Objections By Religious Tradition. John 5 Ten Thru Eighteen.

THE SABBATH CONTROVERSY

1. The Jewish Leaders' Offense (Verses 10-13)

• Jewish Leaders’ Reaction: After The Healing, The Jewish Leaders Confronted The Man Who Was Cured, Focusing On The Violation Of Their Sabbath Rules Rather Than The Miraculous Healing. They Objected To Him Carrying His Bed, Which They Considered Work.

  • Legalism Over Compassion: Their Concern Was Not With The Healing Itself But With The Man Carrying His Bed On The Sabbath, A Violation Of Their Interpretation Of The Sabbath Laws.

  • The Man’s Response: The Man Explained That The One Who Healed Him Had Instructed Him To Carry His Bed. The Jewish Leaders Then Asked Who Had Given This Command.

• Jesus Withdraws: The Healed Man Did Not Initially Know Who Jesus Was, As Jesus Had Slipped Away Into The Crowd.

2. Jesus Warns The Healed Man (Verses 14-15)

• Jesus Finds The Healed Man: Later, Jesus Found The Man In The Temple And Warned Him, Saying, “Sin No More, Lest A Worse Thing Come Upon You.” This Showed Jesus' Concern For The Man’s Spiritual Health, Not Just His Physical Condition.

• The Man Reports Jesus: Feeling Intimidated By The Religious Leaders, The Healed Man Reported To Them That It Was Jesus Who Had Healed Him.

3. Jesus Defends His Actions (Verses 16-18)

• Persecution Of Jesus: The Jewish Leaders Began Persecuting Jesus And Sought To Kill Him Because He Healed On The Sabbath.

  • Jesus’ Response: Jesus Stated, “My Father Has Been Working Until Now, And I Have Been Working,” Implying That His Actions Were In Line With God’s Continuous Work, Even On The Sabbath.

  • Equality With God: By Calling God His Father In A Unique Way, Jesus Was Claiming Equality With God. The Jewish Leaders Understood This Claim And Saw It As Blasphemy, Increasing Their Desire To Kill Him.

Key Points Of The Controversy:

1. Legalistic Focus: The Religious Leaders Were More Concerned With Enforcing Their Human Interpretations Of The Sabbath Law Than Recognizing A Miraculous Healing.

2. Jesus’ Authority And Divinity: Jesus Did Not Deny Working On The Sabbath; Instead, He Asserted His Authority As The Son Of God, Who Works As His Father Does, Even On The Sabbath.

3. Spiritual Root Of Opposition: The Deep-Seated Hatred And Anger Of The Religious Leaders Towards Jesus Were Rooted In Their Spiritual Blindness And Rejection Of His Divine Identity.

This Controversy Highlights The Conflict Between Jesus And The Religious Authorities Over The True Understanding Of God’s Law, His Identity, And The Purpose Of His Ministry.

The Sabbath Controversy.

1. (10-13) The Jews Ignore The Miracle And Take Offense.

The Jews Therefore Said To Him Who Was Cured, “It Is The Sabbath; It Is Not Lawful For You To Carry Your Bed.” He Answered Them, “He Who Made Me Well Said To Me, ‘Take Up Your Bed And Walk.’” Then They Asked Him, “Who Is The Man Who Said To You, ‘Take Up Your Bed And Walk’?” But The One Who Was Healed Did Not Know Who It Was, For Jesus Had Withdrawn, A Multitude Being In That Place.

A. The Jews Therefore Said: Throughout His Gospel, John Uses The Term The Jews In The Sense Of The Jewish Leaders, Not Of All The Jews In Jerusalem.

B. It Is The Sabbath; It Is Not Lawful For You To Carry Your Bed: Carrying A Bed (actually A Sleeping-Mat Or A Bedroll) Was In Fact A Violation Of The Rabbis’ Interpretation Of The Commandment Against Doing Work Or Business On The Sabbath. It Was Not A Breaking Of God’s Law Of The Sabbath, But The Human Interpretation Of God’s Law.

C. Who Is The Man Who Said To You, “Take Up Your Bed And Walk”? The Jewish Leaders Didn’t Want To Know Who Healed The Crippled Man. They Wanted To Know Who Told Him To Carry A Bed-Mat On The Sabbath Day.

D. For Jesus Had Withdrawn, A Multitude Being In That Place: Jesus Did Not Want To Remain With The Commotion Surrounding The Man’s Healing. Because He Did Not Intend To Heal The Entire Multitude, It Was Better For Him To Withdraw.

2. (14-15) Jesus Warns The Healed Man Of A Greater Danger.

Afterward Jesus Found Him In The Temple, And Said To Him, “See, You Have Been Made Well. Sin No More, Lest A Worse Thing Come Upon You.” The Man Departed And Told The Jews That It Was Jesus Who Had Made Him Well.

A. Afterward Jesus Found Him: Jesus Found Him Because He Was Concerned For His Spiritual Health (sin No More Lest A Worse Thing Come Upon You), Not Only His Physical Health. Living A Life Of Sin Is Worse, And Will Bring A Worse Result, Than Being Crippled For Thirty-Eight Years.

B. The Man Departed And Told The Jews That It Was Jesus: The Fact That He Reported Jesus To The Authorities Showed How Intimidated The Man Was By Those Same Religious Leaders.

3. (16-18) Jesus Defends His Sabbath Actions.

For This Reason The Jews Persecuted Jesus, And Sought To Kill Him, Because He Had Done These Things On The Sabbath. But Jesus Answered Them, “My Father Has Been Working Until Now, And I Have Been Working.” Therefore The Jews Sought All The More To Kill Him, Because He Not Only Broke The Sabbath, But Also Said That God Was His Father, Making Himself Equal With God.

A. For This Reason The Jews Persecuted Jesus, And Sought To Kill Him: Remarkably, The Healing Seemed To Make No Difference To Those Who Persecuted Jesus. All They Could See Was That Their Religious Rule Was Broken, A Rule That Went Beyond The Command Of Scripture Itself.

B. And Sought To Kill Him: The Anger And Hatred Of The Religious Leaders Is Difficult To Explain, Apart From Seeing That It Had A Spiritual Root. They Did Not Like Jesus, And Therefore They Did Not Like God The Father (but Also Said That God Was His Father).

C. My Father Has Been Working Until Now, And I Have Been Working: Jesus Did Not Try And Explain That He Had Not Truly Worked On The Sabbath. Instead, He Boldly Explained To The Religious Leaders That His Father Worked On The Sabbath, And Therefore Jesus The Son Also Worked On The Sabbath.

D. But Also Said That God Was His Father, Making Himself Equal With God: The Religious Leaders Did Not Miss The Fact That Jesus Claimed To Be Equal With God. They Knew Clearly That When Jesus Said That God Was His Father In This Unique Way, He Declared Himself Equal With God.