Matthew 13:53-58; Mark 6:1-6; John 5
Let’s get a few things straight right up front:
- Jesus never Himself breaks the Sabbath (not the Sabbath God intends, at least)
- Jesus never causes anyone else to break the Sabbath, either (e.g., telling the healed man to pick up his bed and walk)
- Jesus never abolishes the Sabbath (even though we act as though He does)
But Jesus most certainly breaks down the excessively burdensome rules and regulations heaped up by the scribes and Pharisees surrounding the Sabbath, rules that ostensibly help protect the Sabbath but which in fact run completely contrary to the spirit of Sabbath rest. It is Jesus’ violation of those rules that inflames the Pharisees against Jesus and draws them into a confrontation. But what really gets the Pharisees riled up (and rightly so) is Jesus’ assertion of Divinity. (John 5:18) (I say “rightly so”, because any such assertion by a mere man would be utter blasphemy — far worse than treason, murder, or any other crime — and should induce such a response. By the way, every now and then I hear someone say that Jesus never claimed to be God. Ha! I can only assume that such folks have never read the Gospels…)
We could probably spend the rest of our lives contemplating what Jesus says in John 5:19-47 and still not plumb the depths of Truth revealed here: Jesus’ relationship with God the Father; His role in giving life; His authority and role in judgment; the reality of our own eventual resurrection, either to life or to condemnation; the fourfold witness to Jesus of John the Baptist, Jesus’ miraculous works, the Father’s own voice, and the (Old Testament) Scriptures. What can I possibly say about such things?
So I leave you to prayerfully meditate on Jesus’ words today. Do you believe what He says? What, then, does that mean for you today?
See also: