HOST: Michael Whitworth
SPONSOR: Logos Bible Software
Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
As Jesus continues His teaching to the crowd in Jerusalem, He points to the event that was the “final straw” in precipitating the determination of the Jewish leaders to destroy Him—the healing of a lame man on the Sabbath (John 5:1-9). The Jews had manipulated the Law of Moses for their own purposes and had forgotten its true meaning. While they were willing to set aside the Sabbath day restrictions on work for the purpose of keeping the law regarding circumcision, they were unwilling to allow mercy to be shown and a man’s body to be healed on that day of rest. It was a hypocritical stance, and one that was unpleasing to God. As we seek to apply the law of Christ to our own lives and teaching, we must beware of the lessons learned from the Pharisees, lest we adopt a similar attitude of staunchly holding to one command while neglecting others. May God help us to approach His Word with a desire to apply and keep it in a way that is pleasing to Him.
Why do you think the Pharisees were unwilling to allow Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!