We were reading in the first part of John Chapter 5 of this paralysed man who waited 38 years for his body to be healed, and in the eyes of some he got healed on the wrong day. What Jesus Christ says and does can upset religious people.
It was the Sabbath Day and you were not allowed to carry your bed on the Sabbath Day, and this man who had been totally healed by Jesus Christ, and who was simply obeying Jesus, got into trouble with some religiously legalistic Jews.
“You can’t do that! It doesn’t matter who told you. You are not allowed to do what you are doing.” He who healed me told me to take up my bed and walk!
They asked – Who is it who told you to take up your bed and walk? Do you notice they do not mention the healing part?
Religious people can sometimes be deaf to what God is saying and blind to what God is doing. These matters need repeating because the lessons are so real and relevant.
When they learned that it was Jesus Christ who spoke these healing words and performed this mighty miracle on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Jesus.
Did they all rejoice and worship God, and rush to follow Jesus? No. They began to plot and plan to kill Jesus.
This is the first hint in John of confrontation and opposition. It comes soon!
Why did Jesus get into so much trouble? Why did someone who went about doing good offend so many people so easily – because Jesus trampled upon so many of man’s sacred traditions!
It can be easy for man to add to what God has said and done. We must beware of doing this.
There were two things that marked out the Jew – the keeping of the Sabbath and circumcision. These marked him out and made him odd, peculiar and different.
These men became very proud of this and took it to extremes.
A Jew would not carry a stick on the Sabbath in case he dragged it on the earth and was accused of ploughing. A Sabbath Days journey of 1,000 paces was all he was allowed to walk.
Jesus had little time for the traditions of men – only the truth of God. When Jesus answered the question of the Jews – Why are you working and healing on the Sabbath? – He said – verse 17 – “My Father works and I too work.”
Now the Jews sought all the more to kill Jesus, because in their sight, He not only broke the Sabbath, but He said God was His Father, and made Himself equal with God. Jesus is being accused of sacrilege and blasphemy.
Conflict arose as a consequence of love and mercy and compassion and healing power and the truth of God! This is very much the beginning of the road to Calvary.
Sabbath breaking was one thing, but now we have moved into the accusation of blasphemy. It was not yet the time to kill Jesus. We know that Jesus had to die and to die a meaningful and highly significant death, but these religious leaders found it hard to permit Jesus to move around freely and challenge and change everything they stood for. That is always costly.
Verse 19 – I tell you the truth. I, the Son of God, am only doing what I see the Father doing. What the Father does, I do!
What Jesus is saying must have been almost incredible to those critics. God does not stop work for the Sabbath. I am only doing what I see My Father doing. Jesus now claims a unity in His relationship with His Father – God. The main issue is now becoming – what is the real identity of this man called Jesus?
In the six days, one could say, God was working for Himself creating the sun, the planets, our world, the dry land, the plants, the animals, and man, and it was all very good. Then, He rested from His labours, but kept on working – working for others.
Today, God is working for you. We are living in God’s seventh day, and if He did not work our universe and world would collapse in chaos.
And, what is equally important – Jesus is still working – saving – healing – empowering – strengthening – and ministering to all sorts of various needs.
By the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son continue to work in all kinds of ways.
God is so busy today and Jesus is so busy today. The Sabbath is a day of rest in which we are set free from serving ourselves to serving God and worshipping Him.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.