John 5:1-18 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.… I. AN ACCUSATION PREFERRED (ver. 10). 1. Certainly strange. Congratulation might have been expected towards the man and gratitude towards Jesus. 2. Seemingly just. The action violated Rabbinical prescription and the letter of Scripture. But an action may contravene the literal sense and yet be in accordance with the Spirit (Matthew 12:4, 5), and vice versa (Matthew 15:3-6). 3. Essentially false. Christ repudiated the ordinance which renders criminal a natural and necessary action. II. AN EXPLANATION OFFERED (ver. 11). 1. Transparently simple (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9; Matthew 5:37; James 5:12). 2. Perfectly natural. To the unsophisticated mind it seemed obvious that One who could heal him should bid him take up his bed. 3. Wholly insufficient. The defence was an aggravation. He had obeyed a Sabbath-breaker. His physician was a greater sinner than himself. So men who from good motives at the outset begin to deviate from the laws of heaven by addition or subtraction, and by confounding moral distinctions, end by turning vice and virtue upside down (Matthew 17:12). III. A VINDICATION GIVEN (ver. 17). 1. Startlingly bold. Based on three facts — (1) That the supreme Lawgiver ceased not from Sabbath activity. (2) That He (Christ) stood towards that Supreme Sabbath Worker in the relation of Son. (3) That He, as such, was co-worker with God in all that God did. Hence, whatever He as Father's Son did was that Father's working itself. 2. Completely unanswerable. Hence they accused Him of blasphemy. 3. Fatally decisive. They resolved on His destruction.Learn: 1. To sanctify the Sabbath by doing good to the bodies and souls of men. 2. To help Christ's cause by telling what great things He hath done. 3. That people do not always know who their best benefactors are. 4. That those whom Christ has healed should be found in the sanctuary. 5. That the best prophylactic against physical disease is to fear God, and keep His commandments. 6. That Christ is perfectly able to vindicate His ways. (T. Whitelaw, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.WEB: After these things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. |
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