NOTES for Joh 5:17-30

For the Jews who listened to Christ, the most astonishing and impossible thing was that He called God His Father. To a certain degree they were right: who among human beings would really dare to call God his Father? Only in the Lord Jesus Christ is the possibility of such adoption revealed to us, while within the framework of the Old Testament relationship with God this is absolutely impossible. And here we see that rare case when the Lord does not reproach the Jews for unbelief, but gives proof that He has the right to call the Father in this way: the works of Christ, in which the glory of God is unambiguously revealed. On the basis of these very works the Lord calls people to honor the Son as they honor the Father.

But then, in today's passage, the Lord says another astonishing and very important thing. The point is that a person's life outside the New Covenant concluded by Christ passes in one way or another in expectation of judgment and in preparation for it. From deep antiquity people understood this, which is why almost all ancient religions pictured the rulers of the underworld with scales in their hands, and why even the ancient Egyptians carved assurances to the gods on the walls of tombs in the name of the dead: "I did not kill, I did not steal, I did no evil..."

The Old Covenant also does not free us from this experience of all our actions, deeds, and thoughts being subject to judgment. That is what the law is for: to be judged by it... For the Gentiles, the Lord Jesus Himself also speaks of the Last Judgment, as the evangelist Matthew tells us in chapter 25. This judgment is a kind of checkpoint beyond which you either enter eternal life or do not enter it.

So the exceptional newness of Christ's covenant consists, according to His words, in the fact that the one who believes in Him is not judged and does not come into judgment, but has already passed from death into life. It goes without saying that the word "believes" does not mean someone who only "confesses with his lips," but someone who lovingly fulfills the will of Christ. For such a person the Kingdom of Heaven begins already now. When the Lord says, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near," He offers all of us entry into it.

Speaking about His ministry, Jesus mentions both judgment and the resurrection of the dead - everything that His listeners associated with the end of earthly history, the coming of the Messiah, and the arrival of the messianic Kingdom. Yet He still does not call Himself the Messiah. Perhaps this very thing gave rise to many misunderstandings: while claiming messianic prerogatives, Jesus nevertheless does not proclaim Himself the Messiah, and an ordinary person, even a prophet, was not allowed anything of the kind according to the generally accepted religious ideas of that time. Why, then, does He not try to resolve the misunderstandings simply by announcing that He is the Messiah? Then the response to His words would surely have been different, and the accusations would have been fewer, or perhaps there would have been none at all. After all, people expected both judgment and a special relationship with God from the Messiah, though of course this was not a matter of God-manhood in the Christian sense.

The problem, however, was that in the Jewish world of that time both the Messiah and His tasks were viewed through the lens of the tradition of militant messianism. This tradition had seemed to fade almost completely in the Hellenistic period, but it gained new life in the era of the Maccabean wars, which were regarded as the beginning of the messianic war, during which or shortly after which the Messiah would appear. The Messiah had not only to declare Himself; He had to act, and to act in a very specific, expected way. Jesus had no intention of acting that way. His main task during His short earthly ministry was to bring as many people as possible into the life of the Kingdom. His mission came down to going and revealing the Kingdom wherever the Father indicated, and to creating a community of those who had shared in the Kingdom and were ready to devote themselves to bearing witness to it. For everyone else, including even the apostles, all of this was only a prelude to what they considered most important: preparation for a messianic uprising and a messianic war that was supposed to end with the expulsion of the Romans and the founding of a new "kingdom of the righteous."

Jesus, however, constantly speaks about one and the same thing: the Kingdom and His true mission. He does not call Himself the Messiah precisely so that no one will demand from Him what He could not do in any case, because it was not part of His Father's plans. This made everything much more difficult and brought the tragic outcome nearer, but it made it possible to avoid misunderstandings that could have led to a serious spiritual temptation. That temptation, in 70 C.E., led to the destruction of the city and the Temple, as the Savior had foretold.

"Making Himself God" was an accusation quite often thrown at the Savior during His earthly ministry. It was thrown by deeply religious people. What was it: malicious slander or a misunderstanding? Most of all, neither.

Here it is simply the difference between religion and Revelation. Between an external knowledge of God, as if from the outside, and that fullness of communion with Him which is impossible without the fullness of His presence in the one who communes with Him. Jesus constantly speaks to His listeners precisely about such fullness. He knows what He is talking about: He was born with this fullness. He did not have to search for it and rejoice if He managed, even for a moment, to catch a glimpse of its reflection, as ordinary people do. The fullness of the life of His heavenly Father abides in Him constantly. Of course, He understands that none of His listeners has access to it as He does.

But He knows something else as well: there is a path leading to this fullness. A path that begins in the human heart, leads to Him, and then, through the fullness of His life, to the fullness of communion with God revealed in the life of the Kingdom. And then each person becomes a son of God. Not the Son with a capital letter, of course, as He Himself is, but a son. And here this is no longer religion and not even mysticism; here it is a new being, a new existence, a new life.

