John's Gospel offers seven signs that point to Jesus as the Messiah. But the signs are not the point. What matters is the Savior to whom they point.
Our passage today includes two more signs. A Nobleman, whose son is ill, trusts Jesus and is moved from agonizing fear to absolute faith. Next, Jesus heals a man lame for 38 years, but does it on the Sabbath. Outraged by this Sabbath healing, "the Jews" (i.e., Pharisees) seek to have Jesus killed (Jn 5:18). But why? What did Jesus do and say in his ministry that would cause fellow Jews to want to kill him? And why would the Romans care?
1. Jesus Heals the Nobleman's Son (4:43-54) John shows us that the point is not the sign but the Savior that matters.
The Nobleman, whether a Hellenized-Herodian Jew or simply a Gentile, was considered by many to be outside of the scope of Israel's covenant. Like the Samaritans (John 4), others receive Jesus when his own people do not.
2. Jesus Heals a Lame Man on the Sabbath (5:1-18) Jesus' healing of the lame man was considered by Pharisaic Jews as a violation of Sabbath regulations. Understanding why this healing caused such a reaction is one of the most interesting questions in New Testament research.
Why did "the Jews" want to kill Jesus?
Seven Questions
1. What factors shaped the Jewish worldview in the first century?
2. What did it mean to be a Jew? What makes one "a Jew"?
3. What was life like in first-century "Israel"?
4. What problems faced first-century Jews?
5. What were the Jewish people looking for in a Messiah?
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