This week’s suggested reading: John 5
Tip: Aim to read the suggested chapter once per day, with a goal of reading the chapter at least 5 times this week. As you read, keep a running list of anything the passage teaches you about Jesus – i.e. his commands, his example, his words, his convictions.
A second tip: Before you start reading the chapter each day, talk to God.
Praise him for his goodness and faithfulness. Tell him the concerns on your heart. And ask him to speak to you as you read his Word.
This week’s question to ponder: What are you tempted to worship other than God? Need help identifying? Search your heart for what causes you the most stress. Typically, these “smaller gods” reveal themselves through the stress in our lives.
In John 5, we read about Jesus healing an invalid man in Jerusalem on the Sabbath which turns into a huge indictment upon the Jewish leaders of the time. Let’s chat about it.
The human heart will always be tempted to worship something smaller than God.
We meet a man in John 5 who had been an invalid for 38 years. (John 5:5) We don’t get any indication that at this point in his life this man was actively trying to be healed in this Bethesda pool. My guess (though it’s not in the text) is that hopelessness had settled deep into his soul. As far as he was concerned, paralysis was his lot…until Jesus showed up.
Jesus asks the paralyzed man if he wants to be healed. (Which, sidenote, he didn’t actually answer. I’ll talk about this in my Thursday email.) Then Jesus says, “‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.” (John 5:8-9)
Then we learn that this occurred on the Sabbath. And the Jews reprimanded this newly healed man because “it is not lawful for you to take up your bed (on the Sabbath).” (John 5:10)
Are you picturing this? Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years, which must have been absolutely astounding to the man. And the Jewish leaders were concerned about this newly healed man breaking the law of carrying his bed on the Sabbath. Do you feel the disconnect?
Let’s look at the law the Jewish leaders claim this man broke. In Exodus 20, God gives the 10 commandments. Generally speaking, the first 4 commandments are vertical, informing our relationship to God. The last 6 are horizontal, informing our relationships with other humans. But the law that the leaders claim he broke was a rabbinical law inspired by God’s commandment about the Sabbath. Here’s what the Exodus text actually says regarding this command from God about the Sabbath:
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
The man wasn’t breaking the commandment of God. He was breaking the Jewish leaders rabbinical laws that stated what was and was not allowed on the Sabbath. Here’s the problem. These leaders were seemingly missing the point of God’s commandments, which is love. The 10 commandments ultimately show us how to love God and love people.
Love is the basis of everything…even the commandments of God. He created us, which means he knows humans perfectly. He loves us, so he wants to guide us. His commandments reveal his instruction on how to live on planet Earth in relation to God and man.
But these leaders were so focused on the rules they had created, they missed the point of God’s original commands. In fact, it appears they loved their laws more than the One who gave the ultimate law. But they’re not alone.
We as humans do this every single day. We love, and in turn worship, things and people smaller than God. Why? Because we were designed to worship. And if we don’t worship God, we will worship something or someone else. In this situation, it appears that the Jewish leaders loved their rabbinical laws, and possibly the power that came from implementing them, more than they loved this man whom Jesus healed.
Jesus' teachings force a response.
By calling God his Father, Jesus was making himself equal to God. And that’s one of the reasons why the Jews of the time wanted to kill him. (John 5:18) His teachings were not fitting inside their religious box.
Jesus’ teachings are simple, but not easy. In love, we see his teachings confront the selfishness of man and the pride of life. He calls out hypocrisy and idolatry. And everyone who hears his teachings responds in one way or another. These Jewish leaders responded to his teachings with hate. They wanted him dead. But even today, Jesus’ teachings force a response in us.
I love what C.S. Lewis said in his book Mere Christianity. (I’m paraphrasing.) Lewis says there are only 3 options when it comes to our response to Jesus. We either declare him “a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.”
These leaders declared him a liar and a lunatic. Many others bowed to him as Lord. Now, you and I get to choose our response to Jesus. Is he a liar, a lunatic, or Lord?
Humans naturally crave human approval more than God's approval.
The chapter continues with Jesus explaining his authority on earth – its origin and extent. And the chapter ends with Jesus declaring four clear judgments over these religious leaders.
- They had never heard or seen God. (5:37)
- They didn’t have God’s Word abiding in them. (5:38)
- They don’t have God’s love in them. (5:42)
- They valued man’s approval above God’s. (5:44)
Jesus told these leaders that, though they claimed to know the Scriptures, they were missing the point. The Old Testament continually tells of the coming of Jesus. From Genesis onward, Jesus’ character and future coming are alluded to. But these religious leaders were blind to who Jesus was. And Jesus tells us the reason for their lack of faith: They valued man’s approval above God’s approval.
Jesus boldly addressed the unbelief in these religious leaders. Their idea of God didn’t align with the actual God of the Bible. They craved man’s approval more than God’s. And as the story unfolds, we’ll see that unbelief fuel the brutal crucifixion of Jesus.
Disclaimer: Words in Red is a devotional blog series created for personal reflection and spiritual encouragement. All writing is original and created solely by the author, Lara Howard—AI was not used in the development of this content. All content in this series is copyrighted and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without written permission. © Think True Things
