January 9, 2021
Now that day was a sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there… - John 5:9b-13
There are a number of healing miracles performed by Jesus in the gospels. However, there are only a few that occur on the day called the Sabbath. For the Jews the Sabbath is supposed to be a day of rest, to reflect on God’s blessings and refrain from work for their religious observance. Sabbath, traditionally starts at sunset on Friday, and remains in place until the evening dark on Saturday.
During this approximately 24 hour period, the Jews were to do no work. Of course in an agricultural society there are some things that simply must be done, and over time certain acts were allowed, while others deemed for abstention. In the more populated places, like Jerusalem the religious adherence to the law would have been a little more strict, thus, the man called out for doing the simple task of carrying his bed mat.
What is notable here, however, is that the Jewish teacher of the law saw this man with a bed roll (literally carrying his sick bed) and did not ask him about his healing or wellness, but questioned his inability to follow the rules, thus believer in this sickness (sin against God).
One might ask, what is more important; a person’s wellness or their sickness? Too often the church (Christians) focus on the things that are wrong with a person, group, etc. We see the sickness of the world (aside from the pandemic), and want for someone, or for God to ‘fix it.’ Most people believe the fixing comes from all people ‘following the rules.’ In this, I fear that we stray too closely to those who are often seen as at odds with Jesus.
Jesus’ focus is, instead, on wellness. Jesus sought to make people well, to build and restore relationships, to see to it that the life of people (especially those on the outside of society) would feel that they belong, are cherished, and loved by God and by him. When we truly do the work of Jesus, it is beyond religious regulation that we do such work. We become relational ambassadors of heaven; seeking to share the peace, hope, and love of God and Christ with others. When we really understand this work, then we are ready to focus not on all that is wrong (the sickness) in the world, but are prepared to work alongside Jesus for the world’s healing (the wellness) towards a kingdom founded on God’s love and grace.
Grace & Peace,
Sam