John 5:10-18 God uses the Sabbath Day to bless, not to oppress
John 5:10-18 God uses the Sabbath Day to bless, not to oppress
Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk ’?” But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. 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.” The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. John 5:10-18
Background
The Sabbath Day or the Rest Day is the day that the Jews had determined in their law that no one should perform any kind of tasks that relate to work. God gave a commandment that the Sabbath Day should be set apart as a day of worship of God and fellowship with believers. On the Sabbath Day, people should cease from their work to draw near to God and be blessed. However, the Jews took it literally and forbid the most trivial of activities that had a semblance to work. God meant Sabbath Day to be a day where God pours out His blessings as believers gather in love and serve one another. The Sabbath Day must be set aside to worship God as a community and as a people. For the Jews, their Sabbath is on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. For Christians, the Sabbath worship is on Sunday, which is also the day of Jesus’s resurrection. It does not really matter if its on Saturday or Sunday but the important thing is the posture of the heart towards God.
Observation
“It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.”
After the man was healed and seen walking around with His pallet, the Jews started to question his “unlawful” behavior. They saw the man’s action as a form of work that violated thei law. They were not the least amazed or glad that a miraculous event had happened and that a man was just set free from a life of misery. They were evil and their sole intent was to assert control over the people by manipulating God’s laws.
“Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
After the man was healed, knowing the man’s inclinations towards evil, Jesus sought him out and warned him of the dire consequences of sin. As all humanity was under a curse, suffering and sickness were by default part of human life. Jesus was not implying that the man’s particular sickness was a direct consequence of his sin when He told him to repent and walk in the ways of God. But that he would be released from eternal condemnation and experience abundant living. As we know it, he betrayed Jesus by informing the Jews of Jesus’s “unlawful” work of healing him.
The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
The man was accused by the Jews for violating the law. Under the threat of being prosecuted, he told them about Jesus. From then on, the Jews started to persecute Jesus because He healed a man on the Sabbath Day and He told him to pick up his pallet and walk. Both acts were considered violations of their law.
“My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
When questioned by the Jews, Jesus responded by calling God His Father. The people of the Old Testament have never called God their Father. By calling God, “My Father“, Jesus was effectively calling Himself the Son of God, or the exact image of God. The Jews could not accept the fact that God (whom they thought is beyond reach) could come as an ordinary man to live among them. In addition, Jesus pointed to the works that He did during Sabbath Day as those of God Himself. For that reason, the Jews started plotting against Jesus to kill Him.
Truth
The Law that was first given to Moses was never intended to save them.
From the very beginning, salvation is obtained only when man repents and acknowledges God as the Lord and Savior of his life. The Law serves to provide principles on which to live the abundant life by loving God and others. The Jews manipulated the Law by making the observance of it as a requisite for salvation. The original purpose of the Sabbath Day was to encourage the people to lay down their livelihood concerns for a day so that they could worship God and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Sabbath Day is meant to enhance their relationship with God and with one another. However, the Jews used the Sabbath Law as a tool to exert control over the people. Hence, the goal of our spiritual disciplines like Sunday worship, prayer, and bible studies is to help us live life abundantly. The purpose of any law is not to oppress or stifle, but to help us connect with God and with one another.
The purpose of the healing ministry is to lead man to experience God so that he could repent and receive eternal life.
The physical body will waste away, but the soul lives forever. Hence, physical needs are windows through which people can experience God and be saved. Jesus did not stop at healing the man’s physical condition. He told to him repent so that nothing worse might happen to him referring ultimately to the eternal condemnation of the soul. The phenomenon that is happening in today’s churches is the bid to portray God as the Healer as opposed to the Sanctifier.
When we address God as our Father, we make Jesus our Savior and big brother.
When Jesus addressed God as His Father, that made Him equal with God. “Equal with God” refers to one who is born of God’s Spirit and being called His son. Today, as we address God as our Father, Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers. As Jesus and all believers comes from One Father, and are called the Sons of God (see Hebrews 2:11).
Since God is our Father and we are His sons, we must bear God’s image with reverence and do His will.
Given our newfound identity as sons of God, we must also adopt a new direction in our life that befits our identity. Jesus said that the Father is working now even as He is working. His working relationship with the Father can be described as hand in glove. The authority and power of the Father is invested in the sons of God. That said, as the believer is found faithful in small matters, greater authority and responsibilities will be entrusted to him.
Applications
1. God’s mercies and kindness is meant to lead us into a deeper walk with Him. Romans 2:4 says, “knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance.” As much as you could remember, list down the blessings that you have experienced from God in the last few months. We cannot be like the man who when he was healed betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Pharisees. The more we experience the love of God, the more we are moved to love Him and do His will (see 2 Corinthians 5:14).
2. Work heartily on the tasks that God has given you in the church and in the work place. As Jesus is working, God is also working with Jesus in a hand in glove fashion. Therefore, we must treat our work as holy and our calling divine. Thus, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Colossians 3:23. As you are found faithful in your current position, God will reward and promote you to the next level of influence for the benefit of all.
Dear Lord, because of Your mercies and lovingkindness I am called Your son and given the inheritance of heaven. I offer my life as an instrument so that others may be blessed as well. Protect me from harm even as I speak the truth concerning You. I will forgive those who has hurt me in an unjust way will continue to do Your works of love and power in my community. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.