To make sense of John 5, you’ve got to understand Agency. When you understand Agency, you might be surprised at where you end up.

Links:

LutheranSatire “St. Patrick’s Bad Analogies”

Jewish Encyclopedia entry on Agency

A few of the major traditional creeds

(Note especially the difference between the Apostle’s Creed and the Athanasian Creed, both in simplicity/complexity, and in the absence and presence of proclaiming condemnation on those who do not agree.)

Non-traditional analysis of major “deity of Christ” texts which assumes a conservative view of the inspiration of Scripture (Amazon Affiliate Link)

A “Wisdom” framework for understanding the book of John according to 1st century Jewish thought (Amazon Affiliate Link)

(Note: Links to Amazon are Affiliate Links, for which I receive compensation if purchases are made using them)