The chapter divides itself into five clear parts:
The story of the miracle at the Pool of Bethzatha (1-9)
The controversy about the work on the Sabbath, and claims of Jesus in that regard (10-18)
A profound exposition of the inter-relationships of the Father and the Son (19-29)
A first theological examination of the nature of witness (30-36)
A statement on the failure of the Jews
John’s most notable characteristic is that he has a very quick eye for the actual elements in any situation that can be understood as having a symbolic reference to its meaning. ... If this is the feast mentioned, the fourth evangelist tells us of four Passovers in his gospel, which although not being impossible, is unlikely to have occurred without being explicitly identified. ...
John continues to express the scene of the miracle in some detail, which leads Marsh to believe that the details have some significance. ... The healing took place by the pool, which has been identified with other pools throughout history, although it is not vital for the understanding of the message within the chapter. ... Again a simple statement by the author has different meaning according to different theologians. Marsh believes the intention is that Jesus is possessed of knowledge about the man (as he had been about the woman at the well) from some source of omniscience. ...
Although much more detail is presented in John’s gospel than others such as Mark, major issues such as the forgiveness of sin are left out. ... Other scholars say that this point implies that Jesus dealt with the man’s sin at the time of healing, as he did in Mark 2:5. BUT Marsh considers this to be unimaginative and unnecessary. ...
Within this chapter the Jews are represented as perceiving that Jesus claimed for himself a special relationship to the Father. ... Here John is expressing in theological symbolic language the idea already explored in the gospel, that Jesus is the means by which heavenly things are brought to earth and made real in mans life and history.
To link to this page, copy the following code to your site:
All Papers Are For Research And Reference Purposes Only!
You may not turn these papers in as your own! You must cite our web site as your source!
