Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 5:11
He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
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.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
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.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
But he answered ( ). Demonstrative (But this one) and deponent use of (first aorist passive indicative of with no passive force).
The same (). “That one,” emphatic demonstrative as often in John (John 1:18; John 1:33; John 9:37; John 10:1, etc.). The man did not know who Jesus was nor even his name. He quotes the very words of Jesus.
Whole (). Predicate accusative agreeing with (me).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
He that made – the same [ – ] . 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.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “He answered them,” (hos de apekrithe autois) “He replied to them” to his cynical, skeptic, Jewish critics, to those who had shown no compassion to his needs for lo these 38 years.
2) “He that made me whole,” (ho poiesas me hugei) “The one who made me whole, well, or healthy,” again, as He made others whole by the word of His mouth and through His Divine miraculous powers, Mat 9:22; Mat 12:13; Mat 15:28; Mat 15:31.
3) “The same said unto me,” (ekemos moi eipen) “That one directed or told me,” to do what I am doing.
4) “Take up thy bed and walk.” (aron ton krabaton sou kai peripatei) “Take up your mattress and walk,” and keep walking. The giver of life is the proper authority of its use, See? Joh 1:4; Joh 14:6; Act 17:28.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(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.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
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.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he answered, “The man who made me whole, it was he who told me, ‘take up your mattress and walk’.” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘take up your mattress and walk?’ ” But he who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, a large crowd being in the place.’
The incident brings out how intransigent the Scribes and Pharisees were in their teaching. They were told two things. ‘The man made me whole’ and ‘he told me to pick up my mattress’. But instead of considering the first and praising God for the miracle of the man’s healing, and recognising that carrying his ‘stretcher’ went with the miracle, (hardly a normal case of carrying furniture – God is at work and the man is returning home from the place of healing) they pedantically go on the attack. It is as though miracles like this were commonplace, whereas it should have quickened their interest in Jesus in the right way. Note John’s stress on ‘the man who healed me’, ‘he who was healed’, it is this that alters the case. It should have given pause for consideration of the Healer, but their narrow-mindedness prevented them from thinking more widely. They were only interested in furniture removal on the Sabbath.
‘Jesus had slipped away’. He did not want the crowds to react wrongly. They were not as pedantic as the Scribes and Pharisees.
The lame man is a character study in himself, someone who was totally lacking in initiative (contrast the blind man in chapter 9). He resignedly does nothing about his predicament at the pool and blames those who get in before him. Nor when Jesus made an offer of healing does it seem to have stirred him at all (although he does at least get up when told to). He does not bother to ask the man who healed him who He was. Then when he later finds out he goes and tells the Scribes and Pharisees, not thinking of the consequences, probably because he feels that he is seen as blameworthy and wants to clear himself, although they may have left him with the impression that if he could point out the real Sabbath-breaker he himself could be spared the punishment that a synagogue court could inflict. There can be no doubt that this man is a genuine characterisation.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Joh 5:11. He that made me whole, &c. “He that with a word restored my strength in an instant, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed and walk; and his injunctions certainly could not be sinful, as he must have been both a prophet, and a worker of miracles.” Instead of the same said unto me, it would be more emphatical, if it was rendered agreeable to the original, even he said.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
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.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
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 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 5:11 . The man’s reply reveals a higher law than that of the Sabbath, the fundamental principle of all Christian obedience: . He that gives life is the proper authority for its use.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
the same = that one there. Greek. ekeinos, emph.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
11.] The mans 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, Gods work. The authority which had overruled one appointment of Providence, could overrule another. I do not mean that this reasoning was present to the mans 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.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 5:11. , said) and indeed, as the fact showed, He had a right to say it. Jesus, along with healing, gave discernment to the man [agnitionem].
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 5:11
Joh 5:11
But he answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.-The man wisely concluded that God was with one who could heal as he had been healed, and if he could heal he had authority to so far control him as to authorize him to carry his bed home.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Joh 9:16, Mar 2:9-11
Reciprocal: Joh 9:12 – Where Joh 9:25 – one
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1
The man did not express any conclusion, but the facts he related implied one that could not be disputed. Anyone could tell a man to get up and carry his bed, but not everyone who might say that could enable the patient to do so. This combination of facts was the strongest kind of evidence that it was no ordinary person who had befriended the impotent man.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Joh 5:11. But he answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. Whether the man knew the Rabbinical saying that a prophets command to transgress the letter of the law was to be obeyed, save in the case of idolatry, may be doubted; but the impression made on him by the majesty of Jesus was sufficient to guide his answer. Divine power had healed him: a command from One who wielded such power could not transgress the law of God.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
The healed man passed the responsibility for his disobeying the rabbis’ rule off by blaming Jesus. This was no way to express gratitude for what Jesus had done for him (cf. Joh 5:15). He probably feared for his life. The Jewish leaders wanted to know who had dared to contradict the accepted meaning of the fourth commandment. In their eyes He was a worse offender than the man who had carried his pallet.
Significantly, they did not show any interest in the man’s well condition. It should have identified the Messiah to them, but they saw the Healer as simply an offender.
The man did not know who Jesus was. This indicates that it was not his faith that had elicited the healing as much as God’s grace reaching out to a needy person. Jesus had slipped away probably to avoid premature confrontation (cf. Joh 6:15; Joh 8:59; Joh 10:39; Joh 12:36).
It is not at all clear whether this man believed on Jesus. We do not know either if he sought a closer relationship with Jesus following his healing. Many people accept God’s gifts but ignore the giver. Some experience miracles but do not go to heaven. Apparently it was not the reaction of this man that John wanted to emphasize but the lesson on the importance of believing in Him that Jesus used the occasion of this healing to teach.