In the fullness of God's life, opened through the Messiah. Through the Son with a capital letter. But to a person who has made religion the goal and meaning of his life, this seems like blasphemy. How can a human being claim the fullness of communion with God? Between God and man there is an abyss. It is never bridgeable, under any circumstances. And if someone appears who claims that one can be close to God as to a human being, and even closer, he is either a madman or a blasphemer.

Meanwhile Jesus bears witness that as Man He feels no distance between Himself and God. "I and the Father are one." There is a distinction: the Son is not the Father. But there is no distance. And the action is one. "My Father is working even now, and I am working." This lack of distance seems absolutely incredible to a religious person. The paradox is that religion arose from the feeling of this distance, and arose in order to overcome it. And now the One who has overcome it appears.

It would seem that one should simply rejoice. But it turns out that what was conceived as a means has already managed to become an end in itself. And now the specialists who manage this means are indignant when they see that it is becoming unnecessary. They are ready to do everything to get rid of the One who has devalued it. But the Kingdom does not fit into any religious framework. One has to choose, and each person makes his own choice.

The Lord again speaks about the judgment that awaits all human deeds. This was probably discussed more than once during Christ's earthly ministry, and all the evangelists in one way or another pass on what the Teacher said. Unlike the lengthy parable of the Last Judgment recorded by the evangelist Matthew, the evangelist John gives here a revelation about the authority that the Father has given to the Son.

The Lord says that the Heavenly Father has given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. On the one hand, this refers to the Messiah, whom Holy Scripture often calls the Son of Man, and so we may understand the Savior to mean that judgment has been given to Him because He is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. On the other hand, let us remember the words of the apostle Paul: "Therefore He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest before God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because He Himself suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted" (Heb 2:17-18).

John of Damascus says the same thing in the irmos of the resurrection canon in the first tone, addressing Christ with the words: "You alone know the weakness of human nature and, in compassion, took it upon Yourself; gird me with power from on high..." The Son, in the thought of the apostle Paul and of St. John, alone knows all our weakness, and therefore He is given the right to judge us: He Himself drank our cup to the bottom.

"What do these words mean? " What means "hath everlasting life" and " is passed from death unto life "? In any case, it is not about a deliverance from physical death - because all the apostles, and John the Evangelist himself are dead also, and it is exactly their faith and observation of the word that we take for standards! How's like that "shall not come into condemnation"? It is in fact said that: " it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb 9:27). The word "life" can probably help here. Life is not a fait accompli, but a fact which is been carried out. That's why life does not belong to those who listened to the word, but to those who listen to it; as well as faith is a dynamic notion: there is a distance of a colossal dimension between the faith in the existence of God and the faith in Christ's death and resurrection. Thus, a listener and believer is someone who is engaged in the way of life, the way of growth, someone who departs from the way of degradation and disappearance. But what about the judgment? Let us think about such an interpretation: the believer doesn't come to the forthcoming judgment, because he is already under judgment - indeed, " judgment consists of the fact that light came into the world " ( see Jn3:19), Christ is this light, and the believer " walks in the light ", that is before the face of the One, to Whom the Father gave judgment. Every split second the Face of the Judge is turned upon us.

"What do these words mean?" What does "has eternal life" and "has passed from death into life" mean? In any case, not deliverance from physical death: all the apostles, and John the Theologian himself, died, and yet we consider their hearing of the word and their faith exemplary. How can it be that such a person "does not come into judgment"? After all, it says: "It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment" (Heb 9:27).

The word "life" can help here. Life is not an accomplished fact, but something that is taking place. Therefore life belongs not to the one who "heard" the word, but to the one who is hearing it; and faith too is a dynamic concept: the distance between faith in God's existence and faith in Christ's death and resurrection is enormous. Thus the one who listens and believes is someone who has stepped onto the path of life, the path of growth, someone who has left the path of degradation and disappearance.

And what about judgment? It can be understood this way: the believer does not come to the future judgment because he is already before the judgment, for "this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world" (John 3:19); Christ is this light, and the believer "walks in the light," that is, before the Face of the One to whom the Father has given judgment. Every moment the Face of the Judge is turned toward us.

An implicit reference in the book of Prophet Daniel is contained in these Christ's words (Dan 7:13-14). The idea of God's judgment was in no way strange to Jesus’ listeners, and this judgment was announced by all the prophets. And the fact that the Judge in this judgment will be the Messiah, the Christ, some of the names the "Son of man" uses, was also accepted by all. But farther - only questions. Who will be the Messiah? How will this judgment be like? And when it will be (preferably, “till the cows come home”)? Here Jesus comes with the answers to these questions, but how it is difficult to accept His answers! Firstly, He is the Messiah, the King of Israel - poor, misunderstood, humbled and, finally, killed. Secondly, the judgment is already "now". And thirdly, this judgment is just, that is why nobody can be justified by this judgment; but Jesus Christ came not to condemn, but to save, - and in this is His power and the will of the Father that sent Him. As far as all this is above all human expectations and representations - so, it is today too.

Today's reading helps us better understand the essence of Jesus' conflict with that part of the Synagogue which rejected and condemned Him. He Himself speaks of this quite clearly: the chief problem of His opponents is that they never knew the real, living God (vv. 37-38). At first glance, such a statement can appear strange, since both supporters and opponents of Jesus were, for the most part, deeply religious people, familiar with Scripture and, at least in words, awaiting the Messiah and the Kingdom. Yet religion, as we can see, had turned for them from a means into an end in itself. The Savior characterizes this situation in one short phrase: you seek glory from one another, and not from God (v. 44).

