Day 33 – Clearly Stated

Read:  John 5:16-30

If Jesus' encounter with the religious leaders in the Temple was not enough to put Him in their crosshairs, His encounter with the lame man at Bethesda was. Jesus not only incited this man to violate the Sabbath but had done so Himself when He healed him. The fact that His accusers charged Jesus with breaking the Sabbath indicates they recognized He had, in fact, healed this man. Despite this stunning example of His power, these narrow-minded critics chose to ignore the obvious and pursue their petty agenda of legalism.

What began as an effort to persecute Jesus (John 5:16) turned into an all out conspiracy to kill him (John 5:18). Jesus’ claim to be God’s Son pushed the religious leaders to their theological limits. But His response to their question also implied that God Himself was in violation of Sabbath laws: “My Father is always at work.”

In Jesus’ ensuing message He claims that:

• He knows all the Father is doing (5:20).
• He has the power to give life and raise the dead, just like the Father (5:21).
• God has left all judgment to Him (5:22, 27).
• He is worthy of the same honor as the Father (5:23).
• Faith in His words is the bridge between life and death (5:24).

If the signs Jesus performed were not enough, His words were certainly clear, "I am the Messiah, the Son of God." Had Jesus made such claims apart from the miraculous signs, He might be just another deranged lunatic. What troubled these leaders were not the claims of a mad man, but the claims of a man who could perform such mighty signs.

That is still the trouble faced by Jesus' critics today. How does the ranting of a deranged first-century peasant carpenter from an obscure middle eastern village have the power to impact lives 2,000 years after His death? Jesus should have faded into obscurity. Had He not been a threat to the religious establishment of His day, He would have, no doubt died a natural death and we would not know of Him today. It is the combination of His words and the display of His power that threatened His critics then and now.

Son of God,

Thank You for making the power of the Invisible God visible through Your work on earth. Thank You for the evidence You have left behind in the words of the Gospel. Give me the faith to believe Your words and see Your awesome works.

Amen