Manfred Diefenbach - THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS, THE CHRIST AND THE SON OF GOD, ACCORDING TO JOHN

that ( ) / the / hour (comes)” (vv. 25a, 28b, 35b and John 2:4; 4:21, 23; 7:30; 8:20; 13:1; 16:[2, 4,] 21, 25, 32; 17:1)

“ when all who / are / in the tombs / graves 433” (cf. Isaiah 26:19 [LXX]; Ezekiel 37:12) “ will hear” (in Greek “ akoúo ” in vv. 24b, 25c, d, 28c, 30b, 37b and John 11:41–42)” (His) voice ( )” (vv. 25c, 28c, 37b and 11:43)

v. 29:“ and come out ” 434– note Lazarus’ raising in 11:38, 40–44 as a “proto-type” of His soteriological/eschatological statement here.

Jesus continues with the help of a contrast/alternative 435of “ good ” 436– “ evil ” 437as either (in Latin “aut”) the “ raising of life ” or (“aut”) the “ raising of judgement ” (cf., for example, Daniel 12:2; Matthew 7:21; 25:46; Acts 24:15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:13): The result of the faithful – “ those / who … ( ) have / done ” (in Greek “ po ɩé o ” in vv. 11b, 15d, 16b, 18b, 19c–f, 20c, 27b, 29b, 30a, 36d) what is “( good )” – will be in a positive way as a “raising” (in Greek “ anástas ɩ s ” in v. 29b, c and in John 11:24–25) “ of ” their (eternal) “life” (vv. 24d, e, 26a, b, 29a, 39c, 40b) at the “Last Day” (cf. 6:39–40, 44, 54; 12:48).

However, “ those / who / … ( ) have practiced/realized ” (in Greek “ prásso ” in v. 29c and 3:20) what is “( evil )” (cf. v. 29c and John 3:20; Romans 9:11; 2 Corinthians 5:10) will be “in / the / raising of judgement ” (vv. 22b, 24c 2, 27b, 29c, 30c).

v. 30:Jesus sums up with the help of an inclusion 438/parallelism (cf. vv. 19a, 30a) and a correction 439(“not … but” in v. 30d, e as in vv. 22a, b, 24c 2, d, 31b, 32a, 34a, b, 41, 42a) in the sense of a “synthesis” of His “thesis” in verses 17b–c, 19b–20d:

“( ) [ I ] can [ ] do (nothing) of His own”

only “ as I hear” (vv. 24b, 25c, d, 28c, 30b, 37b) – “ I judge” (vv. 22a, 30b 2)

“ and ( my ) judge ment ” (vv. 22b, 24c 2, 27b, 29c, 30c) “( ) [ is ] just 440[ ]

because { } I seek {not} / My / will / /

but the will of sending Me ” (vv. 23d 2, 24b, 30e, 37a).

“God is Jesus’ Father, and the Father has given to the Son power over life and death. […] The Lord our God is one. The answer in 5:19–30 is subtle: the Son does nothing of himself, but the Father has given all things to him.” 441

- Some Arguments as Testimony for Jesus (vv. 31–47)

Jesus justifies His view (vv. 17b–c, 19b–20/30) with the help of same arguments – God the FATHER (cf. vv. 32, 36b/37–38), John the Baptist (cf. vv. 33–36a), Jesus’ works (cf. v. 36b–e), the Scriptures (cf. v. 39) – Moses/Torah (cf. vv. 45c–47b 442) – as follows:

He concludes the topic of testimony for Him (cf. vv. 31–47) with an antithetic parallelism (cf. vv. 31b, 32c as in John 8:13–14) as a contrast/correction 443(“ n o t … b u t ”) (cf. vv. 31–32) – first, in a negative way:

+ God the FATHER ( [ v ] v. [ 31– ] 32)

v. 31:“ If I / alone / testify about Myself ” (in Greek “ marturéo perì emauto ũ / emo ũ ” in vv. 31a, 32a, d, 36e, 37a 2, 39c 2and in John 1:7–8, 15; 7:7; 8:14, 18; 10:25; 15:26; 18:23; 21:24; 1 John 5:9–10)

My testimony 444is n o t true” (vv. 31b, 32c and John 8:13).

v. 32:“ b u t / there / is / another / who testifies about Me” (vv. 31a, 32a, d, 36e, 37a 2, 39c 2)

“ and I know that

( ) the testimony which testifies about Me) [is] (true)” (vv. 31b, 32c and John 1:7; 3:11, 32; 8:14; 19:35; 21:24; 1 John 5:9–10; 3 John 12)”.

