John 5 - NIV God’s Justice Bible

5:1–15 The Healing No One Asks For This healing is not prompted by anyone’s request. Once healed, the man displays no gratitude or belief. The healing is simply an expression of God’s sovereign and merciful response to human suffering. It is an example of the authority to give life that Jesus claims for himself (5:21).

5:36–47 Piety Without Love Jesus’ contradictors see themselves as faithfully observant of the law and fervent students of the Scriptures. How can they fail to rejoice in the healing of the paralytic? Why can’t they see that Jesus is the source of the eternal life they seek? They love themselves more than they love God. This puts them at opposite ends from Jesus: while he breaks tradition to give life, they do not mind breaking the law to try to kill him (5:18).