Life of Christ Lesson 24b: Tackling Tradition - Part II

In this second half of our lesson on Jesus "Tackling Tradition," He performed the well-known miracle of healing a man who had spent 38 years of his life sitting at the Pool of Bethesda near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem waiting and hoping he would be healed.  He was an invalid; he could not walk.  It was a Sabbath when the Lord Jesus came near the pool, looked over the multitude of impotent people who were all around it, and rested His focus on the one man, who He then proceeded to question ("Wilt thou be made whole?") and heal ("Rise, take up thy bed, and walk").

 

Because the man was "caught" walking and carrying his bed pallet on the Sabbath, the Jews accused him of breaking the Law (John 5:10).  They showed no joy for the man who could finally walk after 38 years!  Instead, they were hypocritically "concerned" about their Sabbath traditions.  Jesus, Who is "the Lord of the Sabbath," was then persecuted by the Jews for healing on the Sabbath.  His response to their foolish accusation of "breaking" the Sabbath, was to make Himself equal with God (which He is) by saying to them, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (John 5:17)!  It sent them into orbit, and they wanted all the more to kill Him (5:18)!  In case you wonder, there was absolutely nothing wrong with doing "an act of mercy" or "an act of healing" on the Sabbath!  The One Who created the Sabbath was trying to teach that truth to His people, who loved their traditions more than they loved God, as proven by the way they treated His Son.