false Messiahs?

2.       Verse 32 How many witnesses were required in Jewish tradition? What’s the significance of two, three or four?

3.       What witness might Jesus be referring to in Verse 32? How might this apply today?

4.       Verse 33-35 Why might John’s testimony about Jesus not be sufficient, even though they trusted his other preaching?

5.       Verse 36 What “witness” is Jesus talking about? Is there an equivalent witness today?

6.       Verse 37-39 How does the Father witness to Jesus, and why aren’t they hearing that witness?

7.       How might we put ourselves in a place where we fail to hear the Father too?

8.       Verse 40 Is reading and knowing the scriptures enough? Was it then? Is it now?

Now read John 5:41-47 We don’t get to “hear” Jesus preaching to us, but we do learn about him—in the Bible, in religious books in church, in commentaries and religious self-help books, in sermons… Who do we believe?

1.       Verse 41-42 Which matters more, recognition (also translated as honor and praise), or love?

2.       Verse 43 Whose name matters more—the great teacher’s/healer’s/revival leader’s, Jesus’, or the Father’s?

3.       Verse 44 How do we balance receiving honor from friends and from God?

4.       Verse 45-47 Jesus’ listeners looked to Moses as the ultimate earthly authority.

a.       Who might non-Christians today look to? What about spiritually minded non-Christians?

b.      Is there a sense in which their authorities also point to Jesus? (Read Romans 1:18-20)

5.       What keep people from believing? (Or how are they kept from believing?)

6.       Should our faith remain fixed, with old ideas confirmed but no new input, or are we meant to learn and change in our faith? Were the people of Jesus’ time meant to learn and change?