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A | 16. Jewish opposition.
The Sabbath.
B | 17. The defence. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."
A | 18. Jewish opposition intensified.
The Sabbath and the claim to equality with God.
B | 19-30. The defence. An expansion of the defence given in verse 17,
with special reference to the question of equality with God.
In the second section we find the following subdivision of the subject:
A | 31. Witness concerning Myself. True.
A | 32-47. The witness of others. True.
The Witness of Others (John 5: 32-47).
A1 | 33-36. The witness of John the Baptist
"concerning Me" (ho marturon peri emou).
B1 | 36-38. The Sent One. "Ye believe not."
A2 | 39, 40. The witness of the Scriptures
"concerning Me" (hai marturousai peri emou).
B2 | 41-44. The one in his own name. "How can ye believe?"
A3 | 45-47. The witness of Moses
"concerning Me" (peri emou egrapsen).
Here we have a threefold witness "concerning Me", but the witness was not received.
The witness of John the Baptist was only received "for a season". The witness of the
Scriptures was nullified because even though the Scriptures were "searched", those who
searched them never came to the Lord of Whom these Scriptures testified. And thirdly,
the Jews were actually persecuting the Lord out of zeal for "Moses" in whom they
trusted, and yet Moses was one of those who wrote of Him.
In the two sections marked B1 and B2 the Lord reveals the reason for Israel's
blindness: (1) they had not the word of God abiding in them and (2) they received
honour from man, and did not seek that honour which comes from God only--and this
blinded their eyes to the value of the evidences before them.
The most important subdivision of this great section is the defence that occupies
verses 19-30. This has a most wonderful structure which we will reserve until we have
considered those passages that lead up to it. The detailed analysis of the second great
division (31-47) must also await the time when we arrive at it in the course of our studies.
Let us now turn our attention to the opposition indicated in verses 16 and 18, so that the
way may be cleared for the consideration of the great defence found in verses 19-30.
The words sabbata, sabbaton and prosabbaton, translated "sabbath day", "sabbath"
and "day before the sabbath", occur in the Gospels 49 times (7*7). Not only is there
evidence of intention here in the multiple of seven, but we also find that the expression
"the first day of the week", sabbata (the exact translation of the original we do not now