John 5:16

“And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, etc.] With their tongues, reproaching and reviling him, as a sabbath breaker, a destroyer of the law, and a sinful wicked man: and sought to slay him; either in a violent way, by setting the zealots, a sort of ruffians under the pretence of religion, upon him; or rather in a judicial way, summoning him before the sanhedrim, in order to condemn him to death for the breach of the sabbath, which by the law of Moses was punishable with death: because he had done these things on the sabbath day; because he had cured the man of his disease, under which he had laboured eight and thirty years, and had ordered him to take up his bed, and walk home with it…”

“because he had done these things on the sabbath day--What to these hypocritical religionists was the doing of the most glorious and beneficent miracles, compared with the atrocity of doing them on the sabbath day! Having given them this handle, on purpose to raise the first public controversy with them, and thus open a fitting opportunity of laying His claims before them, He rises at once to the whole height of them, in a statement which for grandeur and terseness exceeds almost anything that ever afterwards fell from Him, at least to His enemies.”

“Persecuted Jesus - They opposed him; attempted to ruin his character; to destroy his popularity; and probably held him up before the people as a violator of the law of God. Instead of making inquiry whether he had not given proof that he was the Messiah, they “assumed” that he must be wrong, and ought to be punished. Thus every bigot and persecutor does in regard to those who differ from them. To slay him - To put him to death. This they attempted to do because it was directed in the law of Moses, Exodus 31:15; Exodus 35:2. See Luke 6:7, Luke 6:11; Luke 13:14. We see here, 1. How full of enmity and how bloody was the purpose of the Jews, All that Jesus had done was to restore an infirm man…”

“persecute: Joh 15:20; Act 9:4, Act 9:5 and sought: Joh 5:13, Joh 7:19, Joh 7:20, Joh 7:25, Joh 10:39; Mat 12:13; Mar 3:6; Luk 6:11 John 5:17”