As we continue in our study of the fifth chapter of John, we need to keep in mind that the context of all that is said and done here unveils the meaning behind Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus in chapter 3. Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). Nicodemus, with all his education in the word of God that could be required for his being a teacher of Israel (John 3:10) knew nothing of the new birth and had no spiritual context for Jesus’ words, which, if taken literally, were utter nonsense (John 3:4; cp. 1Corinthians 2:14). Now, Nicodemus was not as other Jewish authorities who condemned Jesus (John 5:18), because they believed they had no need of him, in that they trusted that they could see (John 9:41; cp. Mark 4:12). Instead, Nicodemus approached Jesus, believing he was sent by God (John 3:1-2), and he came to Jesus at night hoping to see (cp. Luke 18:41).
Moreover, what Jesus says in John 5:21 cannot be divorced from what he says and does earlier in the chapter. For example, Jesus claimed that just as the Father raises the dead and quickens (G2227) them, so the Son does likewise and quickens (G2227) whomsoever he wishes (John 5:21). This is said in light of Jesus being the Image of God (John 5:19, cp. verse-30). In other words, as the Father acts, so does his Son, the Image of the Father. Earlier in the chapter Jesus chose the impotent man he made whole out of the many who occupied the five porches of Bethesda (John 5:2-3). Everyone remained just as they were, except for the man Jesus made whole. He alone was raised up, according to the will of Jesus (John 5:21), who acted in accordance with the will of the Father (John 5:19).
While every good Jew wouldn’t doubt the power of God to raise the dead, which he did through the prophets Elijah and Elisha (1Kings 17:22; 2Kings 4:32-35), why didn’t the Jewish authorities question Jesus’ power to raise the dead (John 5:21)? If the timing of Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem is correct, in that it was for the fall festivals in the seventh month of 28 AD,[1] then Jesus had already raised the son of the widow of Nain. He did this just after John the Baptizer was imprisoned, and after he returned to Galilee. Remember, Jesus had to flee the Pharisees by way of Samaria (John 4:1-4), and once he entered Galilee, he was met by the nobleman (John 4:46), who was the father of the centurion’s servant (cp. Luke 7:1-10). On the very next day Jesus entered Nain, where he raised up the widow’s son who was at that moment being carried out to be buried (Luke 7:11-15), and these Jewish authorities knew all about this miracle (Luke 7:17). Therefore, they had no context in which to deny Jesus had the power to raise the dead (John 5:21), just as they trusted God raised the dead through Elijah and Elisha.
Jesus, however, wasn’t speaking of merely raising the dead to live out his days in the flesh and then die once more. Rather, he was speaking of the new birth (John 3:3, 6), whereby those dead in their sins would be raised to life in the spirit and live eternally (Ephesians 2:1-7; cp. 1John 2:24-25). The man-made-whole was such a one (John 5:5-15). Herein, we see described the beginning of life in the Kingdom of God. The man-made-whole had no previous context of spiritual life (life in the Kingdom of God). Jesus healed him in that he was now able to use his five senses, not only for life in this world, but life in the Kingdom as well. Up to this point, he had no real knowledge of God, because he didn’t know Jesus (John 5:13; cp. Matthew 11:27). When the man-made-whole discovered it was Jesus who healed him, he told the Jewish authorities, not realizing he was opening a path for Jesus to be persecuted (John 5:14-16). Only later does the believer understand that those who walk in the flesh, no matter what their education or religious background, will always persecute those who walk in the spirit (Galatians 4:21-26, 29).
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[1] Jesus celebrated the Passover in Jerusalem in 28 AD (John 2:13). He then traveled back to Galilee but returned to Jerusalem for Pentecost (John 3:22), where he stayed until John’s imprisonment and the Pharisees sought to take Jesus as well (cp. John 3:24; 4:1-4). The next festival on the Jewish calendar occurred in the 7th month. In any case the centurion’s servant wasn’t raised until after John’s imprisonment (Matthew 4:12; 8:5), and on the following day Jesus raised up the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-15).
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