In the previous chapters, John talked about people who believed in Jesus and some of them showed genuine faith. At the end of this section in chapter 5, we see some totally different respond.
5:18 For this reason the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill him
(1) The enmity was established when the Jewish leaders could not accept Jesus' healing on Sabbath? Then why did Jesus heal the man on Sabbath?
Jesus saw the man who had been disabled for 38 years v.5, he was lying with a great number of sick, blind, lame and paralyzed v.3. For Jesus, that man had been disabled for too long v.6b. Rather than waiting for superstitional healing, Jesus gave him the immediate relief v.8,9.
(BKC) Isaiah prophesied that in the days of the Messiah the lame would “leap like a deer” (Isa. 35:1–7). Here in Jerusalem was a public sign that the Messiah had come.
(BECNT) The stirring of the waters could have been created by intermittent springs or spring water. Superstition attributed the movement of the water to an angel of the Lord
There is no mention of the day of the week until the end of this miracle.
v.9b Now that day was a Sabbath.
(BKC) The Sabbath was a central issue in the conflicts between Jesus and His opponents (cf. Mark 2:23; 3:4). The Mosaic Law required that work cease on the seventh day. Additional laws were added by later Jewish religious authorities, which became very complicated and burdensome. These human traditions often obscured the divine intention in God’s Law. “The Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27) so that he could have rest and a time for worship and joy. The Jews’ rigid tradition (not the Old Testament) taught that if anyone carried anything from a public place to a private place on the Sabbath intentionally, he deserved death by stoning. In this case the man who was healed was in danger of losing his life.
In v.1, John also mentioned that Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a Jewish feast.
(NAC) festivals are holy convocations. The first day of Passover accordingly is a holy convocation in which no labor is to be done (Lev 23:7). It is in fact a Sabbath, according to the perspective of Leviticus. Thus, a Sabbath understanding of the festivals is absolutely crucial for sensing the Levitical and Johannine perspective on the festivals. ..The festivals are thus to be perceived as holy convocations established by God....implication linked to Sabbath and to the many restrictions on labor pertaining to Sabbath observances...Johannine portrayal of Jesus as the Lord, even in the festivals.
Reflection: Jesus probably did not do this purposely to upset the Jewish leaders and thus healed the man on the Sabbath. The Scriptures focused more on the lengthy disability and capture under superstition. More importantly, Jewish people had been waiting for a long time for the Messiah. Why not Sabbath?
Is keeping the Sabbath more important or seeing Who is the Messiah more important?
Are we like the Jewish leaders who were ignorance of their blind spots? Do we allow ourselves to be incorrect? Or we misplace what is important in our lives?
(2) The second reason why these Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus was from v.17-18
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5:17 So he told them, “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.”5:18 For this reason the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God. a. Jesus worked regardless of Sabbath just like the Father.
(NET) My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” What is the significance of Jesus’ claim?... thus making himself equal with God...the rabbis realized that God did not really cease to work on the Sabbath: Divine providence remained active on the Sabbath, otherwise, all nature and life would cease to exist. As regards men, divine activity was visible in two ways: Men were born and men died on the Sabbath. Since only God could give life and only God could deal with the fate of the dead in judgment, this meant God was active on the Sabbath. This seems to be the background for Jesus’ words in 5:17. He justified his work of healing on the Sabbath by reminding the Jewish authorities that they admitted God worked on the Sabbath. This explains the violence of the reaction. The Sabbath privilege was peculiar to God,
b. Being the Son of the Father did not mean Jesus was inferior in authority. They are only different in administration. They are equal v.18.
Reflection: Jesus was God and thus He did not need the Sabbath to rest and devote that day to worship. Jesus did not need to worship, but deserved to be worshipped. Jewish leaders disagreed and tried to kill Him. Some people nowadays also refuse to worship Jesus. How about you?
Audrey
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