John 5:11

Joh 5:11. Εἶπεν, said) and indeed, as the fact showed, He had a right to say it. Jesus, along with healing, gave discernment to the man [agnitionem].

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh 5:11 . The man’s reply reveals a higher law than that of the Sabbath, the fundamental principle of all Christian obedience: Ὁ ποιήσας … περιπάτει . He that gives life is the proper authority for its use.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 11. He that made me whole, c.] The poor man reasoned conclusively:- He who could work such a miracle must be at least the best of men: now a good man will neither do evil himself, nor command others to do it: but he who cured me ordered me to carry my bed therefore, there can be no evil in it.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(11) He that made me whole.—The man bases the use of his power upon the will of Him who had given it. That has been the one divine voice he has heard, and it cannot be wrong for him to obey it.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. He that made me whole] The man’s defiance of them in the first flush of his recovered health is very natural. He means, ‘if He could cure me of a sickness of 38 years He had authority to tell me to take up my bed.’ They will not mention the cure; he flings it in their face. There is a higher law than that of the Sabbath, and higher authority than theirs. Comp. the conduct of the blind man, chap. 9.

the same said unto me] Better, ‘He said to me,’ ‘He’ being emphatic: see on Joh_10:1.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He answered them,.... That is, the impotent man, who was now made whole, replied to the Jews:

he that made me whole, the same said unto me, take up thy bed and walk; intimating, that he that had such divine power, as to make him whole, had power to dispense with the sabbath, and such an action on it; and that his word was warrant and authority sufficient, to support him in what he did; for he that had wrought this cure for him, he concluded must be from God; was at least a great prophet, and to be hearkened to and obeyed, in one thing as well as another.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.

Ver. 11. He that made me whole, &c.] So, it seems, Christ had healed him, in part, on the inside also; and given him a ready heart to obey, though it were contra gentes, against nature, as they say.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He that made me whole - The man reasoned correctly. If Jesus had power to work so signal a miracle, he had a right to explain the law. If he had conferred so great a favor on him, he had a right to expect obedience; and we may learn that the mercy of God in pardoning our sins, or in bestowing any signal blessing, imposes the obligation to obey him. We should yield obedience to him according to what we Know to be his will, whatever may be the opinions of men, or whatever interpretation they may put on the law of God. our business is a simple, hearty, child-like obedience, let the men of the world say or think of us as they choose.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He makes them as good an answer as could well be imagined; the sum of which was, he believed that he that had thus healed him was a prophet, and so did what he did by a Divine authority, which it was lawful for him to obey, contrary to their traditions: though who this particular person was, or what his name was, were things as yet not known to him, (as we shall by and by read), yet he seemeth sensible that he was healed by a power more than human.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

11. He that made me whole—A most sensible answer. He who possesses divine power, possesses also divine authority. The man wisely thought that he who could cure him could sustain the responsibility for obedience to his command. Besides, the man uttered sound rabbinical doctrine. The Jews held that even the Sabbath might be broken at a prophet’s command, adducing the Sabbatical overthrow of Jericho by Joshua’s order: “If a prophet shall say unto thee, transgress the words of the law, hear him except to commit idolatry.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he answered them, He that made me whole, that very same man (ekeinov , "even he;" cf. for this use of the pronoun, Joh_1:18, 33 14:21, 26, etc.) said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. This was justification for him. The Prophet-like Healer must know what was right, and upon his shoulders the responsibility must rest. There was a rabbinic saying, which the cured man may or may not have heard, that conferred a dispensing power upon a prophet; but the marl could not have known with any certainty that such was Christ"s official character. It is, moreover, clear that he did not know at this moment either the face, the voice, or the name. Meyer hears a ring of defiance in these words. The other hints we obtain touching the man"s character do not sustain such an idea.

Christ who saves is Christ who rules.

This poor sufferer excited the Saviour"s sympathy and pity, and Christ healed him without delay. And it is noticeable that the word of healing was also a word of command: "Take up thy bed, and walk." The authority of the Divine Physician was acknowledged by the patient who had received the benefit. That authority was felt to be capable of overriding the letter of the ceremonial law. And the man who had been made whole, when censured by the formalists for carrying his couch on the sabbath day, naturally enough fell back for his vindication upon the command of the great Healer. He was bound to do the bidding of him who had set him free from a protracted infirmity, and had thus established a claim upon his grateful obedience.

