{"id":227,"date":"2016-04-29T07:45:24","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T14:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smallchelle.com\/?p=227"},"modified":"2016-04-29T07:45:24","modified_gmt":"2016-04-29T14:45:24","slug":"john-5-part-2-scandalous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smallchelle.com\/?p=227","title":{"rendered":"John 5 Part 2 – Scandalous"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jesus had a great habit of intentionally upsetting the status quo. The Jewish Sabbath started out in the deserts of Egypt as a much needed day of rest for the weary Jewish nation that had been delivered from the enslaving clutches of Pharaoh. As time went on and the temple sacrificial system was established the Sabbath was a time for the Jews to reflect on their sin and God\u2019s provision to cover those sins by the blood of bulls, goats and lambs. By the time Jesus walked the earth the Sabbath had become a day of rule keeping. Don\u2019t do this, and don\u2019t do that. So instead of celebrating the lame man\u2019s healing on the Sabbath, the Jews cling tighter to their rules and persecute Jesus, who came to be the ultimate Sabbath Lamb.<\/span>
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Who Do We Have Here?<\/span>
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First we have <\/span>Jesus<\/b>. And Jesus is always first. Last time we well established that he came seeking this man, like a lost sheep, to heal him.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Next we have <\/span>the invalid man<\/b>. We don\u2019t know how old he was, but we are told in verse 5 that he was there for 38 years. Verse 4 (in some manuscripts) tell us that the people by the pool were \u201cwaiting for the moving of the water; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Then we have \u201c<\/span>the Jews.<\/b>\u201d This referred to the hardcore Jewish religious leaders, a.k.a. Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, that were opposing Jesus in those days. They have very strong beliefs about their religion and the Sabbath rules. Their pride and legalism constantly blinded them to the truth of who Jesus was.<\/span>
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Breaking the Rules<\/span>
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And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, \u201cIt is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.\u201d But he answered them, \u201cThe man who healed me, that man said to me, \u2018Take up your bed, and walk.\u2019\u201d They asked him, \u201cWho is the man who said to you, \u2018Take up your bed and walk\u2019?\u201d (John 5:9-12)<\/span>
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This poor guy, just finally after 38 years of laying down, helpless, having to beg everyone else to do everything for him, stands up, picks up his bed, and walks\u2026 and gets pulled over for speeding!<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Sabbath was a day of rest for the Jews, part of their covenant with God. They took it very seriously. God gave them one rule about it\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRemember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.\u201d Exodus 20:8-11<\/span>
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The Jews were so bent on not breaking the Sabbath that they defined \u201cwork\u201d with a list of their own rules in their own terms. The Talmud contains 39 categories of activity prohibited on the Sabbath. Even in current times they have so many systems in place to keep from breaking their own Sabbath rules, like elevators that stop at every floor so they don\u2019t have to \u201cwork\u201d by pushing a button. Despite continued modern observance of Sabbath rules, many have lost sight of the original purpose, a day to rest and trust in the Lord.<\/span>
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Sin no More<\/span>
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\u201cNow the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, \u201cSee, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.<\/span>\u201d John 5:13-14<\/span>
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Maybe it was this man\u2019s sin that originally landed him on that mat for 38 years. Is a \u201csin no more\u201d lifestyle even possible in our modern day? I honestly can\u2019t even drive on the freeway without sinning. Here\u2019s a couple of encouraging scriptures about this.<\/span>
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\u201cWhat shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.\u201d Romans 6:1-4<\/span>
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That\u2019s the amazing part of the Good News! 1 Cor 6:11 says,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It is from a position of security in the love of Christ, knowing that he has already cleansed us, that we can overcome the persistent sins in our lives.<\/p>\n

Sabbath Scandal<\/span>
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\u201cThe man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.\u201d John 5:15-16<\/span>
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The Sabbath they accused him of breaking was actually fulfilled by him. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.<\/span> These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So how does Jesus answer these accusations from the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath?<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Jesus answered them, \u201cMy Father is working until now, and I am working.<\/span>\u201d This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.\u201d John 5:17-18<\/span>
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After 38 years of rest Jesus\u2019 words to the invalid were a call to trust that led to freedom. Sabbath rest is all about trusting that God is sovereign and will provide all we need as we rest in Him. Jesus is our Sabbath, so we can stop \u201cworking\u201d at being so good, like the pharisees and just be in Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who are we in this miracle account? The lame man, waiting for a touch from Jesus? Healed and whole, walking in freedom? The religious rules lawyers that look down our noses in anger and people who don\u2019t worship God exactly the way we do? Pray today and ask God to show you where there might be a tendency toward legalism in your heart, then confess and spend some time thanking Jesus for fulfilling all of the law that you couldn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

As always, thank you for reading. Share this with someone you know needs encouragement. And I\u2019d love to hear from you, feel free to leave a comment below.<\/span>
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