John 5

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. (John 5:1-2 KJV)

Five is the number of mercy or grace in the Bible. You might wonder why numbers have certain meanings — it’s not because a group devised a plan, it’s just noticing the use of numbers; they tend to be used consistently throughout the Bible. (For example, 40 is the number of trial or testing — it rained 40 days, Jesus in wilderness 40 days, etc). Uses of five in the Bible include Benjamin receiving five times as much food as his brothers in Genesis 43, Jesus feeding five loaves to the crowds, and so on. In this chapter the five porches should tip us off we’re going to have a lesson contrasting grace and works.

In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 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 well of whatsoever disease he had. (John 5:3-4 KJV)

Since angels don’t get involved in healing most likely John relates a local tradition; the pool was probably a spring of some sort and at times would bubble. Some commentators note this might be a quotation of a local saying; a reasonable explanation since the Greek language lacks quote marks — quotes being determined by context.

But whoever gets into the pool first is religion — you get in if you’re the best, do the most, read the most, pray the most, give the most. Religion comprises a set of rules and regulations; your acceptance being based on how well you follow the rules (I don’t smoke or chew, and don’t go with girls who do). Jesus contrasts religion and grace.

And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. (John 5:5 KJV)

Thirty–eight years is a long time; after thirty–eight years we can make some reasonable assumptions. First, he lacked friends or family; if he did he would have been in their care. Second, after laying around thirty–eight years it would have been impossible for him to walk. Anyone in bed for even a few weeks knows how weak muscles get if they’re not used. This man was beyond not only the medical and religious abilities of the day, he was in a hopelessly weakened state.

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been thus now a long time, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made well? (John 5:6 KJV)

Jesus asks a direct and simple question. Do you want to be healthy? Of course! This man tried the religion route for thirty–eight years and came up empty with nothing left but excuses. People today are no different; if you ask “do you want to know god” people respond with excuses — the church is full of hypocrites or evolution controversies or anything. But the question remains “do you want to find God?” Don’t worry about your past life or anything else you’ve thought about God — do you want to know God? Grace provides the way; religion and works leave you crippled.

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. (John 5:7 KJV)

This man responds with excuses and religion — no matter how hard I try, I can’t make it. I can’t follow the rules, can’t do the works, can’t do anything. I’m a failure; I can’t find God through religion. Of course that’s the point — religion is a failure. It’s based on what I do, on my works, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t do it.

Orthodox Christianity is the only “religion” not based on your works. Most religions determine your acceptance to God based on what you do — a list of rules to check off to monitor your progress. This appeals to people for several reasons. First, it’s easy to check your progress. I helped three little old ladies across the street today, gave $20 to charity, went to church twice this week, so I’m OK; a rules based religion appeals to people having a hard time with grace. God reached out to un-deserving man and gave a gift — a gift you don’t deserve and can’t earn. Religion is man reaching out to God; Christianity is God reaching out to man.

Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. (John 5:8 KJV)

It’s important to remember the situation facing the man; he had no way to follow Jesus’ word due to his physical condition. Jesus gave an impossible command to follow (Jesus actually speaks in the imperative active voice), providing an opportunity for the sick man to get out of the religion game. He tried the religious way for thirty–eight years and was unable to perform the works required of him. Jesus comes along freeing him (and us) from the rules of religion. Jesus reaches out to man, not the other way around.

And immediately the man was made well, and took up his bed, and walked: (John 5:9a KJV)

The man finally responds to the command of Jesus, and the result is healing. Could Jesus have healed him just laying there? Of course. Yet sometimes God requires us to respond to His calling, and if we fail to do so we miss the blessing. God doesn’t need us to accomplish His work, but He wants us (and gives us the opportunity) to be involved. You can choose to follow or not (it’s your choice), but if you choose to ignore the voice of God know and understand you’ll miss the blessing following obedience.

So where are you? Religion rules or relationship with Jesus? God may give what you believe is an impossible command, yet God empowers what He commands. Any time God gives a work to do, He provides the means to carry out that work. That never implies the job will be easy, simple or quick, only that you’ll have the tools needed to carry out the assignment.

So Jesus heals a man with no means to heal himself. You’d think everyone would be happy, right? You’d be wrong. And as Paul Harvey says, that’s the rest of the story.