+ John the Baptist (vv. 33–36a)

v. 33:As the FATHER (cf. vv. 33a–36a – note the inclusion) “ John ” (vv. 33a, 36a and John 1:7, 19–34) the Baptist has also “ testified to the truth 445” (cf. vv. 31b, 32c and John 18:37; 3 John 3).

v. 34:Jesus emphasizes that He does “ not ” accept “ human ” (in Greek “ anthrópou / anthrópon in vv. 34a, 41) “ testimony ”,

“ but ” 446He “( ) says ( these ) / things / that you / may / be saved 447” (cf. John 3:17; 10:9; 12:47).

v. 35:According to Jesus’ metaphor, John the Baptist is like a “ lamp ” (in Greek “ lúchnos ” in v. 35a and in Mark 4:21; Matthew 5:15; 6:22; Luke 8:16; 11:33–34, 36; 12:35; 15:8) which was “ burning ” (in Greek “ kaío ” in v. 35b 1and in John 15:6) “ and shining ” (in Greek “ phaíno ” in v. 35b 2and in John 1:5; 1 John 2:8). Especially Jesus’ Jewish opponents were “ willing ” (vv. 35b, 40a) “ to enjoy for / a / while in ” John the Baptist’s “ light ” 448(in Greek “ ph õ s ” in v. 35c and in John 1:7–8).

v. 36:Jesus emphasizes with the help of a comparative that His “testimony / is / greater ” (vv. 20c, 36a) “/ than that / of John ” (vv. 33a, 36a).

+ Jesus’ Works ( v. 36b–e)

Jesus’ third argument for His testimony are His “ accomplished ” 449(cf. John 4:34; 17:4) “ works ” (vv. 20c, 36b, d and 10:25, 38; 14:11–12) which “ the FATHER has given ” (vv. 22b, 26b, 27a, 36b) and “ s e n t ” (in Greek “ apostéllo ” in vv. 33a, 36e, 38b) Him.

+ God the FATHER (vv. 36b/37–38)

v. 37:For Jesus is “ the FATHER who sent” (in Greek “ pémpo ” in vv. 23d 2, 24b 2, 30e, 37a) Him an important argument for His testimony but “ neither ” the Jewish aristocrats/people have “heard” (vv. 24b, 25c, d, 28c, 30b, 37b) God’s “ voice ” (vv. 25c, 28c, 37b), “ nor ” they have “ seen ” (in Greek “ horáo ” in v. 37c and in John 1:18; 6:46; 14:9; 1 John 4:12) His “ form ” 450(cf. Deuteronomy 4:12).

v. 38:Therefore Jesus continues His accusation that they did “… ( ) not have ” God’s “( word ) in ” them (cf. 1 John 2:14, 24; 3:24) and so, they did “ not believe ” (vv. 38c, 47a and 3John :12, 18; 4:48; 6:36; 8:24, 45–46; 10:25–26, 37–38; 14:10; 16:9 – please do not use the term unbelieving/unbelief! 451) in Him “ who s e n t ” (vv. 33a, 36e, 38b) Jesus, His SON.

+ The Scriptures/Hebrew Bible (vv. 39–47)

v. 39:Jesus’ next argument is their “ searching 452/ of / the Scriptures 453” – the so-called “TaNaK” 454(cf. Mark 12:24; 14:49; Matthew 21:42; 22:29; 26:54, 56; Luke 24:27, 32, 45) – in order to find “( eternal ) life ( )” (vv. 24d, 39c) “ in them ” which “ testify about ” Him(, the giver of “( eternal ) life ( )”).