Every religion is the work of human hands. Of course, the revelation given by God often needs a religious covering in order to be preserved and handed on to coming generations, but its role here is purely auxiliary; religiosity as such has no relation to revelation. Yet, like every human work, religion gives broad scope for creative self-expression, since such different forms of culture as science, art, and ascetic practice are united in it. And, like every human work, religion can capture a person completely. More than that, as nothing else can, it can influence the formation of the value system both of individuals and of entire communities.

It is no surprise that every religion, and especially one such as Judaism, whose foundation is a centuries-old tradition connected with revelation given by God, sooner or later closes itself within its own boundaries and becomes self-sufficient. Then its followers have to make special efforts to break through their religiosity toward God. But Jesus' opponents, as we can see, were not at all inclined toward such efforts. On the contrary, all their strength was directed toward maintaining the religious covering which, in principle, was supposed to protect the revelation once received from God, but in reality had long since ceased to fulfill that function. It is not by chance that Jesus says that the Torah itself, given through Moses, will become their judgment (v. 45): for keeping faithfulness to the Torah means keeping faithfulness to God and to the One whom He sends, not to religious tradition as such, even if that tradition owed its origin to the Torah (vv. 46-47).

And the point is not that the Lord is offended by those who do not receive Him: in general He cares little for glory or fame (v. 41). The point is that the time of Judgment is already near, and He wants everyone to enter the Kingdom (v. 34). For Judgment places everyone before the choice between life and death. And no religion can help anyone here. Only the One who brought the Kingdom into the world can help.

"The hour is coming and is now here" - in John's Gospel we hear these words when the Lord speaks about His mission on earth. The first Christians often understood the promises of the Lord Jesus as a description of what was soon coming: the Day of the Lord, the end of this world, when He would judge the living and the dead after the general resurrection in the flesh. But if this event is assigned to the future, near or distant, then first, it is unclear what it means that the hour "is now here," and second, words about the future can be important as a promise of our resurrection, but not as a description of what is really happening now.

And yet the Gospel is a very real book. It was written so that we may have life now, not merely be frightened by the future Judgment and begin to behave well. If this is so, then acquittal at the judgment of the Son of Man and the eternal life of the Father are already active, already taking place in the life of the one who has believed His words, and His voice even now gives life to those "who are in the tombs."

Speaking about the essence of His conflict with the Pharisees, Jesus puts their distrust of God first. It would appear to be a strange accusation, since the people in question are deeply religious, ready to do much for the sake of their religion, including, if necessary, sacrifice. Of course, there was often no small amount of harshness in this religiosity; readiness to die for one's faith often stood side by side with readiness to kill for that same faith. But after all, both were done in the name of God and faith!

And still Jesus speaks of the absence of love and trust toward God in His listeners. What is this: a feature of Pharisaic religiosity? If that were so, everything would be simpler, especially for us, who have nothing to do with the religion of the Pharisees. But the matter, as we can see, is not so simple. Jesus says directly that He is not the one judging the Pharisees who reject Him; rather, the Torah, whose violation they are trying to accuse Him of, judges them. And in reply He says that the Torah bears witness to Him.

Such a statement may seem strange: after all, in the Torah, unless one tries to interpret it with obvious stretches, nothing is said about the Messiah. But the Torah, on which Judaism is based, never fit completely within Judaism, just as it does not fit entirely within any religious framework. On the other hand, it was precisely the Torah, and above all, of course, the inner Torah about which the same Pharisees could not fail to know, that should have led Jesus' listeners beyond the limits of their own religion, opening to them something greater, if only they had been fully consistent in following the Torah.

But the whole trouble with every religion is that, at first stimulating a person toward spiritual life, at some point it inevitably begins to hinder him in that life, setting a certain spiritual ceiling and demanding from its adherents a compromise between its own requirements and what God calls the one walking the path of righteousness to do. And then a person has to choose between God and a religion that is so familiar and convenient. And Jesus sees that His listeners have made their choice in favor of their religion. And He says that the Torah, which points the way into the Kingdom, will from now on become for them not a support, but a judgment. As it does for everyone who rejects God and the Torah for the sake of anything at all, even for the sake of his own religion. Whatever that religion may be.

Gradually the Lord begins to reveal to the disciples, and not only to them, the mystery of His ministry. He came to earth to "do" what His Father "does." As the Father gives life to people on the Sabbath, so Jesus gives life to people with the life of the Father. He has the right to do this because He Himself is the presence of the Father, the executor of His work: to judge and to give life.

And the evangelist calls us to that breakthrough which he calls faith: to see the unobvious, to see behind what is happening in our life, whether healing or the sense of divine peace in the heart, the face of Jesus, who carries out the Father's will and leads us to the knowledge of the One whom we cannot see by ourselves, but whom we await and honor. And whoever honors the Father must treat the One whom He sent with equal reverence and love.