yet you refuse
This phrase highlights the willful rejection of Jesus by the religious leaders and people of His time. Despite witnessing His miracles and hearing His teachings, they chose not to believe. This refusal is a recurring theme in the Gospels, where Jesus often encounters disbelief and opposition, particularly from the Pharisees and Sadducees. This reflects the hardness of heart that can prevent individuals from accepting the truth, as seen in other scriptures like Matthew 23:37, where Jesus laments over Jerusalem's unwillingness to accept Him.

to come to Me
"Come to Me" is an invitation from Jesus, emphasizing a personal relationship with Him as the source of spiritual life. This invitation is consistent with other passages, such as Matthew 11:28, where Jesus calls those who are weary to find rest in Him. The act of coming to Jesus implies faith and trust, a central theme in the New Testament. It also reflects the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah being a shepherd who gathers His flock, as seen in Ezekiel 34:11-16.

to have life
The concept of life here is not merely physical but eternal and spiritual, a key theme in the Gospel of John. Jesus is presented as the source of eternal life, as seen in John 10:10, where He states that He came to give life abundantly. This life is a fulfillment of the promises found in the Old Testament, such as in Isaiah 55:3, where God promises an everlasting covenant. The life Jesus offers is contrasted with the spiritual death that comes from sin, as explained in Romans 6:23.

1. Jesus Christ
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is addressing the Jewish leaders who are questioning His authority and identity. He is the source of eternal life.

2. Jewish Leaders
The audience to whom Jesus is speaking. They are skeptical of Jesus' claims and are unwilling to accept Him as the Messiah.

3. Jerusalem
The setting of this discourse, where Jesus often taught and performed miracles, challenging the religious status quo.

4. The Healing at Bethesda
The event preceding this verse, where Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, sparking controversy and leading to this discourse.

5. The Scriptures
Jesus refers to the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament), which testify about Him, yet the leaders fail to recognize Him.The Necessity of Coming to Jesus
Eternal life is found only in Jesus. Despite knowing the Scriptures, the Jewish leaders missed the life-giving relationship with Christ. We must prioritize a personal relationship with Jesus over mere religious knowledge.

The Danger of Spiritual Pride
The Jewish leaders' refusal to come to Jesus was rooted in pride and self-reliance. We must guard against spiritual pride that blinds us to our need for Christ.

The Role of Scripture
The Scriptures testify about Jesus. Our study of the Bible should lead us to a deeper relationship with Him, not just intellectual understanding.

The Call to Respond
Jesus invites all to come to Him for life. This requires a response of faith and humility, acknowledging our need for His salvation.

The Consequences of Refusal
Refusing to come to Jesus results in missing out on the life He offers. We must examine our hearts and ensure we are not resisting His call.1. What is the meaning of John 5:40?

2. What prevents people from coming to Jesus for life, according to John 5:40?

3. How does John 5:40 highlight the importance of accepting Jesus for eternal life?

4. Connect John 5:40 with John 14:6 on Jesus being the way to life.

5. How can believers encourage others to seek life in Jesus, per John 5:40?

6. What personal barriers might hinder you from fully coming to Jesus for life?

7. Why do people refuse to come to Jesus for life, as stated in John 5:40?

8. How does John 5:40 challenge the belief in self-sufficiency for salvation?

9. What historical context influences the message of John 5:40?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from John 5?

11. What does 'Passed from Death to Life' mean?

12. Are other religions wrong? What makes Christianity the only way?

13. What defines the concept of everlasting life?

14. What was God's purpose in sending Jesus?Yet

The small word “yet” signals a startling contrast. Moments earlier, Jesus had stacked layer upon layer of evidence for His identity—John the Baptist’s witness (John 5:33-35), His miraculous works (5:36), the Father’s voice (5:37), and the Scriptures themselves (5:39). All of these shouted the same truth, but “yet” shows that evidence alone does not break a hard heart. Though “He had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him” (John 12:37). The clash here is between divine revelation and human resistance.

