As we continue our study of the Book of John, we pick up at verse 10 of Chapter 5. Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, The Apostle John writes:
“and so the Jewish Leaders said to the man who had been healed, ‘It is the Sabbath, the law forbids you to carry your mat.’ But he replied, ‘The man who made me well said to me , ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’. So they asked him, ‘Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’ The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.” (John 5: 10-15.)
On a trip to a festival in Jerusalem one Sabbath day, Jesus had chosen to go the Pool of Bethesda to heal a man who had been an invalid for 38 years according to the Word. (John 5:8) Always teaching, I believe He was showing us, “never stop wanting to be healed,” since this was something he asked the man just before He healed him. (verse 6). Sometimes, we may fall into just accepting the condition we are in instead of continuing to look for healing day by day. There is a difference between being at peace about something, verses wanting it to be healed. Nevertheless, when Jesus told the man to pick up his mat, and walk, and he did, the Jewish Leaders were more concerned that he was ‘breaking the law’ than excited about the fact a miracle had just occurred. Here was a man who had been an invalid for 38 years, and he was walking -HEALED!. But it was the Sabbath, and carrying his mat was considered work, and no work was allowed on the Sabbath. That was their focus, and they overlooked the miracle.
To be sure, The Sabbath was a serious issue in the Law. It was given by God to help His people be healthy by getting a full day’s rest, and He told Moses to see to it that it happened. It was a fatal act if not obeyed. (Exodus 32:12-16) But just as Jesus came to complete and finish the covenant of the Law in all respects, this one was revised as well. Jesus intentionally healed the man on the Sabbath so that He could make this point. He is quoted in Mark 2: 26-27 saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Every day is a ‘Day of Rest’ when we abide in Jesus. And this is where He wants us to be – ALL of the time, not just on one particular day.
The last thing the Lord said to the man He healed that day was, “See you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Obviously the man had been well before he became an invalid, so the Lord wanted him to know that physical healing is just a part of us. We are body, soul, and spirit, and we must be healed in all of who we are to be as One with Christ, and find rest and refuge under the Almighty wings of our God. (Psalm 91:1-16). Our total healing comes when we ask the Lord Jesus into our heart, and receive All that He has done for us. (Isaiah 53: 1-12).
May we never be bound by rules and regulations of ‘religion’. May those things never be our focus. The Lord Jesus has set us free from those things to allow us to have a ‘relationship’ of Love, for Him, and in Him, and ourselves, and our neighbors. May this be our focus. May this be our rest, and our freedom.
Have a wonderful day, blessed in all things, and in all ways, God’s Beloveds. You are greatly loved.
Poppa B.