Author Archives: RB3

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

We are now into John chapter 6 and it starts out “After these things.” Jesus had been in Jerusalem, doing signs and wonders and had run into the Pharisees who had taken issue with Him healing a man on the sabbath. We know from Mark 2:27, Jesus had said “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” 

From Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: The sabbath is a sacred and Divine institution; a privilege and benefit, not a task and drudgery. God never designed it to be a burden to us, therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. The sabbath was instituted for the good of mankind, as living in society, having many wants and troubles, preparing for a state of happiness or misery. Man was not made for the sabbath, as if his keeping it could be of service to God, nor was he commanded to keep its outward observances to his real hurt. Every observance respecting it, is to be interpreted by the rule of mercy.

Why then were the Pharisees making a big deal of this? God’s original commands were the 613 laws of Moses (called “Torah”) that guided the ancient nation of Israel.

The Mishnah was an oral tradition of commentary on the Mosaic Law that introduced additional, man-made rules that “built a fence” around the Mosaic Law so people wouldn’t even come close to breaking God’s commandments.

The Pharisees were concerned with keeping these additional commandments and especially with having the outward appearance of keeping them.

These Pharisees took it upon themselves to add to God’s law, to “build a fence around” what Moses had written. Jesus had warned them of their hypocrisy: Matthew 23:27-28 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Like the virtue signallers of today, they would brook no disagreement with their rules, it just incited them all the more. Just like today. A sane person would wonder why we keep repeating the same mistakes. 

So, after these things, Jesus moved up into the area of Galilee, near Tiberias. (John 6:1) By now, large crowds of people had been attracted to Him. “They saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.” (John 6:2) He and His disciples went up on the mountain to sit. (John 6:3) It was the time of Passover which depends on the new moon and the date varies a bit. This year, 2021, it would be March 27th to April 4th. Early spring and we know it is the celebration of Moses leading his people out of Egypt. (Exodus 12) 

All of which means there are large crowds of people, many following Jesus, attracted to the spectacle of what He could do, and others coming for the Passover celebration. 

Jesus saw the large crowd coming to Him and asked Philip “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” Philip was from Bethsaida which is on the North end of the Sea of Galilee. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were also from the same town. Now I don’t know if it was because Philip was sitting closest to Jesus or Jesus had a particular lesson in mind for Philip when He asked him where they were going to get food to feed this crowd. Can you imagine the look on Philip’s face when heard what he heard from this Son of God? The scripture says that it was to test him, (John 6:6) so that answers that question. Have you been tested by God? I know I certainly have. If you are aware enough to know you are being tested by God, you should be aware enough to know that these tests are to strengthen us, to refine us, to make us more holy because God is holy.

Philip, probably still marveling at the question, gives room for his doubts to be spoken out loud. “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” (John 6:7) Andrew was probably standing nearby and had a more hopeful suggestion. “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” (John 6:9) Okay, not real hopeful with that last part of his suggestion, but maybe he was wondering what this Son of God was up to. They had all seen things that were well beyond what their imaginations could dream up. This rabbi they were compelled to follow had done signs and wonders and had drawn this huge crowd… 

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” This was an area of much grass and so the men sat down and they numbered 5000. (John 6:10) Yes, I am aware of the argument of only counting men. It was just what they did and they were consistent with it. Nobody believes it was just men following Jesus, it was families with kids in tow. Many bible scholars believe the actual number fed that day could have been 15,000–20,000 people.

With a large number of hungry people sitting in the grass before Him, Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. (John 6:11)

They ate until they were filled, of the bread and fish. Jesus told His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” (John 6:12)  So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. (John 6:13) Up to 20,000 people had just eaten their fill of a couple of barley loaves and a few fish and there were leftovers. Grace upon grace, John 1:16. What’s abundantly clear is that, when we come to Christ, He dishes out grace in heaping, huge servings, with leftovers. 

When the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” (John 6:14) The people said it, with their bellies full. One hopes that they truly believed that in their hearts. 

