But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
Jesus spoke these words in His controversy with the Jews after healing the paralytic at Bethesda on the Sabbath at the second Passover. He declares that He knows His hearers to be without the love of God within them, though they have been honored with great light, and their refusal to come to Him for life exposes that lack. That lack of love is bound up with seeking honor from one another rather than the honor that comes from God, and this desire for human approval stands in the way of believing. So although they search the Scriptures for evidence of the Messiah, they fail to recognize His divinity beneath His humanity, even though He comes in His Father's authority, bears His image, seeks His glory, and proves His mission by His works. Left without that inner love, they cannot distinguish the true from the false in days of peril, rejecting Him who comes in His Father's name while ready to receive another who comes in his own name.
Setting and Meaning
The words belong to the instruction given at the second Passover after the healing of the paralytic at Bethesda on the Sabbath, when the Jews accused Him of breaking the Sabbath. The Sabbath had been chosen on purpose to free the day from the burdens the Jews had heaped upon it. When accused of breaking the Sabbath law, the answer was that the Father works and He works, claiming equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred and of the same character as His Father's work in heaven. The Pharisees were enraged because, according to their understanding, He had broken the law and had made Himself equal with God.
In that controversy the declaration was made that He could do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. That relationship forbade working independent of Him or against His will. By it is taught that man is inseparably bound to his heavenly Parent, responsible to God and endowed for His work. While faithful man is warranted in claiming His blessings, but when exalted in self, depending on his own wisdom and separating from God, he is called to account.
The verse declares that Jesus knows His hearers when they have not the love of God in them, though God has honored them with great light. Their refusal to come to Him that they might have life reveals this lack. By that refusal they fail to reflect His glory. Even so He looks on them with tender pity and longs to save them.
The verse is truth of special interest that gives enlightening light by exposing hearts without God's love. Knowing Scripture and receiving religious honor do not prove a person has God's love within. Those thus exposed need to be reconverted before they can become righteous. When the love of God is absent from the heart, the Spirit of Jesus is absent too. Then natural impulses and besetments gain the victory instead of the Spirit of God and salvation, a condition seen among young Sabbath-keepers who fail to hear Jesus' voice and receive His saving message so that it reforms their lives.
Causes of Unbelief
The rejection of Christ by the disbelieving Pharisees exposed the inner cause named in John 5:42, that the love of God was not in them. Their resistance was not new but a continuation of the rebellious spirit shown by the ancestors of Israel, persisting despite the mighty works God had done for His people. It persisted despite the great light and wonderful opportunities granted to both generations, proving that even miracles do not save those who are unwilling to obey the will of God.
Though they searched the Scriptures for evidence concerning the Messiah, that want of love kept them from recognizing Him when He stood among them. He had come in His Father's name, with God's authority, bearing God's image, and seeking God's glory, yet His divinity veiled beneath human form was hidden from them. The divine evidence given through His works and mission was sufficient, but without love they would not come to Him for life.
What hardened them against that evidence was unbelief cherished alongside prejudice and jealousy and a settled resistance to light. Such a heart closes itself to proof, so that increasing clearness only confirms opposition.
Bound up with this loveless state was the desire for honor from one another rather than the honor that comes from God alone. Seeking and receiving that mutual honor stood directly in the way of belief, making acceptance of Christ impossible while self-exaltation was retained.
Warning and Future Deception
The absence of God's love within leaves a person unable to tell the true from the false when peril comes, so that the one who will not receive Christ because He comes in His Father's name will receive another who comes in his own name. Christ knew His hearers by this mark, for though they had been honored with great light they did not reflect His glory and would not come to Him to obtain life. Their rejection exposed the inner want, for although they searched the Scriptures for evidence about the Messiah they failed to recognize Him when He stood among them. Mere knowledge of Scripture and the possession of religious honor are no proof that God's love dwells within, and the lack of that love is the heart of the failure to come to Christ. That lack was bound up with seeking and desiring honor from one another rather than the honor that comes from God, and this desire for human honor stood in the way of belief.
History in this will be repeated, for many deceivers will go forth declaring themselves to be the Christ. Those without love will welcome later claimants who speak on their own authority and whose theories suit their own cherished opinions, even while they reject Jesus. He came with God's authority, bearing God's image and seeking God's glory, with divine evidence in His works and mission, yet lack of love kept men from discerning His divinity beneath His human form. Unbelief, prejudice, jealousy, and resistance to light hardened them against that evidence and left them open to the false.
The disbelieving Pharisees in this continued the rebellious spirit shown by the ancestors of Israel, notwithstanding the mighty works God had done and the great light and opportunities given to them. Miracles do not save those who are unwilling to obey God's will. The same warning stands for those given great light and wonderful opportunities today, that they take care lest they follow that example and likewise be found without love for God.
