John 5:1

a feast of the Jews: Jesus returned to Jerusalem for this celebration. Because of this, it was likely one of the three main pilgrimage festivals (special festivals when people traveled to Jerusalem).

In the Old Testament, God commanded Israel to celebrate three such festivals each year (see Exodus 23:14–17; Deuteronomy 16:16). These were the Feast of Unleavened Bread (also called Passover), the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Each of these festivals lasted about one week. During that time, many people gathered in Jerusalem to worship God.

In this section, Jesus attends several Jewish feasts and uses their imagery to reveal deeper truths about himself.

He appears at:

• a Sabbath feast (chapter 5),

• Passover (chapter 6),

• the Feast of Tabernacles (chapters 7–9), and

• the Feast of Dedication (also called Hanukkah; chapter 10).

In each case, Jesus himself replaces an important element in the ceremonies of the feast.

This chapter is structured like a courtroom case (a legal trial). It begins with a description of the event that led to the conflict (5:1–15). This is followed by the decision of the Jewish leaders to take action against Jesus (5:16). Next comes a statement of the charges against him (5:18). The chapter then presents the defense given by Jesus, where he explains his authority and his relationship with the Father (5:17, 19–40).