“Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man
who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take
up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to
me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who
said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did
not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the
place.” (John 5:9b–13, ESV)
Out passage yesterday ended, after the man being healed,
with the statement, “Now that day was the Sabbath.” In most translations that
break the passages into paragraphs along with verses, they begin a new
paragraph part-way through verse 9 with these words. These words are very
significant when it comes to drawing a line between the legalism that the Jews
had fallen into in order to show themselves approved and living a life of faith
which is expected by God. The Pharisees and others prided themselves in their adherence
to the law and even made themselves enforcers of others obeying the law. The
law that they proclaimed was much more than the law of Moses and the
instructions of the prophets. Over the years the rabbis had added to the law by
adding expansive stipulations on how the law was to be observed, and the rules
concerning the Sabbath were just a portion of their expansion. In Exodus
20:8-11 the Jews were told to, “Remember 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…” For a long time this was
simply understood that they were to refrain from their customary work (employment)
on the Sabbath, but according to the Mishnah (a written redaction of oral rabbinical
tradition) on the Shabbath (Mishnah Shabbat 7:2) there were 39 activities that
were forbidden, and the activity in question, carrying anything from one domain
to another, was the 39th last item on the list.
So, here we have this man that everyone knew to be disabled
and unable to walk for thirty-eight years, and rather than rejoicing in His
healing he was questioned by the Jews as to why he was carrying his bed on the
Sabbath. Unlike the other miraculous signs we have looked at previously, this
time we actually have encounter someone who had no idea who it was that had
healed him. All he knew and all he could respond to when questioned was that
the man who healed him told him to take up his bed, and walk. Again rather than
being amazed that the man was healed by another, they were still focused on who
it was that had said that to him. They did not even acknowledge his healing.
All they were focused on was who was behind this man breaking the Sabbath
rules.
Jesus purposely chose not to reveal His identity at this
time to the man for He knew the hearts of those who would confront him. Rather,
our passage says that He had withdrawn back into the crowd to return later, as
we will read, to identify Himself to the man.
In thinking about this I was greatly impressed by the compassion
of our Lord. Though He knew more than anyone that the man’s greatest need was
to be granted eternal life and eternal healing, He also showed His great
compassion in healing the man from his present condition. Knowing from further
reading that He would later come back and tell the man who He was, I can only
imagine Him standing back in the crowd as the man is interrogated by the Jews.
I don’t know what He felt, but I can imagine Him looking at these Jews who were
so focused on their personal performance and not their own greatest need. I can
imagine Him looking at this crowd who rather than rejoicing over the man’s
healing they chastised him for carrying his bed on the Sabbath. I can imagine
Him standing there knowing how far the people had strayed from the original law
given to Moses by their adding of bars and hoops that were never a part of the
original instruction.
Sure, God gave the Law to the Jews through Moses, but His
intent was not that it would prove their worthiness by its observance, but on
the contrary would demonstrate our great need to have the Law and the words of
the prophets ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, “Do
not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come
to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and
earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is
accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of
heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of
the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:17–20, ESV) Unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and
Pharisees? These were the standard bearers for observing their traditions. How
could we possibly exceed them? This is the very point was making. There is only
One who met this requirement, and that was Jesus Himself. Not one of us has
that kind of righteousness, and as such, not one of us deserves based upon our
righteous acts to inherit the kingdom of God.
What misdirected pride He must have observed. The apostle
Paul (as a former Pharisees, see Philippians 3:5) wrote about this kind of
attitude in Romans 3:28-28, “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded.
By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we
hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans
3:27–28, ESV)
It was never about how well we could obey the law. It has
always been about our obeying the law as a result of our love for God and our
faith in Him. There is not one of us that is righteous enough for God. We read
in Romans 3:10, “as it is written, “There
is none righteous, not even one;”
(Romans 3:10, NASB95)
And this is the great dilemma—God demands righteousness and
none of us are righteous. The law proves this over and over again. But this
dilemma has one and only one solution and that is found in the righteousness of
Jesus Christ. He, being fully righteous gave Himself for us so that His righteousness
might be credited (imputed) to our account. We are made righteous in Him, and
this happens not by the hoops we jump through but by the faith that we have in
Him to do what He said He would do.
“And He [Jesus] said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man,
not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”” (Mark
2:27–28, ESV)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is
not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no
one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)
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