Jesus Claims to be God

John 5:14–18
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I once had the privilege of speaking at a “game night” to a large group of teens in a high school auditorium in Michigan. During the game time I was standing at the edge of the auditorium waiting ... More

Claims

In the previous passage, Jesus healed the lame man on the Sabbath (vv. 8-9). Later Jesus found the man in the temple and told him to stop sinning or something worse would happen to him (v. 14). Jesus was interested not only in the healing of a person’s body, but far more importantly he was interested in the healing of a man’s soul from sin. The man departs, telling the Jews that it was Jesus who made him whole (v.15).

The religious leaders were stirred up because their Sabbath law had been violated. The religious leaders were not concerned about the lame man. They did not even acknowledge that he had been healed. Their only concern was that their rules concerning the Sabbath had been broken.

After determining that Jesus was the one who had healed the man, the religious leaders confronted Jesus about violating the Sabbath (v. 16). He replied that He was only doing what the Father was doing (v. 17). Therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath law, but also claimed that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God (v. 18). Jesus challenged the legalistic traditions of the scribes and pharisees. God had given the Sabbath as a gift, a day of rest from work. But they had transformed it into a prison of regulations and restrictions.

Application

I should not only be concerned about those who are physically sick but I should also be far more concerned about those who are spiritually sick and spiritually dead. It was not so much what Jesus did that caused people to rise up against Him; rather it was when He identified Himself with the Father. The same is true today. People don’t care if I am religious or not, but it is when I use the name of Jesus, (like praying in Jesus name), that people get upset.

John 5:14-18 (English Standard Version)

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