So, how is it with you in this day of virtue enforcers? Are you thankful and willing to share that with those around you? Even with those who scold you for not wearing a mask or not staying 6 feet apart? It is hard to be nice to someone who is not nice to you, but what did Christ do? What did He tell us? Love your neighbor as you love yourself. (Matthew 22:39) Neighbors are sometimes not very nice people. Neither were the Pharisees. Think of them as prisoners of war, captured by satan and made to follow him. Would that change your opinion of those unpleasant to you? The fields are white and ready to harvest. (John 4:35) Surely, those are not all pleasant people. There is a very good reason that Christ focused on Love. I want you to think about that. Love conquers all, satisfies all of the law. Ask God for more love in your heart, to love those that don’t love you. Ask Him for greater understanding of what that Love is. And then act upon it. What Jesus did for those many people was done out of love. Love does not separate, but draws together. Work with what God has blessed you with and remember He dishes out grace in heaping, huge servings. Share that with others and reap the blessing of your obedience to God.

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

From Westminster Shorter Catechism (written in 1647), questions 99 to 102:

Q99: What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer?
A99: The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called The Lord’s Prayer.

Q100: What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us?
A100: The preface of the Lord’s prayer, which is, “Our Father which art in heaven,” teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.

Q101: What do we pray for in the first petition?
A101: In the first petition, which is, “Hallowed be thy name,” we pray, That God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he would dispose all things to his own glory.

Q102: What do we pray for in the second petition?
A102: In the second petition, which is, “Thy kingdom come,” we pray, That Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and the kingdom of glory may be hastened.

Hopefully you were able to get through the “homework” I left you with last week. You may have thought of it as a lot of thumbing through the Bible, but since it concerns your understanding of Christ’s coming and your salvation, it can’t really be considered too much work, can it? From what I hear and see, persecution of believers is coming, but none us has been crucified for what we believe just yet. So, with the right perspective, what you were given to read and pursue was no work at all, right?

Along this line of thinking, this week my morning devotionals from Grace to You and John MacArthur, talked about the call. Two Bible Studies back, we learned about the church as we know it, is really the people who were called by God. This is a little confusing with most people understanding what Church is. It is Us, drawn by our Father (John 6:44), to worship and sing praises unto to Him that drew us. Our assumption is that the building is the focus, which is reinforced by our somewhat lazy or incurious if you will, understanding of the word Church. Getting back to my point, John MacArthur had this in the Drawing Near part of his Devotionals.
Understanding Your Calling
“I pray that . . . you may know what is the hope of [God’s] calling” (Eph. 1:18). The hope of your calling is grounded in God’s promises and in Christ’s accomplishments. In Ephesians 1:3-14 Paul proclaims the blessings of our salvation. In verse 18 he prays that we will comprehend those great truths, which he summarizes in the phrase “the hope of His calling.”
“Calling” here refers to God’s effectual calling—the calling that redeems the soul. Scripture speaks of two kinds of calling: the gospel or general call and the effectual or specific call. The gospel call is given by men and is a universal call to repent and trust Christ for salvation (e.g., Matt. 28:19; Acts 17:30-31). It goes out to all sinners but not all who hear it respond in faith.
The effectual call is given by God only to the elect. By it He speaks to the soul, grants saving faith, and ushers elect sinners into salvation (John 6:37-44, 65; Acts 2:39). All who receive it respond in faith.
Now we have a better understanding of these two calls to faith. It is important to know that being a believer should show. Those who hear the gospel call can respond to that with a realization of what a wretched sinner they are, repent and then pursue Christ. Not all do however. This is where the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) comes in to help us understand why some fall away from faith when they are tested with adversity.

My testimony is one where I felt I had no choice but to accept and follow what I was drawn to. Why God waited almost 6 decades of my life to bring me to faith is a mystery to me, but not to Him. So how is it with you? Are you casual with your faith or or you drawn to it?

Most churches today are preaching not from the scripture but a message of only Love and Inclusiveness. They tell a story of Jesus accepting you just as you are. What they don’t say is, do not expect to remain “just as you are.” With coming to Christ, repentance is a key to understanding what the message of Christ is. When you repent, you see what sin is in your life and how it can no longer remain. God told us to be Holy because He is Holy.

(1 Peter 1:16) How can you be Holy and not change? As mentioned before, being a believer should show. Those that claim to be Christians, but show no signs of living like a Christian, now we are in the parable of the tares and wheat. Matthew 13:24-30

Since last week’s message was a lot of information to absorb, you can add what I have here to that and we’ll call it good. If you haven’t finished the 47 prophecies from last week, go ahead and get through that. Once done, take a moment to analyze where you stand with your Savior. I ask you to take a hard look at 1 Peter 1. Be Holy for He who has drawn you is Holy.

