Seven Miracles - Pt 13

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 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. (John 5:1-9 ESV).

As we come to the close of this “sign,” John says something that feels abrupt. He says, “Now that day was the Sabbath” (v. 9). It’s so easy to miss this insertion. We are all thinking about how magnificent Jesus is, and how happy the healed man must be. And then John says: “It happened on the Sabbath.” I’m naturally drawn to thoughts about how this will lead to a discussion on the things we are now obligated to do. Perhaps this is what the story is really all about. Perhaps we now come to the conflict over the things we are allowed to do on the Sabbath. Possibly this is the place John is going to shift from the glory of Jesus to the ground rules of the Sabbath. After all, surely there is something that must be done on our part to receive such an incredible gift of healing. The Sabbath issue is raised, but it’s raised in a way that amazingly keeps the focus on the glory of Jesus. Jesus knows what he has done. He healed a man on the Sabbath and told him to carry his bed as a sign and celebration that he is whole. He knows this will create conflict. Conflict in the ministry of Jesus is the furnace where the steel of his identity is forged. In the fires of conflict, his glory is made to shine. We see it in our reading today. Now notice what is most remarkable here. Jesus healed and disappeared before the man could find out who he was. He didn’t even know who healed him. Does this mean Jesus had no intention of dealing with this man’s soul? Was he content just to do a random miracle and leave the man in ignorance as to where it came from? Of course not! We see that clearly when Jesus found the man later at the Temple. It was not the man who found Jesus. We shouldn’t miss the impact of Jesus’ instructions to him. Jesus said, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” Jesus had no intention of walking away from this man and leaving him with nothing more than a healed body. The reason we are healed is to point to his power and glory. This is done through the change in our lives. His love for us is our motivation for righteous living. It is not the penalty of the Law!