How do you think you would respond if Jesus healed you of a 38-year malady? In theory you’d jump for joy and devote yourself entirely to worshiping him, right? Unfortunately that’s not the case for all. When people endure long suffering, sometimes they turn their eyes upward and better appreciate the Lord’s salvation, but sometimes their eyes turn downward and the world overcomes their thinking. Even after Jesus made the lame man walk, the man ratted his savior out just to deflect trouble. He couldn’t get out of a mindset of self-centeredness.
On the other end of the spectrum are the other characters in the story: the Jewish leaders. Somehow they saw the results of a beautiful miracle from God and could only think of how it violated their idea of the law. In their pursuit of perfect righteousness, they forgot to see the Lord. They couldn’t get out of a mindset of legalism.
By the way—Jesus is equal with the Father. Just as God Most High eternally works to sustain the universe by his authority and power, even on the Sabbath, Christ has that same power and authority. Don’t forget that that’s the main point of the story here! He is sovereign over every law and every “self,” and his sovereignty puts all of those worldly mindsets to shame.
This scene in John is the catalyst of a five-chapter confrontation with the Jewish leaders about Jesus’ power and authority. I don’t know what you think about when you think about Jesus, but you really can’t be neutral about him. He said things that would amount to blasphemy—unless they were true. The Jewish leaders were left with no choice but to respond.
The same confrontation lies before us; we have no choice but to respond to Jesus in some way. The stakes couldn’t be higher. There is no middle ground with Jesus; either he is the infinitely sovereign king of all things, or he is not. When we suffer, will our suffering overcome us or will we look to our Redeemer? When we seek to do good, will we do so for self-righteousness’ sake or for the glory of king of mercy? The glorious divinity of Christ sticks out in the world and overshadows everything, everything else. Respond well. See his glory and live full of worship.
