John 5: 9b-13
‘”The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.’
But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’
So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?’
The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.”
Some stories of Jesus healing people are about Jesus. Others are about the people who are healed and whether or not they are grateful for what has been given to them. The story we just read about the royal official was about a man and his family coming to faith in Jesus. This story is different.
The man Jesus has healed shows no real gratitude or appreciation for the gift that has been given him. But there is another story here. The day that this happens is a Sabbath. There are two kinds of laws at work on this day. One is the law of God, the law embodied in the Ten Commandments as summarized by Jesus in Mark 12: 30-31, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “ The other kind are the rules written by man; hundreds of them. These rules tried to define everything including how many steps you could walk on the Sabbath and what you could and could not carry.
In addition to telling the man to “Get up!,” Jesus also said, “Pick up your mat and walk.” So while the man was not a stellar symbol of gratitude or belief, he was obedient. He picked up his mat and walked. In so doing, he must have known that he was breaking a rule of the second kind; he was breaking the Sabbath laws written by the ancestors of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law.
Q: Jesus challenged the man to choose between obedience to the Healer, or obedience to the Rule Makers. The man chose rightly. How does Jesus challenge us in similar ways today?
Good question. This is the age old challenge between living under relationship or living under religion. He offers us a relationship, we should accept that and not add man made rules. These rules can become a barrier to the relationship as it gets us focused on the wrong thing.
Matt 5:17-20, Jesus came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets but fulfill them, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the Law until all is accomplished, whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven, unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Through Jesus we have the Holy Spirit, direct access to God, and the power to become more Christlike, as we grow in the gifts given to each of us.
We should listen to those with the gift of teaching, apply biblical teaching which builds unity within the Church, individual growth and reunites the lost with our Lord.
It challenges us to remember Jesus in all aspects of our lives as we carry out our daily walk.
I think it also challenges us not to to put barriers in between non-believers and Jesus when we get opportunities to share about God’s love for us.
I think He challenges me when He puts me up against an unbeliever,..I am challenged with scripture memory but fortunately He has given me the power to overcome the challenges through the Holy Spirit,..I have said things that I had no idea I was capable of saying,..glory to God because the seeds have been planted,..and the unbeliever is in agreement with what has been said,..amazing I tell ya,..I would NEVER be able to do this on my own,..praise God! You all have a great Sabbath! Keep smiling!
Thank you John, enjoy the Sabbath also.
Ron
I appreciate all of the comments today, as always. Thank you!
I am reminded of Jesus’ summary of God’s commandments: Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22: 34-40) God’s Law is very different from city codes or even church traditions.
This one comes back again as a question.