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

From Westminster Shorter Catechism (written in 1647), questions 95 to 98

Q95: To whom is baptism to be administered?
A95: Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him; but the infants of such as are members of the visible church are to be baptized. 

Q96: What is the Lord’s supper?
A96: The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ’s appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worth receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace. 

Q97: What is required to be the worthy receiving of the Lord’s supper?
A97: It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord’s supper, that they examine themselves of their knowledge to discern the Lord’s body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgement to themselves. 

Q98: What is prayer?
A98: Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies. 

We enter a new chapter this week. John 6, and it starts out “After these things…”. If your memory is short the last 2 verses of John 5 can pretty much sum up what “these things” were.

“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:46-47) Jesus was talking to the Pharisees and telling them straight out that their unbelief as to who He was would lead to their destruction. A thought that was unfathomable to most of them. I say most of them, because Nicodemus came to see what the Lord had told him and he believed. As for the rest of them, how could these guys who were so sure of their righteousness, so knowledgeable of the scriptures, absolutely miss the bus when the long sought Messiah, who was written about all over the Old Testament, was standing before them? Because of their unbelief, I think we will do something a bit different, to drive the lesson home. 

There are some 300 prophecies of the coming of the Messiah in the Bible. I have chosen 47 Old Testament prophecies of the coming of Christ, and their fulfillments in the New Testament. The term Bible Study should be just that, a study of the Bible. What better way for you to learn about the Truth of Christ coming than studying where it is found in the Bible.

It’s a lot of information and I don’t expect you to look these up all in one day. Go through a couple each day, run down the verses and then think about what you just read. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you go about this task. Let this be an enjoyable trip through the scriptures as you see time and time again God’s hand in guiding history to enact His will. And while you are going through the Bible, make sure to give glory and honor to our Lord who keeps us in good stead.

1. Messiah would be born of a woman. Genesis 3:15
   Matthew 1:20, Galatians 4:4

2. Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2
   Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-6

3. Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14
   Matthew 1:22-23, Luke 1:26-31

4. Messiah would come from the line of Abraham. Genesis 12:3, Genesis 22:18
   Matthew 1:1, Romans 9:5

5. Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac. Genesis 17:19, Genesis 21:12
   Luke 3:34

6. Messiah would be a descendant of Jacob. Numbers 24:17
   Matthew 1:2

7. Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49:10
   Luke 3:33, Hebrews 7:14

8. Messiah would be heir to King David’s throne. 2 Samuel 7:12-13, Isaiah 9:7
   Luke 1:32-33, Romans 1:3

9. Messiah’s throne will be anointed and eternal. Psalm 45:6-7, Daniel 2:44
   Luke 1:33, Hebrews 1:8-12

10. The Messiah would be called Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
    Matthew 1:23

11. Messiah would spend a season in Egypt. Hosea 11:1
    Matthew 2:14-15

12. A massacre of children would happen at Messiah’s birthplace. Jeremiah 31:15
    Matthew 2:16-18

13. A messenger would prepare the way for Messiah. Isaiah 40:3-5
    Luke 3:3-6

14. Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner. Malachi 3:1
    Matthew 11:10