... and on the same day was the sabbath. (John 5:9b KJV)

If this was a theatric production, right now you’d cue the creepy music because you know the bad guys will make a sudden appearance. And right on cue (entering stage right) here come the Pharisiees to spoil the good deed.

The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. (John 5:10 KJV)

Jeremiah 17:21 says bear no burden on the sabbath — but what does that mean? We certainly have a general idea, but the Pharisiees weren’t ones to let any detail be vague, so a simple law like obey the sabbath becomes transformed into hundreds of rules. For this man to carry his bed was against their rules, but was it disobeying the Mosaic law? If Jesus ordered it, you can be confident no violation of the law occurred. Jesus fulfilled the law, he didn’t put it aside.

The Pharisees illustrate a principle found over and over throughout history — God gives a rule, and man complicates it by adding restrictions and regulations. Why do they (and we) do this? Simple — people find comfort with rules; grace is hard.

Grace says do the right thing, but how can I know how I’m performing? If I have a checklist, I can determine where I stand. Helped a little old lady across the street, check. Read 50 chapters in the Bible, check. Went to church twice this week, check. But grace? It’s not so simple to determine how you stand with God. It’s been said being a Christian is simple — love the Lord with all your heart and do whatever you want. But if you’re truly committed to God you won’t cheat on your spouse (or on your taxes) or a whole hord of other things. Grace doesn’t imply you can live any way you want, it just removes the legalistic religion leaving the relationship.

Laws also provide a sense of pride as you measure and compare yourself with everyone else. I’ve read three more chapters than you this week, my am I spiritual! Pride corrupts leading to your downfall, so let’s just stick with grace. Just because works provide easy measures doesn’t imply it’s the best way to measure spirituality.

He answered them, He that made me well, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. (John 5:11 KJV)

Wouldn’t you obey someone who cures you instead of traditions which have done nothing for over thirty years? But the real point is the superiority of Jesus over the Pharisees’ laws and rules (not the Mosaic law, which Jesus always followed). Jesus uses this healing to show the Pharisees their law is not God’s — they’ve wandered far away from what God intended.

Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? And he that was healed knew not who it was: for Jesus had moved away, a multitude being in that place. (John 5:12-13 KJV)

The PC police rear their ugly head. Somehow they completely ignore the healing of the man they knew for thirty–eight years (and were unable to help). It’s amazing they show more concern for their law than the man. That’s what happens when religion becomes the focal point instead of God; He stands right in front of you and all you think about is “were all the rules followed”?

Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made well: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. (John 4:14 KJV)

Apparently sin caused this sickness, illustrating another common mistake. Too many people believe sickness is a result of sin or God’s judgment. It can be, but isn’t always (recall Job and Paul’s thorn in the flesh). Certainly your actions can result in a sickness, or they can be God’s judgment, but not always. In this case it appears this condition was a result of sin; be careful and don’t believe sickness always is.

The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him well. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. (John 5:15-16 KJV)

Once again the Jewish leaders miss the point. Had they been able to do anything to help this man? Nope. But instead of rejoicing in his restored ability to walk, they choose to focus on the event's timing — on the Sabbath. Perverting the sabbath is another area the Jewish leaders changed what God intended way back in Genesis when God instituted it.

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Genesis 1:31-2:3 KJV)

Why did God rest? Was he tired? Of course not. God didn’t need a break, instead He created a principle to follow — Man needs a rest and you can’t keep going all the time. It’s prudent to set aside one in seven days for God, cease your work and focus on God. (Notice the sabbath principle was pre–law. We’re not bound by the law, yet the principle remains a good one). The Sabbath was made for man, not the other way around (Mark 2:27 and Colossians 2:16-17). Similar to the Mosaic law, the Sabbath provides another example of God giving a basic principle, and man turning it into a legalistic empty religious ritual.

But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. (John 5:17 KJV)

This must have really set them off. Not only is Jesus saying He works on the Sabbath, but He claims equality with God! Jesus never gets a day off; He has to continually hold the universe together as Paul explains.

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist (Colossians 1:17 KJV)

Consist actually means hold together, which may not mean much unless you recall the structure of the atom. Inside the atom (in the nucleus) are protons and neutrons, having positive and no charge respectively. So what keeps this mass of positive charges together (since like charges repel)? Something called the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force. Without something holding it together, every atom in the universe would fly apart; Paul tells you it’s Jesus holding the atom together.

