Who is Jesus? Part 25 Healing on the Sabbath Day

 

Take up Your Bed and Walk

Who is Jesus? Chapter 25 The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed porches. In these lay a great many invalids; blind, lame, and paralyzed.  One man was there who had been an invalid for 38 years.  When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be healed?”  The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another person steps down before me.”  Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”  And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now the day was the Sabbath; so, the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is against the law for you to take up your bed today.”  But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man told me to ‘Take up my bed and walk.’”  They asked him, “Who is this person 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  Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, for there was a large crowd in the place. 

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Understand, you have been made whole! However, this is important - - Sin no more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.  Now this was the reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now even on the Sabbath, and I also am working with Him.”

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus began to tell the Religious Leaders where he received his authority and said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that He himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show him, so that you may marvel. 

Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.  I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me - - receives eternal life; and he who believes - - does not come into judgment, but has passed from spiritual death to eternal life.

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.  And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.  

(Jesus was reminding them that he was human, born of woman, but that he also was the Son of God – and God was His father.)  Jesus wanted to explain that of himself, he as a mere human man, was not doing the works, but because his Father God was in him and told Him to do these works, He was able to co-operate with The Holy Spirit of God and do miracles through the eternal life that was in Him. - - 

 Think about that for a while !!

Jesus went on to explain where He received His authority and anointing to do the miracles and bring deliverance to so many - - It was from his Father God.

Jesus continued to explain; For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.  You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.  Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have eternal life. 

For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; because he wrote of me.  But if you do not believe the writings of Moses, - - how will you believe my words?”

Today we have heard Jesus testify of himself, that all He did was a direct command from His Father God, and was in co-operation with God in Him and He IN God. So if we seriously take these Words spoken by Jesus and believe in Jesus as God's son, we too shall pass from spiritual death into eternal life.

Some believed on Jesus in that day, but those who considered themselves religious were upset and provoked at his words and also angry about the miracles that Jesus was doing - - especially on the Sabbath day.

The reason for their hatred and anger; was their hard hearts were jealous, and they wanted to protect their political position in the government. To their thinking - - Jesus was a threat to them. How foolish they were. They should have considered his words and used their God given minds and common sense to realize Jesus was telling the truth. Oh it was so sad that they were foolish instead of being wise to accept Jesus as being sent from God.

Today, a wise person will say Yes to Jesus. A wise person will say with their mouth, “ Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross from me, I believe that you rose from the dead after 3 days, and I now invite you into my life and I promise to live for you all the days of my life.