John 5:40 says that the people Jesus is speaking to refuse to come to him, even though coming to him is how they can have life. The verse is not about a lack of information or ability; it is about an unwillingness to come. Jesus speaks these words to a group of Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem, after he has healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath and been challenged for it.
Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life.
John 5:40 (WEB)
What John 5:40 Means
The verse opens with “Yet,” which signals contrast. Jesus has just pointed out that his opponents study the Scriptures carefully, believing those writings will give them eternal life. Verse 40 turns that expectation around: the Scriptures point toward Jesus, and the people reading them still will not come to him. The problem Jesus names is not a shortage of religious seriousness but a refusal to take the next step.
The phrase “you will not come to me” describes a deliberate choice. Jesus is not saying they are unable to come, as if their situation were beyond their control. He is saying they will not. The phrase “that you may have life” tells us the purpose of coming: life itself, the kind of life God intends, is found in relationship with Jesus.
The verse does not promise that every reader will automatically come, nor does it say how any individual can be drawn. It names a human resistance and the cost of that resistance. Readers should be careful not to turn it into a formula about who is in or out, since Jesus is speaking to a specific audience in a specific conflict.
The Context of John 5:40
John’s Gospel was written to show that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing in him brings life (John 20:31). The author is traditionally identified as John, one of the twelve apostles, though the Gospel itself refers to “the disciple whom Jesus loved” without naming him. The original readers were most likely Christian communities in the late first century who needed to be clear about who Jesus is.
Just before verse 40, Jesus says that the Father has testified about him, that the leaders have not heard God’s voice or seen his form, and that God’s word does not live in them because they do not believe the one God sent (verses 37 to 38). Verse 39 then describes the leaders as diligent students of Scripture. Read this way, verse 40 is the climax of an argument: the witnesses are all there, yet the response is missing. Verses 41 to 43 continue by saying Jesus does not seek human praise and that the leaders lack God’s love within themselves.
Key Phrases in John 5:40
John 6:37
All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.
(WEB)
This verse continues the thought of coming to Jesus and adds his assurance that those who come will not be cast out. Read together, the two verses show both the invitation and the welcome that waits for anyone who turns toward him.
John 20:31
But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
(WEB)
This verse states the purpose of the whole Gospel, that readers would believe Jesus is the Christ and have life in his name. It explains why John wrote about the same life that verse 40 describes.
A Short Prayer From John 5:40
Lord Jesus, I confess that I can know a great deal about you and still hold back from coming to you myself. Forgive the times I have preferred to stay at a safe distance, studying your words without truly trusting you with my life. Draw me closer today, and help me come to you with the needs and fears I have been keeping to myself. Give me the life that only you can give, and teach me to rest in your welcome. Amen.