Perhaps the most amazing fact is during the beating and crucifixion, He never lost His grip holding the atoms together. At any point He could have removed Himself and been spared. Instead He followed the only way we could be saved. But a day will come when He does let go, and the universe will explode in a huge fireball as Peter reminds us in his letter (2 Peter 3:10).

Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:18 KJV)

Many skeptics state Jesus never claimed to be God. We may pick on the Pharisees frequently, but at least they understood what Jesus claimed to be — God Himself. Why do people go out of their way to deny the claims of Jesus? If I stand up and claim to be God, nobody would care. You’d rightly say I was crazy, but wouldn’t bother denying I said it. Why deny Jesus claimed to be God?

C.S. Lewis provides the answer. You see, if Jesus claimed to be God, He either was or wasn’t (not exactly a revelation I know, but what follows is the important part). If He is, He needs to be acknowledged as such. But if not, it means Jesus was untruthful. Did He know He wasn’t God (lying) or honestly believe it (lunatic)? In light of His claim to be God, you’re left with three choices: Lord, liar or lunatic. It’s popular to claim Jesus was a good teacher, or a spiritual guru, but if He claimed to be God, can He be a good teacher if He lied to you? Can He be a good teacher if He was mentally incompetent?

But if you deny the claims of Jesus, you’re not trapped by this problem and you can go merrily along denying the diety of Jesus while claiming He’s a good man. I’ve heard people attempt to avoid this problem by saying other possibilities exist, but I’ve never heard any option (mental illness, etc) which doesn’t boil down to Lord, liar or lunatic. You’re faced with a choice. You must choose — God intended it that way.

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. (John 5:19-20 KJV)

Commitment and fellowship as an example for us, In Greek, Koinonia. The special relationship between Father and Son existing for all eternity.

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and giveth them life; even so the Son giveth life to whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (John 5:21-22 KJV)

If you don’t accept Jesus, you dishonor God. Many reject Jesus yet like to say they believe in God, but you don’t reject the guy the Father sends if you truly respect God. The parable of the vineyard owner in Matthew 22:33-43 provides an illustration. As the harvest nears, the owner sends servants to the workers to receive the fruit of his vineyard, but the workers beat and kill them. Finally, he sends his son, thinking they will respect him. But they don’t, and kill him as well.

Since Genesis, God sent prophets speaking forth His truth, but people refuse it (many prophets met their end at the hand of the people they were sent to). Finally, God sends His son as a final testimony, but man rejected Jesus also. Yet if you say you accept God, you’ve got to accept the men bringing His message, both the prophets and Jesus Himself.

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 judgment; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24 KJV)

Notice the past tense — has passed. Eternal life is something you’ve got right now, you don’t need to wait for it. Romans tells us the wages of sin is death, but God’s gift is eternal life. So if you believe in Jesus, no condemnation exists (Romans 8:1) and you have already passed from the sentence of death to eternal life.

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. (John 5:25 KJV)

Before you accepted Jesus, you were dead spiritually. Paul expands on this in Ephesians 2:1-5 contrasting the old man with the new man and reminding us that dead men have no hope of saving themselves. Dead men not only tell no tales, they are incapable of doing anything at all. Since your previous condition precluded the idea you could help yourself, salvation must be a gift from God you did nothing to earn or deserve (dead people can’t work either). Thus Paul reminds us works are insufficient for salvation. In short, religion won’t do, it’s grace.

For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (John 5:26-27 KJV)

The father gives judgment to the Son. The preeminence of Christ in Colossians 1 provides a good review for anyone doubting Jesus is God and what place He has. John says the Son of God is life, but if you reject His invitation, the Son of man is judge.

Many people fear judgment. What right does God have to judge me? First off, it’s His sandbox and He makes the rules. But more than that, judgment is required for a just and righteous God. Imagine if our society ignored people who commit murder. We don’t want to judge them after all (it might hurt their self–esteem). Would you say a society like that is just? Of course not; righteousness requires judgment.

By giving judgment to the Son, Jesus is a valid judge because He was tempted as we are (Hebrews 4:15). But that’s not fair, you say, Jesus never gave in to temptation while I do all the time; how does He know what I’m going through? It’s precisely because He never gave in that makes Him qualified. Suppose you’re trying to quit smoking (a valid and worthy goal, by the way). You make if for a few days, but then give in to the old habit again. Could you help someone on day 20? or 50? Nope. By giving in to your temptation you can’t relate to someone who didn’t yield when you did. By Jesus being tempted as we are (yet never giving in), He possesses both the ability to understand and the validity to be a fair judge.