Jesus spoke these words in His controversy with the Jews after healing the paralytic at Bethesda on the Sabbath at the second Passover. He declares that He knows His hearers to be without the love of God within them, though they have been honored with great light, and their refusal to come to Him for life exposes that lack. That lack of love is bound up with seeking honor from one another rather than the honor that comes from God, and this desire for human approval stands in the way of believing. So although they search the Scriptures for evidence of the Messiah, they fail to recognize His divinity beneath His humanity, even though He comes in His Father's authority, bears His image, seeks His glory, and proves His mission by His works. Left without that inner love, they cannot distinguish the true from the false in days of peril, rejecting Him who comes in His Father's name while ready to receive another who comes in his own name.
Setting and Meaning
The words belong to the instruction given at the second Passover after the healing of the paralytic at Bethesda on the Sabbath, when the Jews accused Him of breaking the Sabbath. The Sabbath had been chosen on purpose to free the day from the burdens the Jews had heaped upon it. When accused of breaking the Sabbath law, the answer was that the Father works and He works, claiming equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred and of the same character as His Father's work in heaven. The Pharisees were enraged because, according to their understanding, He had broken the law and had made Himself equal with God.
In that controversy the declaration was made that He could do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. That relationship forbade working independent of Him or against His will. By it is taught that man is inseparably bound to his heavenly Parent, responsible to God and endowed for His work. While faithful man is warranted in claiming His blessings, but when exalted in self, depending on his own wisdom and separating from God, he is called to account.
The verse declares that Jesus knows His hearers when they have not the love of God in them, though God has honored them with great light. Their refusal to come to Him that they might have life reveals this lack. By that refusal they fail to reflect His glory. Even so He looks on them with tender pity and longs to save them.
The verse is truth of special interest that gives enlightening light by exposing hearts without God's love. Knowing Scripture and receiving religious honor do not prove a person has God's love within. Those thus exposed need to be reconverted before they can become righteous. When the love of God is absent from the heart, the Spirit of Jesus is absent too. Then natural impulses and besetments gain the victory instead of the Spirit of God and salvation, a condition seen among young Sabbath-keepers who fail to hear Jesus' voice and receive His saving message so that it reforms their lives.
Causes of Unbelief
The rejection of Christ by the disbelieving Pharisees exposed the inner cause named in John 5:42, that the love of God was not in them. Their resistance was not new but a continuation of the rebellious spirit shown by the ancestors of Israel, persisting despite the mighty works God had done for His people. It persisted despite the great light and wonderful opportunities granted to both generations, proving that even miracles do not save those who are unwilling to obey the will of God.
Though they searched the Scriptures for evidence concerning the Messiah, that want of love kept them from recognizing Him when He stood among them. He had come in His Father's name, with God's authority, bearing God's image, and seeking God's glory, yet His divinity veiled beneath human form was hidden from them. The divine evidence given through His works and mission was sufficient, but without love they would not come to Him for life.
What hardened them against that evidence was unbelief cherished alongside prejudice and jealousy and a settled resistance to light. Such a heart closes itself to proof, so that increasing clearness only confirms opposition.
Bound up with this loveless state was the desire for honor from one another rather than the honor that comes from God alone. Seeking and receiving that mutual honor stood directly in the way of belief, making acceptance of Christ impossible while self-exaltation was retained.
Warning and Future Deception
The absence of God's love within leaves a person unable to tell the true from the false when peril comes, so that the one who will not receive Christ because He comes in His Father's name will receive another who comes in his own name. Christ knew His hearers by this mark, for though they had been honored with great light they did not reflect His glory and would not come to Him to obtain life. Their rejection exposed the inner want, for although they searched the Scriptures for evidence about the Messiah they failed to recognize Him when He stood among them. Mere knowledge of Scripture and the possession of religious honor are no proof that God's love dwells within, and the lack of that love is the heart of the failure to come to Christ. That lack was bound up with seeking and desiring honor from one another rather than the honor that comes from God, and this desire for human honor stood in the way of belief.
History in this will be repeated, for many deceivers will go forth declaring themselves to be the Christ. Those without love will welcome later claimants who speak on their own authority and whose theories suit their own cherished opinions, even while they reject Jesus. He came with God's authority, bearing God's image and seeking God's glory, with divine evidence in His works and mission, yet lack of love kept men from discerning His divinity beneath His human form. Unbelief, prejudice, jealousy, and resistance to light hardened them against that evidence and left them open to the false.
The disbelieving Pharisees in this continued the rebellious spirit shown by the ancestors of Israel, notwithstanding the mighty works God had done and the great light and opportunities given to them. Miracles do not save those who are unwilling to obey God's will. The same warning stands for those given great light and wonderful opportunities today, that they take care lest they follow that example and likewise be found without love for God.