A Scandalous Sabbath
4/9/25 Bible Thought (John 5)
God’s timing is certainly an interesting thing. He alone knows the end from the beginning, and He orchestrates His plan accordingly. Yet sometimes it falls on unusual times for us here on earth.
In John 5, we read the story of a paralyzed man lying on a mat. According to John, the man had been lying by the pool for a long time (Jn. 5:6a) and likewise he had been paralyzed for 38 years (Jn. 5:5). There had been plenty of time for him to find healing, but to no avail. He was lying by the Pool of Bethesda, longing for someone to put him in the water at just the right time in hopes that he would be healed. But someone else always beat him there. As such, it seemed that he’d be crippled the rest of his life.
Then, along comes Jesus. The man had been suffering for years and yet Jesus asks, “Do you want to be healed?” (Jn. 5:6b). The man responds with an excuse as an indirect answer. He didn’t say whether or not he wanted to be healed. He merely presented the reason he was still broken. Clearly, he didn’t know who Jesus was—yet. The solution to all of his problems was standing right before him, but he didn’t know it.
Before the man could speak further Jesus commands, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk” (Jn. 5:8). The man was instantly healed, and he stood up and carried his mat as a public testimony of his healing.
But God’s timing is funny. The man had 38 years he could’ve been made well. He had been lying at the pool for a while with no success, and it just so happens that Jesus came on the Sabbath to heal the man. This results in a controversy with the religious leaders.
Craig Keener explains,
“By Jesus’ day, Jewish law explicitly forbade carrying things on the Sabbath, viewing this as a form of work”
and further,
“Most Pharisees apparently opposed physicians’ cures not necessary to save a life on the Sabbath.”[1]
The Pharisees missed the forest for the trees, or we could say in devotion to the letter of the law they missed the spirit of the law. The Sabbath was a gift that was given to mankind (Ex. 16:29; Mk. 2:27). It wasn’t supposed to be a burden.
This man for the first time in his life was able to carry his mat, and he’s getting hit with the rulebook! The mat was a testimony to the fact that he’d met with Jesus, the God-man who not only had the power to heal but who also had authority over the Sabbath.
While God rested on the seventh day of all creation to set a precedent for His people (Gen. 2:1-3) certainly He hasn’t continued to rest on a regular basis. He is God, He needs no rest. Likewise, Jesus Christ, as God-incarnate need not follow the rules for rest strictly. As Jesus responds to His criticizers, “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (Jn. 5:17).
Jesus puts His power and authority on display with miraculous healing at a seemingly improper time. Yet, if he was with the Father in authoring the Sabbath, surely, He need not be bound by it.
We can find in Him the answer to all of our deepest needs. He has all authority and power to do whatever He pleases. There is nothing too hard for Him. Sometimes the question just comes back to us, “Do we want to be well?”
[1] Craig S. Keener, John, ed. Clinton E. Arnold, vol. 2A of Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019), 49.