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 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. (John 5:28-29 KJV)

You are eternal whether you want to be or not. You can’t debate on whether life after death exists, you only choose your final destination. An interesting book is “The Physics of Immortality” by Frank Tipler — a book I don’t necessarily recommend for two reasons. First, it’s a tough read, and second, some of his conclusions are wrong. However, in the preface of his book he writes:

It is unique to find a book asserting, as I shall in the body of this book, that theology is a branch of Physics, that physicists can infer by calculation the existence of God and the likelihood of the resurrection of the dead to eternal life in exactly the same way as physicists calculate the properties of the electron ... When I began my career as a cosmologist some twenty years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that one day I would be writing a book purporting to show that the central claims of Judeo–Christian theology are in fact true, that these claims are straight–forward deductions of the laws of physics as we now understand them.

Providing an interesting twist, Tipler believes you are eternal, with the reasoning behind that belief not “religion” but simple deductive reasoning from the laws of Physics. But this should not surprise us, for the creator of the universe is a logical God who lays out His plan in many ways. It’s so simple even a scientist can grasp it in a way he understand. You’re free to reject Him if you want, but just remember you’re eternal; the only question being where you will spend it.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Revelation 20:11-12 KJV)

It’s your choice. A loving God won’t force you into anything you don’t want. If you don’t want to be with Him, you don’t have to be. If you don’t want light, love and peace God gives you exactly what you want, in a place the Bible calls hell; a place with the exact opposite characteristics of heaven. Either way, you get what you want. It’s your choice.

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. (John 5:30-32 KJV)

So you don’t want to believe Jesus’ own witness? John lists seven witness in his Gospel testifying to who Jesus is.

1. John the baptist — And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God (1:34).
2. Works of Jesus — But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me (5:36).
3. Father — And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape (5:37).
4. Scriptures — Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (5:39).
5. Himself — Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go (8:14).
6. Holy Spirit — But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me (15:26).
7. Believers — And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning (15:27).

We’re going to take a quick peek ahead for something really fun. In John five Jesus says if He bears witness of Himself, it is not true. But ahead in John eight verse fourteen Jesus says “Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true”. What's going on here? How can both statements be true? The Bible has no errors; if the Bible is true, both statements MUST be true. How can we explain this? Simple. They both are true. Yet how can such apparently opposite statements be true?

In John 5:31, Jesus says His testimony by itself is not valid. This is what the law said — two or more witnesses confirm testimony. The Pharisees bring up this point as Jesus speaks in John 8; they know what He said a few chapters earlier. So when Jesus speaks on His own authority they pounce on Him as any good skeptic would; He contradicts Himself. If Jesus speaks on His own, His testimony is not valid, as John 5:31 says. How then can His testimony be valid, as He says in chapter eight? Simple. He doesn’t speak on His own, since Jesus and the Father are one. Reading just a few verses later in John provides the answer.

It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me. (John 8:17-18 NKJV)

I and My Father are one. (John 10:30 NKJV)

It’s the trinity explaining how both statements are true. Yes, according to the law it takes two witnesses to establish the facts; that’s the point of John 5:31. But since Jesus and the Father are one, we have two witnesses — separate yet one God. Far from a contradiction, these verses show the deity of Jesus and a confirmation of the trinity.

Once again the skeptic pouncing on an idea comes up as empty as Wile E. Coyote chasing the roadrunner. (But what’s really interesting is if you don’t believe Jesus is God, then these verses do prove troublesome). But we’d better move on.

Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. (John 5:33-34 KJV)

Recall John 1:19-23 as the Jews questioned John the Baptist about who he was. He never claimed to be the Christ, but instead testified someone else was coming who would be the Christ. All this testimony shows you the path to salvation. The question is, do you want to be saved? In John 5:6 Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed; here He asks the Jews. And after thousands of years the question remains, do you want to be made well? But Jesus continues in His speaking of John:

He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. (John 5:35-36 KJV)

When people want proof of who Jesus is, they usually think of miracles. Do something great, they say, and I’ll believe in you (The Pharisiees said this at Jesus’ crucifixion). Yet that isn’t what God has in mind. Amos 3:7 says God doesn’t do anything without revealing it to the prophets. In other words, if you want to know God’s plan, look to the prophets. In the case of Jesus, the prophets foretold many things about His birth, life, and death. If you want to validate the authenticity of Jesus, just look to the prophets. Take for example Daniel and the famous seventy weeks.

