John 5:17-18 -- But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
We've watched a cascade of events leading up to Jesus' words in verse seventeen. From healing the man, to the man being confronted for obeying Jesus' commands, finally to the religious leaders beginning to persecute Jesus directly.
Jesus being confronted on why He would tell someone to pick up a pallet and walk replies with something that knocks the socks off these religious authorities.
"My Father is working until now, and I am working."
That was all it took. Jesus saying God was His Father and that God was working on the Sabbath as well. They didn't care about the man being healed or carrying his pallet. They now had Jesus who had incited breaking the Sabbath, claimed God was His father, and claimed God participated in breaking the Sabbath. This launched them into outer space!
The religious leaders had a zealous devotion to the traditions of man surrounding the Sabbath. As we are so apt to do, we take the simple things of God and apply our human understanding to it, until we make it into something so complex it can hardly be grasped.
Beyond that though the real kicker was Jesus claiming God as His Father. This went from "hey someone's in trouble for carrying a pallet" to "seeking all the more to KILL Him". Things got serious real quick when Jesus boldly proclaims truth that doesn't fit with man's interpretations and traditions.
Christian, be incredibly careful when following man's interpretations of God's Word. Blindly following people can very easily cause you to stand opposed to God without even realizing it. If you don't know God's Word yourself, how will you know if what someone is teaching, or where someone is leading is right or wrong?
It seems I belabor this point quite often, but it's so vital, especially as the world gets darker and darker. I heard a saying once, "You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.". I would tweak that just a bit and say this:
Beloved, you've got to stand firmly on the Word of God, or you'll fall for anything.
Final thought from today's text. 1 John 2:6 says, if we say we abide in Jesus we owe a debt to walk as He walked. Today we see Jesus stand up and boldly speak truth which directly leads to a group of people wanting to kill Him. Times are getting darker, which means those who carry His light and walk as He walked are going to start being much more noticeable to the world who wants darkness.
Just something to think about today.
Always remember you are loved. You are prayed over. You are not alone.
Comments