John 5:40

The Pulpit Commentary - John 5:39-40

A commendable search and a sad failure. We have here— I. A COMMENDABLE SEARCH . Commendable because: 1 . It is a search for the proper object. "Eternal life." 2 . It is a search for the proper object in the proper field. "The Scriptures." 3 . The chief object is sought in a praiseworthy manner. "Ye search," etc. The Scriptures, as the revelation of God's will, are worthy of the most diligent search. No search can be too minute and no effort can be too thorough.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 5:40

And ye will not come to me, that ye may have life. This fearful conclusion of the whole matter is charged upon the responsibility of man. Doubtless, elsewhere, the will is described as itself made willing by the Divine attraction, by the grace of the Father. "He that hath seen and heard of the Father [seen, i.e. his shape and heard his voice—seen his shape and heard his voice in my ministry and manifestation], cometh unto me. " Yet the grace of God working directly on character or... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - John 5:40

And ye will not come ... - Though the Old Testament bears evidence that I am the Messiah; though you professedly search it to learn the way to life, and though my works prove it, yet you will not come to me to obtain life. From this we may learn:1.That life is to be obtained in Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and he only can save us.2.That, in order to do that, we must “come to him” - that is, must come in the way appointed, as lost sinners, and be willing to be saved by him... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - John 5:39-40

John 5:39-40. Search the Scriptures Because the Jews were exceedingly averse to acknowledge Jesus for their Messiah, notwithstanding that the evidences of his mission were so unexceptionable, he appeals, lastly, to their own scriptures, which, for further proof, and their full satisfaction, he desires them to search, because these writings, as they justly supposed, contained the knowledge of eternal life, and of the way leading to it, and therefore the knowledge of the Messiah. As if he had... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - John 5:30-47

47. Witness to Jesus (John 5:30-47)Jesus acted with God’s authority, but he would not give evidence on his own behalf to try to convince the Jews. God was his witness, and Jesus accepted his witness even if the Jews did not (John 5:30-32). With God as his witness, Jesus needed no other, but if the Jews wanted earthly witnesses, they were available. Jesus gave them three, which would satisfy those who wanted to judge him according to the requirements for witnesses under Jewish law (cf.... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - John 5:40

will not come = do not will (John 5:6 ) to come. to. Greek. pros. App-104 . might = may. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - John 5:40

And ye will not come to me that ye may have life.Spoken with infinite sorrow, these words are the summary of the interview thus far. No doubt, as he said on another occasion, he marveled at their unbelief; but there was an excellent underlying reason for the unbelief before him, and Christ moved at once to a withering attack upon their consummate wickedness. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 5:30-47

4. The Father’s witness to the Song of Solomon 5:30-47Jesus now returned to develop a theme that He had introduced previously, namely, the Father’s testimony to the Son (John 5:19-20). Jesus proceeded to cite five witnesses to His identity, all of which came from the Father, since the Jews had questioned His authority."The train of argument in this section is like a court scene, reminiscent of the trial scenes in the OT, when witnesses are summoned by Yahweh to testify on behalf of the gods of... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 5:39-40

Even though the Jews diligently sought God in the pages of their Scriptures they failed to recognize Jesus for who He was. The Greek verb translated "search" could be an imperative (AV) or an indicative (NASB, NIV). The context favors the indicative mood. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day were serious students of the Old Testament, but they studied it for the wrong reason, namely, to earn eternal life through their effort (cf. Romans 7:10; Galatians 3:21)."After the destruction of the temple of... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:1-47

Bethesda. Christ and the Sabbath1-47. A miracle at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath Day, and a controversy arising therefrom. This miracle may be regarded as a parable illustrating the deadly effects of sin, and the power of the Saviour to deal with the most hopeless cases. This poor man in his youth had shattered his nervous system by a life of sensual indulgence (John 5:14), and had lain for thirty-eight years a hopeless paralytic (John 5:5). This being an extreme case, the usual order of... read more

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