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:24-26 KJV)

Without going into a lot of detail here, a few things should be obvious. First this is a prophecy for the Jews (as it was given to Daniel and “thy people” — the Jews). But more importantly, it’s a mathematical prophecy. From the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the Jewish Messiah shall be a certain number of days. For our purposes, it’s not important to do all the calculations (for interested people much has been written on this already), but just know a specific number of days between a known event and the revelation of the Jewish Messiah.

Jesus held them accountable to know the day in Luke 19:28-44. The Jews should have known the exact day their messiah would present Himself as prophesied in Daniel 9. But they missed it, and that causes Jesus to weep over the city. Just like the Jews, as Christians we’re supposed to have confidence in future prophecies — they’re certain to occur. But more importantly, we should understand the prophets. Too many people shy away from prophecy (especially the book of Revelation). But God wants us to understand His plan and the future.

And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. (John 5:37-38 KJV)

Up to this point Jesus and the Pharisees have been more or less polite to each other, but now it starts to get ugly; the gloves come off. Jesus speaks more and more clearly, while the Pharisiees grow more hostile, eventually hatching a plan to kill Him.

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5:39-40 KJV)

The Old Testament prophets revealed God’s plan but the Jews refused all the testimony. Jesus points out they spend so much time studying the scripture, but miss the big picture. Their promised Messiah stands right in front of them and they don’t get it; they were not willing. How about people today? Are we evolving and getting better and better? Consider what Paul said in the first part of Romans — does it sound familiar?

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four–footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 1:19-25 KJV)

The same point holds for people today; the evidence for God is all around — you have to willfully ignore it to believe God does not exist. No one can stand before God and say they didn’t have a chance. But man hasn’t changed in two thousand years, just like the Pharisees people today willfully ignore the evidence, instead choosing to worship the creation more than the creator.

I receive not honor from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:41-43 KJV)

Daniel 9:26-27 mentions the Antichrist and specifically refers to the Jews acceptance of him. The tragedy is God comes as Himself and is rejected, while someone else comes in their own name and will be received by the world. Many people in open rebellion against God grasp at anything to avoid God, either finding a false God to worship, or bowing down at the alter of evolution (to deny the existence of any god).

How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only? (John 5:44 KJV)

As humans, we consistently put what other people think above what God thinks. It’s the instant gratification crowd today wanting what they want now. I want gratification, so what other people think is more important than what God thinks. It’s important to contrast God’s values with man’s as in most respects they oppose each other. Think about God’s values as you observe advertising. Advertising plays on three things:

1. Lust of the flesh — You want this, and in fact you deserve it.
2. Lust of the eyes — You’ll look good in this.
3. Pride of life — Everyone else will admire you.

We can compare God’s values and man’s.

Man	God
Money	Poor in Spirit
Service to self	Service to others
Works	Grace
Ambition	No Reputation
Pride	Humility

Our society places a high priority on money, but what is easier for God to get, funny paper with green ink or someone with a heart after God? Money is easy, but hearts devoted to God prove much harder to come by. Material goods won’t satisfy you anyway, as Ecclesiastes chapter two reminds us all is vanity. Soloman had more stuff than I ever will, yet what does he conclude?

I made for myself great works; I built houses; I planted vineyards: I made gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: ... I gathered also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I got men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion of all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:4-5,8-11 KJV)

Be careful what you trust in, as we see back in John. If you’re trusting in power, money or possessions, remember Soloman’s words. If you’re trusting in religion, consider Jesus’ next words.

Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. (John 5:45 KJV)

The Pharisiees trusted in the Mosaic law, yet it was that very law convicting them of sin. Instead of giving them righteousness, the law demonstrated their sin and need for a savior. They believed they could keep the law, while no hope exists of truly keeping the law. The Pharisees took a spiritual law and made it into a set of rules which they believed they could keep. But you can’t keep the Law no matter how hard you try. Jesus in Matthew 5 explains what the law means — murder is calling someone empty headed. You can’t keep the law as it’s spiritual, not physical.

For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:46-47 KJV)

Starting in Genesis 3:15 and continuing throughout the Old Testament are signs of Jesus and details of God’s plan. The Pharisiees ignored those, so why would they believe the words of Jesus?

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The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)