What does John 5:16 mean?
In the prior passage (John 5:1–15), Jesus healed a man who had been crippled for nearly forty years. He tells the man to pick up his bed and walk. According to traditional interpretations of the law of Moses, this was a violation of the Sabbath. When John uses the Greek term Ioudaioi, translated as "the Jews," he is referring to the spiritual leaders of Jerusalem, particularly the Pharisees and Sadducees. These local religious leaders challenged the newly restored man (John 5:10), who indicated that he'd been healed. Rather than focusing on the miracle, everything these officials do revolves around a conflict with their traditions (John 5:10, 12, 16, 18).Jesus often chooses to perform healing or other works on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10–17; Matthew 12:9–14). Since this is a pattern, it makes sense that He has a purpose behind it. The most likely explanation is that Jesus is deliberately provoking the Pharisees. By confronting them with their own hypocrisy, Jesus can explain His mission and reveal the cold truth behind their so-called faith in God. This verse puts that problem in stark terms: Jesus breaks their tradition, and for that reason they persecute Him.
John 5:16–29 begins Jesus' response to local religious leaders. After healing a man on the Sabbath, Jesus is attacked for violating traditions related to the Mosaic law and for claiming to be equal to God. In this passage, Jesus claims many of the attributes of God the Father. Among these are the power, judgment, love, and honor of God. Jesus also states that those who reject His message dishonor God and only those who believe Him will have eternal life. In the next passage, Jesus will support these claims by referring to various forms of evidence, all of which prove His ministry to be true.
Jesus again returns to Jerusalem, as required for the various feast days. While there, He heals a man who had been crippled for nearly forty years. Since this occurred on the Sabbath, local religious leaders are angry. In fact, they are more upset with Jesus for working on the Sabbath than amazed at His miracle. In response, Jesus offers an important perspective on evidence. Jesus refers to human testimony, scriptural testimony, and miracles as reasons to believe His declarations. Christ also lays claim to many of the attributes of God, making a clear claim to divinity.
