John 5:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.

NIV: I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.

NASB: I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him.

CSB: I have come in my Father's name, and yet you don't accept me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.

NLT: For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them.

KJV: I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

NKJV: I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

This comment follows the same argument Jesus has made in prior verses. The Jewish religious authorities have been given more reasons to believe in Jesus than anyone. They have spoken to John the Baptist (John 5:33). They have seen Jesus' miracles (John 5:36). They have extensive knowledge of the written Word of God (John 5:39). The problem is not that these men cannot come to faith in Christ, but that they will not do so (John 5:40).

Here, Jesus points out that the Jewish religious leaders are willing to accept false teachers. They were happy to have the approval of other men and other self-styled gurus. And yet, they were not willing to follow the evidence God has given to the right conclusion. When other, lesser men come, they are accepted. When Jesus comes, in the name of God the Father, these men reject Him. This is not a problem of the mind, but of the will. They don't accept Jesus because they refuse to, regardless of what other excuses they may offer.

John 5:30–47 continues Jesus' response to His critics in Jerusalem. After healing a crippled man on the Sabbath and claiming to be equal with God, Jesus now speaks about evidence. Rather than simply saying, ''have faith,'' or ''believe Me because I said so,'' He offers reasons why He should be believed. These include human testimony, the miracles He is performing, and the words of Scripture. Jesus also makes the point that those who reject the prior words of God—the Old Testament Scriptures—aren't going to believe in Christ, no matter what.

Jesus again returns to Jerusalem, as required for the various feast days. While there, He heals a man who had been crippled for nearly forty years. Since this occurred on the Sabbath, local religious leaders are angry—more upset with Jesus for working on the Sabbath than amazed at His miracle. In response, Jesus offers an important perspective on evidence. Jesus refers to human testimony, scriptural testimony, and miracles as reasons to believe His declarations. Christ also lays claim to many of the attributes of God, making a clear claim to divinity.

Chapters 1 through 4 showed Jesus more or less avoiding publicity. Here, in chapter 5, He will begin to openly challenge the local religious leaders. This chapter is Jesus' first major answer to His critics in this Gospel. The fact that Jesus is willing to heal on the Sabbath sets up a theme of His upcoming disagreements with the Pharisees. Jesus also provides important perspective on the relationship between evidence and faith, which He will expand on in later chapters. This chapter also establishes a key point made by Jesus' critics: His claims to be God.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/3/2024 2:52:32 PM