Because He Was Doing These Things On The Sabbath

John 5:1-18
August 28, 2022
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

One of the saddest things in the Bible is how the Jews - the people of Israel, those who were descendants of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob - persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him.

It is so sad because Jesus was literally one of them. He was a Jew of the tribe of Judah and of the lineage of King David. It is so sad because Jesus was the promised Messiah who saves us from our sins. The entire Old Testament pointed forward to him but the Jews just did not get it. And it is so sad because Jesus showed who he was to the Jews and in today’s passage he healed the man at the pool of Bethesda. Yet the Jews did not believe in him. The Jews were not even glad for the man who was healed. Instead, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him. This is one of the saddest things in the Bible.

This ought to break our hearts. The Apostle Paul was very emotional about how the Jews rejected and crucified Jesus. He wrote about them in Romans 9-11, which is one of the most difficult passages in all of the Bible to read. Listen to what he wrote. This is God’s word.

Romans 9:6-7. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring….

Romans 9:32. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone….

Romans 11:20. They were broken off because of their unbelief….

Romans 9:1-4. I am speaking the truth in Christ — I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit — that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.

Dear Highland, may you be sad knowing that there were people who rejected and hated Jesus. May your hearts break knowing that there were people who persecuted and crucified our Savior and Lord.

Today’s passage shows us the reasons why the Jews persecuted Jesus and wanted to kill him. We need to hear this today. Because when we know why people did what they did to Jesus, it causes us to love him more and more.

The Jews persecuted Jesus and they wanted to kill him because he did three things.

First, Jesus healed on the Sabbath.

Why was it wrong for Jesus to heal on the Sabbath? The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week. And on that day, the Jews were supposed to rest from their work of making money and look forward to the promise of God’s salvation. But, unfortunately, they didn’t do that. Instead, they redefined what work meant and they created all of these extra man-made rules for the Sabbath so that they could be super awesome at keeping the Sabbath holy. One rule that they made was a rule against anyone taking up their bed. It was a sin to take up your bed on the Sabbath because it was considered to be work. Another rule that they made was a rule against healing on the Sabbath. It was a sin to heal on the Sabbath because it was considered to be work. So the Jews redefined what work meant. They created extra man-made rules for the Sabbath so that they could bask in their own self-righteousness. And they totally lost sight of the ultimate point of the Sabbath, which was to step away from the things of the world by resting and not working for money and look forward to the promise of God’s salvation. So when Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, the Jews concluded that he was a disobedient sinner. Sad. This was the first reason why the Jews persecuted Jesus and wanted to kill him.

The second reason why the Jews persecuted Jesus and wanted to kill him was because Jesus called people to repentance and faith in him.

After Jesus healed the man, Jesus said these words to him: “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” We are not given many details. These are only a few words. But at the end of the day, Jesus was calling the man to repentance and faith in him. Jesus wanted the man to see how he was healed and how his healing shows that Jesus is God. Jesus wanted the man to repent of his sin. And Jesus warned the man about the worst thing that can happen to him: judgment in hell. The Jews did not want to hear this gospel message of repentance and faith in Jesus. So when Jesus spoke such words to the man he healed, the Jews rejected the gospel call to repentance and faith in Jesus. Sad. This was the second reason why the Jews persecuted Jesus and wanted to kill him.

The third reason why the Jews persecuted Jesus and wanted to kill him was because Jesus called God his own father and Jesus made himself equal with God.

In verse 17, Jesus said these amazing words. “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” Only God could do such a miraculous healing of the man. That was a work of God. Jesus said that he was working, just as his Father was working. This is the Son, the second person of the Triune God. And this is the Father, the first person of the Triune God. The bottom line is simply this. Jesus is God. But the Jews did not believe that Jesus was God. Instead, they considered Jesus to be a blasphemer, a liar. Sad. This was the third reason why the Jews persecuted Jesus and wanted to kill him.

Dear Highland, how does all of this make you feel? For the Jews, I hope that you feel tremendous sadness. But for Jesus himself, I hope you feel tremendous thankfulness and awe. Because as you know very well, Jesus took all of this persecution, all of this hatred, all of this rejection, all of this falsehood, all of this suffering and death… for you. He took all of it. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted. Yet he opened not his mouth. Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter. He poured out his soul to death. And with his wounds, you were healed. You were not healed from any physical illness or injury. You were healed from sin and from death. Healed from a wrong relationship with God. Healed from self-righteousness. Healed from pools and colonnades of false religion. And healed unto repentance and faith in Christ. Healed for the ultimate Sabbath. Healed into Jesus. Because of his work. Because of his work of salvation. Because of the ultimate thing that he did on the true Sabbath, the first day of the week, Sunday: resurrection. Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So then, what do you need to do? I invite you and I command you in the name of Jesus to believe that Jesus is God. I invite you and I command you to sin no more and continue to grow in repentance and faith in Christ. I invite you and I command you to not be like the Jews who totally lost sight of the ultimate point of the Sabbath. This is what you need to do now.

If you have ears, may you hear. And may be not just hearers of the word, but doers of the word.

Jesus loves you. May his grace be upon you.

Soli Deo Gloria