John 5:16

5:10-16 Those eased of the punishment of sin, are in danger of returning to sin, when the terror and restraint are over, unless Divine grace dries up the fountain. The misery believers are made whole from, warns us to sin no more, having felt the smart of sin. This is the voice of every providence, Go, and sin no more. Christ saw it necessary to give this caution; for it is common for people, when sick, to promise much; when newly recovered, to perform only something; but after awhile to forget all. Christ spoke of the wrath to come, which is beyond compare worse than the many hours, nay, weeks and years of pain, some wicked men have to suffer in consequence of their unlawful indulgences. And if such afflictions are severe, how dreadful will be the everlasting punishment of the wicked!

John 5:16 . The consequence however was that “the Jews persecuted Jesus,” ἐδίωκον , not in the technical sense; but, as the imperfect also suggests, they began from this point to meditate hostile action; cf. Mark 3:6 . καὶ ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι , on the ground that He was a Sabbath-breaker, and therefore worthy of death; ὅτι ταῦτα ἐποίει ἐν σαββάτῳ . The plural and the imperfect show that the cure of the impotent man was not the only case they had in view. Their allies in the provinces had made them acquainted with similar cases. It would almost seem as if He was in the habit of thus signalising the Sabbath.

Did the Jews persecute The imperfect tense (ἐδίωκον) might be rendered began to persecute, as this is an opening of hostilities against Jesus, or, more probably, corresponds with the same tense in ἐποίει, he did, or better, was wont to do. Διώκω, to persecute, is originally to run after, to pursue with hostile purpose, and thence to harass. And sought to kill Him The best texts omit. He did See above. Godet observes: "the imperfect malignantly expresses the idea that the violation of the Sabbath has become with Him a sort of maxim."

16. because he had done these things on the sabbath day—What to these hypocritical religionists was the doing of the most glorious and beneficent miracles, compared with the atrocity of doing them on the sabbath day! Having given them this handle, on purpose to raise the first public controversy with them, and thus open a fitting opportunity of laying His claims before them, He rises at once to the whole height of them, in a statement which for grandeur and terseness exceeds almost anything that ever afterwards fell from Him, at least to His enemies.

16 . And therefore ] Better, And on this account , or, and for this cause ( John 12:18 ; John 12:27 ). It is not St John’s favourite particle ‘therefore.’ but a preposition and pronoun. Comp. John 5:18 . and sought to slay him ] These words are not genuine here, but have been inserted from John 5:18 . The other two verbs are both in the imperfect tense expressing continued action; ‘used to persecute, continued to persecute;’ ‘used to do, habitually did.’ From which we may infer that some of the unrecorded miracles ( John 2:23 , John 4:45 ) were wrought on the Sabbath: unless the Evangelist is speaking from their point of view; ‘because (as they said) He habitually did these things on the Sabbath.’

John 5:16 . Ἐδίωκοι ) they attempted to thrust Him out [began to persecute].— καὶ ἐξήτουν αὐτὸι ἀποκτεῖναι ) More modern copies have inserted this here from John 5:18 .[104] The attempt to kill is opposed to persecution , properly so called. [104] BCDL Vulg. and Memph. Versions omit it. A and Hilary, however, have it.—E. and T. And so also the margin of Ed. 2 sets aside this clause more decidedly than the Ed. Maj., and the Germ. Vers. has altogether omitted it .—E. B. John 5:16

(16) The words, “and sought to slay Him,” should be omitted. They have been inserted in some MSS. to explain the first clause of John 5:18 . For “He had done,” read He was doing. The word is in the imperfect tense, expressing continuance or custom. It is either that from this one instance they generalise a law of practice to justify their persecution, or that some of the earlier unrecorded miracles were also performed on the Sabbath. (Comp. Luke 6:1-11 .)

Persecuted Jesus - They opposed him; attempted to ruin his character; to destroy his popularity; and probably held him up before the people as a violator of the law of God. Instead of making inquiry whether he had not given proof that he was the Messiah, they "assumed" that he must be wrong, and ought to be punished. Thus every bigot and persecutor does in regard to those who differ from them. To slay him - To put him to death. This they attempted to do because it was directed in the law of Moses, Exodus 31:15; Exodus 35:2. See Luke 6:7, Luke 6:11; Luke 13:14. We see here, 1. How full of enmity and how bloody was the purpose of the Jews, All that Jesus had done was to restore an infirm man to health - a thing which they would have done for their cattle Luke 6:7, and yet they sought. his life because he had done it for a sick "man." 2. Men are often extremely envious because good is done by others, especially if it is not done according to the way of their denomination or party. 3. Here was an instance of the common feelings of a hypocrite. He often covers his enmity against the power of religion by great zeal for the form of it. He hates and persecutes those who do good, who seek the conversion of sinners, who love revivals of religion and the spread of the gospel, because it is not according to some matter of form which has been established, and on which he supposes the whole safety of the church to hang.

John 5:16-17 . Διὰ τοῦτο ] on account of this notice referring to Jesus, and then ὅτι , because He that is. See on John 10:17 . ἐδίωκ .] not judicially , by means of the law (Lampe, Rosenmüller, Kuinoel), of which the sequel says nothing, but in a general way: they made Him the object of their persecutions. ταῦτα ] these things , such as the healing of the paralytic. ἐποίει ] he did , not ἐποίησεν . ἀπεκρίνατο ] The means by which He met the διώκειν of the Jews, whether that then showed itself in accusations, reproaches, machinations, or otherwise in overt acts of hostility. This Aorist occurs in John only here, John 5:19 ; John 12:23 . ὁ πατήρ μου , κ . τ . λ .] My Father is working even to this moment; I also work . This expression is not borrowed from Philo (Strauss); Jesus alludes to the unresting activity of God for human salvation[205] since the creation was finished, notwithstanding the divine rest of the Sabbath ( Genesis 2:1-3 ) observed after the six days’ work.