15. Messiah would be rejected by his own people. Psalm 69:8, Isaiah 53:3
    John 1:11, John 7:5

16. The Messiah would be a prophet. Deuteronomy 18:15
    Acts 3:20-22

17. Messiah would be preceded by Elijah. Malachi 4:5-6
    Matthew 11:13-14

18. The Messiah would be declared the Son of God. Psalm 2:7
    Matthew 3:16-17

19. The Messiah would be called a Nazarene. Isaiah 11:1
    Matthew 2:23

20. Messiah would bring light to Galilee. Isaiah 9:1-2
    Matthew 4:13-16

21. The Messiah would speak in parables. Psalm 78:2-4, Isaiah 6:9-10
    Matthew 13:10-15, 34-35

22. Messiah would be sent to heal the brokenhearted. Isaiah 61:1-2
    Luke 4:18-19

23. Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110:4
    Hebrews 5:5-6

24. The Messiah would be called King. Psalm 2:6, Zechariah 9:9
    Matthew 27:37, Mark 11:7-11

25. The Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey. Zechariah 11:12
    Matthew 21:4-5

26. Messiah would be praised by little children. Psalm 8:2
    Matthew 21:16

27. Messiah would be betrayed. Psalm 41:9, Zechariah 11:12-13
    Luke 22:47-48, Matthew 26:14-16

28. Messiah’s price money would be used to buy a potter’s field. Zechariah 11:12-13
    Matthew 27:9-10

29. Messiah would be falsely accused. Psalm 35:11
    Mark 14:57-58

30. Messiah would be silent before his accusers. Isaiah 53:7
    Mark 15:4-5

31. Messiah would be spat upon and struck. Isaiah 50:6
    Matthew 26:67

32. Messiah would be hated without cause. Psalm 35:19, Psalm 69:4
    John 15:24-25

33. Messiah would be crucified with criminals. Isaiah 53:12
    Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27-28

34. Messiah would be given vinegar to drink. Psalm 69:21
    Matthew 27:34, John 19:28-30

35. Messiah’s hands and feet would be pierced. Psalm 22:16, Zechariah 12:10
    John 20:25-27

36. The Messiah would be mocked and ridiculed. Psalm 22:7-8
    Luke 23:35

37. Soldiers would gamble for Messiah’s garments. Psalm 22:18
    Luke 23:34, Matthew 27:35-36

38. Messiah’s bones would not be broken. Exodus 12:46, Psalm 34:20
    John 19:33-36

39. The Messiah would be forsaken by God. Psalm 22:1
    Matthew 27:46

40. Messiah would pray for his enemies. Psalm 109:4
    Luke 23:34

41. Soldiers would pierce Messiah’s side. Zechariah 12:10
    John 19:34

42. The Messiah would be buried with the rich. Isaiah 53:9
    Matthew 27:57-60

43. Messiah would resurrect from the dead. Psalm 16:10, Psalm 49:15
    Matthew 28:2-7, Acts 2:22-32

44. The Messiah would ascend to heaven. Psalm 24:7-10
    Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51

45. The Messiah would be seated at God’s right hand. Psalm 68:18, Psalm 110:1
    Mark 16:19, Matthew 22:44

46. Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin. Isaiah 53:5-12
    Romans 5:6-8

47. Messiah would return a second time. Daniel 7:13-14
    Revelation 19

Last week we left off with Jesus talking to the Pharisees in the very direct manner that he used when talking to these men. Never hostile, but confronting them with the unbelief of their hearts, which for men with ears to hear but never hearing had to be direct. Isaiah spoke of this in Isaiah 6:9, Mark also spoke of this, Mark 4:12. These Jews heard what Jesus said but did not hear.

We are the same it seems. We’ve gone to church, hopefully, and listened to the parables and lessons given out in the sermon. This is making the not always valid assumption that you’ve gone to a church that preaches the whole counsel of God. Not many do these days, and therein lies the problem. If you listen to someone that you’re not all that interested in, speaking something bland and non-committal, what they have said will go in one ear and out the other.

And because of that, our everyday conversations end up going something like this: you’re talking to somebody and they’ve mentioned they’re slightly irritated with themselves for not resisting whatever has been tempting them, but they can’t help themselves. Or, with all that’s going on in the world these days, your friend says that they worry about many things. They know they should not worry, but again, they can’t help it, they just do. And this one I’ve heard a lot of lately, “I have faith, but…” You may be confused by this, it may be something that you yourself have said. What’s the big deal?

The big deal is God knows what you need before you need it. (Matthew 6:8) Temptations are quite often a test of your willingness to trust in God. It is not a sin to be tempted, but to succumb to it is. Eve was tempted by satan, you’ll recall. (Genesis 3:1-7) Her trust in God was not what it should have been and we all are affected by her decision. Remember that Jesus was also tempted by satan, (Matthew 4:1-11) so He knows what we go through and can help you when you’re sorely tempted. Turn to Him who is our mediator, our High Priest, our King. (Hebrews 4:14-16) The rest of it comes down to trust in God to handle those things that you worry about. Why would you not? He created all, and what can you change by worry? Your Creator is handling the details and knows what is best for you. Trust, it all comes down to trust. If you truly trust in God, there would be no worry, no “but” after Faith.

