NOTES for Joh 5:25-47

"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."

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.

We really search the Scriptures, as a key to salvation. It seems it is a big instruction, which having fulfilled, we finally obtain eternity. It's just enough to know what's possible, and what isn't, how to act in any situation, - and everything will be success. But the book isn't about that.

No matter how people have tried to turn Revelation into the Law, the meaning is not there. God reveals Himself, He comes - and it appears that there are no rules. For us, even the judgment itself consists of the fact that the Light came into the world, and we begin to see that our deeds are evil. The Scripture speaks about Jesus, we read what is written only for one thing: to know Him, to understand Him, to listen to His voice. And, realizing that the Bible speaks about nothing else, it is necessary to read exactly this way the history of several centuries about God's Revelation to people. A Revelation, that is not so easy to agree with, because it overturns our customary conceptions concerning the organization of the world.

And indeed, we search the Scripture as the key to salvation. It seems like a thick instruction manual, and by following it we will finally gain eternity. It is enough simply to understand what is permitted and what is not, how to act in one or another situation, and everything will work out. But that is not what the book is about.

However people may try to reduce Revelation to Law, that is not the meaning. God reveals Himself; He comes, and it turns out that there are no rules. Even judgment for us consists in the fact that the Light has come into the world, and we begin to see that our deeds are evil. Scripture speaks of Jesus; we read what is written for only one reason: to know Him, understand Him, hear His voice. And, recognizing that the Bible speaks of nothing else, we must read precisely this way the centuries-long history of God's Revelation to people. A Revelation with which it is so difficult to agree, because it overturns our usual ideas about the structure of the world.

Christ's words that those who do not receive Him, who came in the name of the Father, the true God, will receive another are often interpreted to mean that all religions apart from Christian ones are from the devil. Since they do not receive Christ, so the argument goes, they have received "another," and this "other" can only be Christ's opponent. Yet Jesus Himself is not speaking at all about formally acknowledging or not acknowledging Him. Leading people after Himself is not an end in itself for Him. The goal is to lead them further, to the Father. But one can come there only through Him, with His help, by sharing in the fullness of His life.

It is not important to Him what people think about Him: He only wants everyone to be saved. But declarations alone are not enough for this. Spiritual work is needed. After all, He is not creating a new religion for which He is seeking adherents. His task is to make it so that the one who began his path into the Kingdom here will be able to complete it, reaching the end. And to come into the Kingdom, finding salvation there. The question of faithfulness to Christ is not religious or doctrinal. It is a question of faithfulness to God and His Kingdom.

Inner faithfulness most of all. "You do not believe Me because the word of God is not in you." Of course, this is not a matter of knowing sacred texts. "You have neither heard My Father nor seen Him." Here is the answer to all the questions. The matter is not where and when a person was born, what cultural and religious tradition he belongs to, or what sacred texts he has read. The only question is whether he has ever, at least once in his life, encountered the living God.

Not the descriptions of God that can be found in abundance in religious literature and sacred books, but God Himself. If he has, Christ was present there, whether or not the person experiencing the encounter knew of His presence. And if the encounter changed the life of the one who experienced it, if after it the person began to think seriously about spiritual life and the spiritual path, Christ will not abandon such a person. But if a person does not need spiritual life, if for him it is reduced to religious life, he will not see the Messiah.

Even if he is an observant Jew. Or a fully orthodox Orthodox Christian, Catholic, or Protestant. Correct concepts about God and about Christ do not yet guarantee real communion with God and with Christ. And knowledge of the correct texts, for example the Pentateuch of Moses, will then lead only to the author of those texts becoming a witness for the prosecution on the Day of Judgment. For whoever knew more will be asked more.

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.

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.