John 5:30-47 Study Guide: The Scriptures Point to Me

Community Group Study Guide — The Scriptures Point to Me
John 5:30-47

Study Information:
Jesus continues his discussion with the pharisees who earlier criticized him for breaking the sabbath and making himself equal with God by calling God his Father (John 5:18). In the last study guide we saw that Jesus compared himself with the Father saying that he does what the father does and that the Father has given him authority to grant eternal life and judgment. This was a wake up call passage for the pharisees who claimed to love God but hated Jesus. There would come a day when they’d be raised to a resurrection of judgement and not a resurrection of eternal life.

The conversation continues as Jesus calls out their misunderstanding of God’s word and why God has given us the scriptures. The pharisees had a pattern of rejecting truth specifically John the Baptist and his testimony and now Jesus whom John pointed to (John 5:33-34). Likewise they rejected God’s voice and ultimately God’s word. In our text, Jesus tells us about the point of the scriptures; they are not an end in and of themselves but a means of finding life in Jesus. The problem the pharisees had is they thought the scriptures were a means to have eternal life, but rather they point to Jesus. Every time you open the word you are given access to a pathway to knowing more about Jesus. The point of all this is so that we can have life in Christ. We should be careful to not make the bible and end in and of itself. It is a gift that we’ve been given to know God’s character and plan of redemption, and as we walk in maturity and faith we will be constantly pointed to Jesus as we spend time in it. 

The most condemning thing Jesus said to the pharisees though comes in verse 42… they do not have the love of God in them. This shows us the danger of a hard heart. The pharisees took good things and twisted them for their own purposes and had no love for God. The offer of this passage is to come to Jesus and have life, allow the word and God’s revelation of himself to bring you to greater faith and trust in Christ. 


At your community group:

Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.

How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week? 

Discussion Questions:

What were the various ways that God showed himself to the people of Israel that they rejected as listed in this passage?

What does Jesus reveal about God to us? (See John 5:37-38)

How can scripture be misused? What is the intended goal of spending time in God’s word according to John 5:39-40?

A relationship with God flourishes when it is fueled by God’s love for us and our love for God? What are some ways, according to this passage, that you can specifically to grow in love for God?