Here we are, Christ not only just healed a man that had been lame for thirty eight years. He did it to show Israel that through him there is a hope to be reunited with God, but they don’t care. They just want to stone someone, anyone. First they were angry with a guy for walking with his bed on the sabbath and let’s face it, this wasn’t a Sealy Posturepedic. The man was destitute. He had a small roll of rags that you or I would have tossed away a long time ago and they want to kill him for walking home with it. Then when he said he was only following orders OF THE MAN WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE they want to kill him. So here is Christ’s response.
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
When does a priest work? Should be they work on the sabbath. If they didn’t nobody would be taught. The sabbath was made for man, not for God. God doesn’t say, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow because it’s the sabbath” and you shouldn’t either. If someone needs help you don’t say, “I’m sorry son that you cracked your head and your bleeding, but it’s the sabbath so your going to have to lay there until tomorrow.”
Even if they wanted to be hard nosed about the sabbath and said that the guy had been there for thirty eight years, what’s one more day? They should’ve stopped to wonder how the man was healed. If God didn’t want the man healed on the sabbath then he wouldn’t have been healed. I mean if God didn’t do it, who did?
John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
These men don’t want to learn. They don’t want to even ask questions. They just want to get all worked up and kill him. But are people any different today? How many people just get upset if someone says something they don’t think is in the bible or that the bible says something they don’t believe? Nearly everyone gets worked up faster than a nest of bees that has been knocked out of the tree. Careful you don’t. We are to be as clay in the potter’s hand, wet and pliable. Not a dried pot. Paul tells us to check all things out in the Word. If someone says something, ask them for where it says that in the bible and pray about it. Meditate on it. Even if someone shows you something wrong you could still learn something by it and maybe you could correct them and help your brother or sister in Christ by taking the time to go over the topic.
John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Why? Because they are one. Immanuel, God with us.
John 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
What greater works? Christ is going to rise from the grave.
John 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
Christ will call Lazarus forth, yes, but he isn’t talking about the physical anymore. God divorced Israel hence, they were cut off. They were dead, just as many today are spiritually dead. They were in bondage to sin and Christ said, “take up thy bed and walk.” Stand up and be counted. You are no longer dead.
John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
How does God judge? He looks at your sin and if your covered in the blood of Christ that means Christ has marked you clean.
John 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Again because they are one.
We are going to stop here today, but Christ doesn’t. We will pick up with that on the next post.