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You refuse

“Refuse” reveals a deliberate choice, not a lack of information. Jesus pinpoints willful unbelief, echoing, “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19) and Stephen’s charge, “You always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). God never forces faith; He presents truth and invites. The sad irony: the religious experts prided themselves on searching Scripture—yet their hearts closed when the promised Messiah stood before them.

• Refusal was not intellectual; it was moral and spiritual.

• They guarded status and tradition (John 9:22) more than truth.

• Their choice kept them trapped in spiritual death (Proverbs 14:12).

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To come

“To come” is the Bible’s warm word for trusting surrender. Jesus later clarifies, “Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35). It is not a geographical move but a heart move—turning from self-reliance to Christ-reliance (Matthew 11:28). The invitation is personal, open, urgent.

Practical picture:

- Hear His voice (Romans 10:17).

- Step toward Him in simple faith (Hebrews 11:6).

- Keep coming daily, abiding (John 15:4).

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To Me

Salvation is centered in a Person, not a program. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Peter echoed, “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Religion, ritual, or even Bible knowledge apart from Jesus cannot give life. He alone is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the Bread of life (6:48), the Resurrection and the Life (11:25).

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To have life

The goal is not mere improvement but life—eternal, abundant, indestructible. “I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:10). This life begins now (John 3:36) and blossoms forever (Revelation 21:4). Rejecting Jesus means remaining in spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1), but receiving Him means passing “from death to life” (John 5:24; 1 John 5:11-12).

Key takeaways:

- Life is a gift, not a wage.

- It flows from union with Christ, not from law-keeping.

- It satisfies the deepest hunger and secures the eternal future.

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Summary

John 5:40 exposes the tragedy of willful unbelief: abundant evidence, a gracious invitation, an all-sufficient Savior—“yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.” The verse warns against hardened hearts, highlights the exclusivity of Christ, and beckons every listener to move from mere knowledge about Scripture to a living relationship with the One it reveals. Choosing to come to Jesus is choosing life—now and forever.

(40) And ye will not come to me.--The real hindrance is once more traced to the will. (See Note on John 3:9.) It is moral, not intellectual. The result of a true willingness to know the truth is certain, not problematic. "Ye search because ye think ye have: if ye were willing to come, ye should really have."

The lesson is wide in its bearing. The Rabbinic spirit is not confined to Rabbis, nor is the merely literal study of the Scriptures limited to those of Judaea. Dictionaries, and grammars, and commentaries, are tools; but the precious ore is in the mine, and is to be extracted by every man for himself. He who wisely uses the best means will know most of God and His truth; but this knowledge no man can purchase, and the essentials of it none need lack. It is to be learned in the closet, rather than in the library; in action and trust, rather than in scholarship and thought. Religion is not philosophy, and the world by knowledge has never known God. For every humble heart that willeth to be a scholar, God Himself willeth to be the Teacher.

Verse 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 indirectly by other revelations, never obliterates the sense of responsibility. The appeal of God is made to the will of man, whether we consciously or unconsciously are made "willing in the day of his power" (cf. John 7:17; John 6:44, 67; John 8:44). The sad tone of this solemn charge corresponds with and does much to explain the pathetic cry, "O Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered thy children... and ye would not!" while the entire passage suggests that this appeal was only one specimen out of many such discourses, one hint of the numerous sayings and self-manifestations, one of many accumulated proofs of his Divine commission, out of which the belief of the evangelists and the invincible assent of the Church arose, that he was indeed "the Word made flesh," "the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Parallel Commentaries ...


yet
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

you refuse
θέλετε (thelete)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.

to come
ἐλθεῖν (elthein)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

to
πρός (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

Me
με (me)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

to
ἵνα (hina)
Conjunction
Strong's 2443: In order that, so that. Probably from the same as the former part of heautou; in order that.

have
ἔχητε (echēte)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

life.
ζωὴν (zōēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2222: Life, both of physical (present) and of spiritual (particularly future) existence. From zao; life.


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NT Gospels: John 5:40 Yet you will not come to me (Jhn Jo Jn)