Key Verse: “The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.16 Therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.” (John 5:15-16 CSB)
You would have thought it would have been a cause for celebration. Here was a man who had lived with a disability for 38 years that prevented him from walking. He had longed to be healed, but had never been given the opportunity. When He encountered Jesus, however, the man instantly was made well, got up and began to walk. It should have been a time of rejoicing for everyone who witnessed it in the community.
But sadly this wasn’t entirely the case. When the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem approached the man, they confronted him. “This is the Sabbath,” they told him. “The law prohibits you from picking up your mat” (v.10). When God first delivered the law to His people through Moses, one of the things He made clear was that they were to, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). To observe the Sabbath included not doing any work. Taking a day of rest was a way to honour God.
In this case, however, through the Jewish oral laws that had also been passed down, the leaders had come up with a huge list of additional rules about what it meant to not work. This included prohibiting someone from carrying his mat or bed on the Sabbath. So in the minds of the Jewish leaders, forget the fact that this man was now walking after close to 40 years, he was carrying his mat while he walked…on the Sabbath! What was he thinking? Who had told him that this was okay?
When they questioned the man about this, he didn’t know who had healed him, “because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there” (v.13). When Jesus came and found him later that day in the temple, the man made the connection and immediately went and told the Jewish leaders. Jesus was the one who had told this man to carry his mat. As a result, “the Jews began persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath” (v.16).
Unfortunately, it can be easy to miss the bigger picture and not see or understand what is truly most important. In this case, the concern of these leaders for their man-made religious rules and traditions outweighed their compassion for this man and their celebration of a life that had been radically transformed. They were more concerned about rules than they were about relationships. It was more about self-preservation than selfless love for those around them.
Do you know someone like that? Perhaps you struggle with this yourself. Obedience to Jesus is an essential element in our faithfulness to Him (John 14:15). But it’s not the only way we demonstrate our faithfulness. Ultimately, to follow Jesus means to wholeheartedly love God in such a way that it overflows into selfless love and compassion for others. Love for God that doesn’t lead to love for others is ultimately flawed.
Today, find ways to demonstrate Christ-centered compassion and love to those around you. Don’t let a love for rules or man-made traditions keep you from demonstrating the heart of Jesus to others.
Prayer: Jesus, you are Lord over all. To follow you isn’t just about faithfulness to your commands. It also means following you in your love and compassion for others. Help me to see the bigger picture and what is most important, as I seek to reflect your heart and faithfully share your message with those around me. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
