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Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”
John 5:14 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
  • KJV Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
  • NKJV Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
  • NASB Afterward, Jesus *found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
  • NLT But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Jesus found the man in the temple and warned him to sin no more lest something worse happen. Physical healing points to a deeper call to repentance.

Overview

Jesus seeks the man out again, joining his bodily healing to a spiritual warning. While not all suffering results from specific sin, Jesus calls the man to a transformed life. The greater danger than physical illness is unrepented sin and its eternal consequences, from which Christ came to save.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 20

  • John 8:11“No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”
  • Lev 26:23–24And if in spite of these things you do not accept My discipline, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me,
  • Ps 118:18The LORD disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.
  • Matt 12:45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there; and the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”
  • Neh 9:28But as soon as they had rest, they again did evil in Your sight. So You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, who had dominion over them. When they cried out to You again, You heard from heaven, and You delivered them many times in Your compassion.
  • Ps 107:20–22He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the Pit.
  • Rev 2:21–23Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.
  • Isa 38:20The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.
  • Ps 27:6Then my head will be held high above my enemies around me. At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
  • Lev 26:27But if in spite of all this you do not obey Me, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me,
  • Mark 2:5When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
  • 2 Chr 28:22In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD.
  • Ps 66:13–15I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—
  • Ezra 9:13–14After all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt (though You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have given us such a remnant as this),
  • John 5:5One man there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
  • Ps 116:12–19How can I repay the LORD for all His goodness to me?
  • Ps 9:13Be merciful to me, O LORD; see how my enemies afflict me! Lift me up from the gates of death,
  • Lev 7:12If he offers it in thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.
  • 1 Pet 4:3For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
  • Isa 38:22And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 5:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.

How John 5:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.