Lord of the Sabbath

February 25 Lord of the Sabbath John 5:1-15

“The sick man does what we nearly all do. He limits God’s help to his own ideas and does not dare promise himself more than he conceives in his mind. But in Christ forgiving his weakness we have a mirror of the kindness which each of us daily experiences… when against all hope He stretches forth His hand... He shows how far His goodness exceeds the narrowness of our faith.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:119

A cloud passes over the page. For the first time we are given warning that not everyone appreciated Jesus’ ministry, nor accepted His claims. A man was healed, but the timing of his healing raised the antagonism of the Jewish authorities. The die was cast. The Gospel of grace and the religion of the Pharisees were discovered to be incompatible. There was to be trouble ahead.

Jesus had come to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the great festivals. As an adult Jewish male His attendance was expected. We have no reason to believe that He did not appreciate the time of celebration. While in the capital, Jesus passed by the Pool of Bethesda, near the Sheep Gate; there He noticed the people waiting to enter the water to be healed. The blind were there, the lame, the paralyzed, and those suffering from various other afflictions. They believed that, if they could be first into the water after it had been disturbed by God’s Spirit, they would be healed. And so they waited. Superstition kept them there, even when they knew they had no chance of being first into the water.

As He made His way through the festival crowds, Jesus caught sight of a man, lying by the pool. He learned that the man had been an invalid for a very long time, in fact, for thirty-eight years. Jesus confronted him: did he want to be well? The man responded that he had no one to help him into the pool when the water was stirred. Was he asking Jesus to fill this role? But Jesus had no need to wait for the wind to ripple the surface of the pool; He was the Lord of time. At His command the man was healed, instantly. His limbs restored, Jesus bade him take up his mat and walk. At once, the man did as he had been told.

There was a problem, though: it was the Sabbath. The authorities caught the man carrying his mat and accused him of Sabbath-breaking. Selfishly, the man shifted the blame to Jesus. The authorities should have recognized this miracle as proof that Jesus was the Messiah; instead, they accused Him of breaking the fourth commandment. They could not see the good that He had done because they were too busy complaining about the rule He had broken. In their minds, fear trumped compassion. They were more concerned about offending against God’s Law than they were about demonstrating God’s compassion.

The healed man’s response was far from grateful. He implicated Jesus, then named Him after encountering Him again. Though we do not know the details, Jesus’ warning seems appropriate. The man was told not to use his new-found health in order to sin. He had been healed for a purpose, not just so that he could satisfy his sinful desires. But perhaps the whole story is part of a larger purpose? Jesus knew that a confrontation with the Pharisees was coming. By healing on the Sabbath, in such a public place, He had thrown down the gauntlet, and taken a step towards Calvary.

By healing the royal official’s son, Jesus demonstrated that He was the Lord of space – His prayers were effective over thirteen miles. Now, He showed that He was Lord of time – the Sabbath belonged to Him.

For further reading: Psalm 45