John 5:39-47

Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Sit comfortably and breathe deeply for a few seconds before you begin. If you haven’t read the Introduction to John’s Gospel, read it here.

In this final part of Jesus’ defense of the Sabbath healing at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus turns the tables on the religious leaders. Read John 5:39-47 noting the ways these leaders have missed the mark concerning Jesus.

As we’ve seen over the past few passages, head knowledge does not necessarily lead to transformative faith. These religious leaders are experts in the Jewish law and Scriptures. They have read, studied and even taught others, but in all their searching and learning they have failed to recognize the one to whom all of Scripture points. They have layered their own expectations and motives over the truth of Scripture and they cannot see what is right in front of them.

John’s Gospel opens with the foundational truth on which everything else hinges: Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. The Old Testament Scriptures point forward to Jesus and the New Testament Scriptures point back to Jesus.

Stop to consider this for a moment. How do you read the Bible? Is Jesus the lens through which you view all of Scripture? Talk to Jesus about this.

Those who have put their faith in Jesus and have been given new life by the Spirit of Jesus do not worship and follow a book. We worship and follow the living Jesus who is revealed to us through Scripture – both Old and New Testaments. If our study and love the book does not lead us to a transformative relationship with Jesus, we have missed the point.

How do you feel, or what do you think about this? Share these thoughts with Jesus now.

Read John 5:39-47 again with all of this in mind.

For the last few minutes of your time, meditate on each of the statements Jesus makes to the religious leaders and consider asking Jesus to shine a light into your heart and mind to point out any ways you might be missing the point to one degree or another.

Take a moment after each phrase to be silent and listen to whatever Jesus might want to say to you.

(This is not an exercise in condemnation or shame – remember that Jesus loves you and doesn’t want you to miss out on the abundant life found in him.)

“You search the Scriptures…yet you refuse to come to me…”

“You don’t have God’s love within you…you have rejected me.”

“You honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.”

Jesus may be prompting you to do something new or different as the result of this time of reflection. If so, write down what you sense you need to do and take a step in that direction today.

Subscribe here to receive these guided meditations free by email Monday-Friday each week. If you find these meditations helpful, please forward them to a couple of friends.

The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide ebook can help you learn how to recognize God's voice, how to read and understand the Bible, how to develop deep spiritual friendships, and how to become the person you were meant to be. Use it alone, with a friend or in a small group.