16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.
33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
Read John 5:16-47 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
In one of the earlier conflicts Jesus had with the Jewish leaders, we find Jesus sharing some pretty amazing things. Following Jesus healing a paraplegic man at a pool, John shares how the Jewish leaders were upset at the reality that this miracle happened on the Sabbath day.
John tells us that “because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.” (v. 16)
It would seem that had it not been for extreme Sabbath regulations that they had put in place, the Jewish leaders might not have had any issue with Jesus – at least until they became jealous of His popularity. John tells us that in Jesus’ defense, He replied to them saying, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” (v. 17)
Had the Jewish leaders not had this confrontation with Jesus over Sabbath observance, they wouldn’t have had another reason to stand against Him. Because of this response, the Jewish leaders “tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (v. 18)
The interesting thing in my mind about the initial stages of this confrontation with the Jewish leaders is that Jesus never denies the claim about working on the Sabbath. Perhaps this is because Jesus didn’t believe His actions to be work, or maybe it is because He wanted to draw their attention onto something greater that was happening at that moment in time. If Jesus had gone down the path of trying to redefine the concept of “work” with these Jewish leaders, it would have been a lost cause, because defining “work” was what these Jewish leaders were experts at doing.
Instead, Jesus draws in someone else who works on the Sabbath, and by placing God in the position of His Father, Jesus simply has to lean on the cultural cliché that says “like father, like son”.
Jesus drew the attention of everyone present onto the idea that there is something bigger at “work” regarding Sabbath rest. Jesus did not claim that He wasn’t working, but He also didn’t sweep the commandment aside either. In other places, Jesus elevates the Sabbath away from a list of restrictions for the day, and He instead frames it a day where we are free to do good deeds and help others.
Blending that idea with this one, the message I see in Jesus’ initial response to the Jewish leaders is that the Sabbath was intended to be a blessing, not a burden and the Sabbath should be more about worship than about avoiding work.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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