So you see, this is a common problem with man’s interaction with his Creator. Back when God spoke to his people through His chosen prophet, the people spoke with their mouths that yes, they agreed with God’s commands and would follow them, but a very short time later, they requested a golden calf to worship because Moses had been gone too long, (Exodus 32:1-4) or there was no water, or they didn’t like the food, or the desert was too harsh. (Exodus 15:22, 17:16). Moses was a favorite of God (Deuteronomy 34:10–12) and yet the people rebelled. Jesus is much greater than Moses (Hebrews 3:1-6) and they were seeking to kill him, for what they perceived as blasphemy, claiming to be the Son of God, forgiving of sins, performing signs and wonders on the sabbath and the most grievous of all, telling them they were not righteous, but sinners, much like those they looked down upon.

(Mk 2:5-7; also Mt 9:2-3 and Lk 5:20-21) spoke of Moses being a great prophet, but Christ here speaks of John the Baptist, foretold so long ago by Isaiah 40:3–5, and Malachi 3:1, 4:5 and these prophecies were fulfilled in Matthew 3:1–3; Mark 1:1–3; Luke 1:76; 3:1–6; John 1:22–23. Jesus tells them that they asked John the Baptist if he was the Christ, and he testified to the truth and they accepted that. (John 5:33) But He, Jesus, says that His testimony does not come from man, here’s the whole verse: But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. (John 5:34). I find that verse 34 needs to be looked at carefully so let’s look at Ellicott’s Commentary for clarification.

(34) But I receive not testimony . . .—There is no reason for changing the word. The substantive, and verbs from John 5:31, have been rendered by “witness,” and it is better to keep it here. The English also fails to give the article, and is therefore misleading. He did receive witness from men—had received witness from John—but this was not the witness upon which all was based. Its purpose was to lead them to Christ Himself, and He now refers to it, to show them it’s true position, that that purpose might be fulfilled.
But these things I say, that ye might be saved.—The emphasis of the clause should be placed upon the pronoun “ye.” The thought is, that our Lord does not refer to John’s witness for His own sake, but in order that they might be saved. He had a greater witness than that of John, but this they were not yet prepared to receive. They had received John for a season, and had rejoiced in his light. He refers to him now that that light may lead them to the true Source of Light. Some of those who had sent to the Baptist may now understand his words in a deeper sense than any which had come to them before, and may find in them words leading to salvation.

Hopefully that helped. The English language is not always the best way to understand the Bible. The people had rejoiced for a season and were now in better shape to understand what Jesus was saying and receive salvation.

However, now we come to the hard part. Hard for the Pharisees, hard for the Jews, and sometimes hard for some of us. Jesus tells them that His testimony is greater than John’s… “for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.” (John 5:36-38).

As I said, the hard part. They did not believe Him whom He sent. Do you believe, truly believe? Trust enough to let go and let God provide your daily bread without worry? Trust Him enough to accept that every good thing you have comes from above? (James 1:17)

Here’s the rest of the hard part. Read it with your heart involved.

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:39-47)

Believe and Trust with your whole heart. Repent, for we sin every day and you are held accountable once you know the Good News. Accept that your Creator knows what is best for you, even before you know it. And place no conditions to the Faith you have. Live the life that you have been called to. You may not think that you have been called, but you have. You’ve been called by God, that is what saving Grace is. A calling that has lifted you from death to life, brought you into the light. The Greek word from which the English word “church” is always translated is εκκλησια which renders as call/calling/called. Jesus in Matt 16:18, “…upon this, the rock, I will be building of me the εκκλησια, and gates of hades will not be prevailing…”

We are the Called who have been chosen by God for salvation, (Ephesians 1:4-5) plucked out of our headlong path to damnation, for the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) What the church then becomes is not a building, but we the Called coming together to worship He who has called us, who then go out and do His will in obedience to our Calling.

Having now knowledge of this, go forth and serve your King and give glory to Him in all that you do, for you are among the Called. As you ponder this lesson, and I pray that you do, may the Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ

Last week we left off with Jesus healing a man at the Pool of Bethesda. That man was experiencing the joy of being able to walk for the first time in a very long time. He didn’t even know the name of his benefactor who had freed him from his disability. The scripture states that Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. (John 5:13) Jesus had told him to pick up his palette and walk and that was just what he was doing. If you are wondering what a palette is, Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary states that it’s a small and mean bed; a bed of straw. Probably straw in a linen covering. Could be rolled up and carried like a sleeping bag.

