John 5:38

38 And his word does not live in you. This is because you do not believe the One he sent.

John 5:38 Meaning and Commentary

John 5:38

And ye have not his word abiding in you
Which some understand of Christ himself, the Logos, or word: who, though he was now with them, being made flesh, and dwelling among them, yet would not long continue with them: though rather this designs the written word, or the Scriptures of truth; and especially that part of them, which contains prophecies concerning the Messiah, which did not dwell in them richly, nor they dwell in their meditation on them, as was requisite. Or rather, it may intend that word of God expressed in the testimony he bore to the sonship of Christ at his baptism, by a voice from heaven, which made no lasting impression upon the minds and hearts of the Jews that heard it; as appears by what follows:

for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not;
meaning himself; for if they had had either a due regard to the sacred oracles, or to that voice from heaven at his baptism, they would have received and embraced him as the Messiah, and sent of God, and not have disbelieved and rejected him, as now they did.

John 5:38 In-Context

36 "The witness I have is more important than John's. I am doing the very work the Father gave me to finish. It gives witness that the Father has sent me.
37 "The Father who sent me has himself given witness about me. You have never heard his voice. You have never seen what he really looks like.
38 And his word does not live in you. This is because you do not believe the One he sent.
39 "You study the Scriptures carefully. You study them because you think they will give you eternal life. The Scriptures you study give witness about me.
40 But you refuse to come to me and receive life.
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