I OBSERVE THE TWOFOLD NATURE AND NEED OF MAN.

1. Human nature is distinguished by a capacity for feeling and by a faculty of energy.

2. Consequently a Divine Saviour must both relieve him of his pains and infirmities, and at the same time give a new direction to his practical powers. The double need requires a double grace.

II REMARK IN CHRIST THE DISPOSITION TO PITY THE SUFFERER, TO PARDON THE SINNER, TO RESTORE THE DISORDERED TO MORAL HEALTH AND HARMONIOUS ACTIVITY. The miracles of healing which Christ wrought (in number more than two-thirds of the whole, as recorded by the evangelists) are an abundant proof both of his compassion and of his power to save. The variety of human ills with which he dealt may be taken as symbolizing the sympathy of Jesus with all the sorrows and errors of humanity, and his power to heal, to harmonize, and to bless.

III REMARK NO LESS IN CHRIST THE HABIT OF RIGHTEOUS AND AUTHORITATIVE COMMAND. Christ"s was the authority of holiness, of helpfulness, of love. This authority was acknowledged by nature, by demons, and especially by men. He was felt to speak as One "having authority;" he drew forth the exclamation, "What manner of man is this!" When he spoke the word of command, rigid Jews broke without compunction the tradition of the elders, and helpless cripples willed to use their hitherto powerless limbs. All this denoted the right of the Son of God to rule over human hearts and consciences, over individual conduct, and over social life.

IV CONSIDER THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF THE SAVED AS WITNESSING TO THE LORDSHIP OF THE SAVIOUR, OVER THOSE WHOM HE HAS REDEEMED.

1. So far as the Lord himself is concerned, his healing grace witnesses to his Divinity, and his Divinity involves his control over his own subjects.

2. So far as they are concerned who are healed by the Redeemer, it may be said that gratitude and love give efficacy to those purposes of obedience which are formed in the presence of his rightful authority and power. The heart responds gratefully and affectionately to the interest exhibited and the healing mercy exercised by Jesus, and looks up to its best Friend for guidance and for help. There is no law so powerful as the law of love, and no obedience so thorough and cheerful as that of gratitude. T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. He that made me whole said unto me. The defence of the man is that he was ordered to do it. He knew not who had healed him.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

11. ὁ ποιήσας. The man’s defiance of them in the first flush of his recovered health is very natural. He means, ‘if He could cure me of a sickness of 38 years, He had authority to tell me to take up my bed.’ They will not mention the cure; he flings it in their face. There is a higher law than that of the Sabbath, and higher authority than theirs. Comp. the conduct of the blind man, chap. 9. The attitude of both parties throughout is thoroughly natural.

ἐκεῖνος. Even He, with emphasis: S. John’s characteristic use of ἐκεῖνος; see on Joh 1:18, and comp. Mar 7:15; Mar 7:20; Rom 14:14.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11.] The man’s excuse is simple and sufficient; and for us, important, inasmuch as it goes into the depth of the matter, and is by the Jews themselves accepted. He who had power to make him whole, had power to suspend that law which was, like the healing, God’s work. The authority which had overruled one appointment of Providence, could overrule another. I do not mean that this reasoning was present to the man’s mind;—he very likely spoke only from intense feeling of obligation to One who had done so much for him;—but it lay beneath the words, and the Jews recognized it, by transferring their blame, from the man, to Him who healed him.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. The rec. text omits ὃς δέ before ἀπεκρίθη with D; but AB ins. the words, אC*LWNΘ giving ὁ δέ.

For ἀπεκρίθη, א*W have ἀπεκρίνατο; but see on v. 17.

ὁ ποιήσας με ὑγιῆ, ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν κτλ. For this emphatic use of ἐκεῖνος. in Jn., see on 1:8. The man’s excuse was reasonable. He who had cured him, by giving him power to get up and walk, had bidden him carry away his bed; surely it was pardonable to obey His command? The excuse was accepted, and the man was not blamed by the Jews: they go on to ask who it was that dared to give such an order.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He that made - the same [ο ποιησας - εκεινος] . The demonstrative pronoun points with emphasis to the subject of the preceding clause. A characteristic usage of John. See Joh 1:18, 33; Joh 9:37; Joh 10:1; Joh 12:48, etc.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.