The joy of this man and the fact that he is carrying around a smelly bag of straw immediately catches the eyes of some Jews who stop him and tell him he can’t do that. Probably had to tell him more than once as the healed man was not paying attention to much more than walking around and feeling great, I imagine. However, it was the Sabbath and you can’t be walking around with your sleeping apparatus because it is not permitted.
It makes you wonder a bit on why they, the Jews, made a rule on not being able to carry your palette around on the Sabbath. Was there a lot of that going on and it looked unseemly to those in charge? And who were these Jews with rules anyway?

Pharisees is who they were. A small sect of rule-bound and ultra righteous, in their own mind, people that were constantly on the lookout for some infraction to correct. God gave Moses the law and you can find that in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. Basically the 10 commandments that we all know and much of civil government today was used for the basis of our laws. These Pharisees added 613 commandments that included “positive commandments”, to perform an act (mitzvot aseh), and “negative commandments”, to abstain from certain acts (mitzvot lo taaseh). I would guess that carrying around your bed would be in the negative area of these extra commandments.

There were around 6000 of these Jews at the time of Jesus and although they knew the scripture, they were so sure of their interpretation of what the scripture said that anybody telling them differently would be discounted. Certainly somebody healing someone else on the Sabbath was against their rules. We see a lot of that today, laws that run counter to common sense. Of course since we live in a “Post Truth” era and nobody can agree on what common sense is, we’ve got some problems to work through. God is the same now as He was back then. And we know Him to be a rational and Loving God. Do you think that He stops working on Sunday? Or would He prevent somebody from being healed on that day? Christ told them “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” (John 5:17) Yet, these Jews did not believe it and would not permit it. The next verse in this book shows how corrupt in their hearts that they were: “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” (John 5:18)

They wanted to kill him because He broke their Sabbath laws and also because He called God his Father. We all do the same when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Jesus seeks to realign their coal-like hearts: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:)

All authority has been given to the Son, and yet they wanted to kill Him. In their mind, they were the authority. Anyone claiming to have God as their Father or to be the Son of God was talking foolishness, dangerous foolishness. My question to you is, have you encountered anyone that has said God’s word is foolishness? And if you have, how did you respond to it?

We know from Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. As a Christian, you possess every spiritual resource you need to fulfill God’s will for your life, so in answer to how does a person respond to a nonbeliever? You have everything you need, the Bible, the Holy Spirit, God’s love. The people of Jesus’s time had only what scripture they had been taught, keep in mind they did not have what we have today, a complete Bible. Until the Messiah walked among them, they only had what they had been taught and Faith. These Pharisees had been taught the same things but had no faith in anyone but themselves.

Also how they chose to interpret what they had learned brings the parable of the sower into play. (Matthew 13:3-9) The deceiver is ever ready to gobble up the seeds sown of wisdom and understanding and the opening of the heart. Their seeds had been sown on to the road, or the rocky place or even into the weeds. Even today we have a hard time understanding why family or friends that had at one time been excited over God’s word, have now pulled away and refuted it all. The scripture speaks to these things, yet that book of God’s instruction and wisdom is gathering dust on a shelf, never consulted. Remember you have been made complete and lack nothing spiritually.

Jesus stated: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” He was telling the Pharisees and He is telling you now, He who believes in Him has eternal life.(John 5:24) They, the Pharisees, rejected that concept. Some of your family or friends may have also rejected what Christ has said. Christ prayed for those that wished to kill him and I think a time is coming where all that we knew and was easy, will not be so easy. Take that dusty book from the shelf and open your heart to its message.

Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true. (John 5:25-31)

What did we learn from this? The Truth is the same today as it was back then. It walks among us, yet many refute it. Judge not lest you be judged. The Pharisees were judging Jesus and found him unacceptable as a Messiah. Christ told them, those that reject me, also reject the Father. (John 5:23) and for that they were willing to kill him. Take not your own counsel, (Proverbs 12:15) but that of the Lord’s. And to do that, open the book, seeking the Lord’s will in all you do. The clock’s ticking and none of us knows the span of our days. Best get busy and may the Lord Bless you and Keep you.