8Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
11But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Thoughts; The religious authorities could not see the forest for the trees. They were more concerned with the Law than the were the people the Law was meant to help. Instead of asking, "Who healed you?" They were concerned about who encouraged him to break the Sabbath. A Day of Rest is a real blessing (one that we miss in our world). But rest must also go arm in arm with love and help.
Jesus did not say the man's faith healed him. In fact, there appears to be little faith. The healed man does go to the Temple, where he could not go before as a lame man. Jesus accused the man of sinning. Too many commentators assume that Jesus was saying the man's past sins brought him his paralysis. But the word is "stop sinning", implying the man was even then continuing to sin. The man could not find Jesus, and did not even know who he was. Perhaps Jesus knew the former paralytic would continue to look for Jesus to blame. Perhaps his sin was [at first the thought, then the action of] "fingering" Jesus as the one who was to blame for his breaking the Sabbath. The man could have just not picked up his mat and not have been healed. Such blame endangered the one who healed the paralytic, and fomented anger toward Jesus (5:16.18). It appears that this former paralytic was a continual excuse maker. He excused his illness by saying he had no one to put him in the water. He excused himself from breaking the Sabbath by blaming the one who told him to do so. Many people are quick to avoid their own guilt and blame- blaming others, their circumstances, their DNA, even blaming God for their problems. Jesus admonition to "stop sinning" is also an admonition to all of us who are slow to take responsibility and quick to grab hold of an excuse.
Jesus did not say the man's faith healed him. In fact, there appears to be little faith. The healed man does go to the Temple, where he could not go before as a lame man. Jesus accused the man of sinning. Too many commentators assume that Jesus was saying the man's past sins brought him his paralysis. But the word is "stop sinning", implying the man was even then continuing to sin. The man could not find Jesus, and did not even know who he was. Perhaps Jesus knew the former paralytic would continue to look for Jesus to blame. Perhaps his sin was [at first the thought, then the action of] "fingering" Jesus as the one who was to blame for his breaking the Sabbath. The man could have just not picked up his mat and not have been healed. Such blame endangered the one who healed the paralytic, and fomented anger toward Jesus (5:16.18). It appears that this former paralytic was a continual excuse maker. He excused his illness by saying he had no one to put him in the water. He excused himself from breaking the Sabbath by blaming the one who told him to do so. Many people are quick to avoid their own guilt and blame- blaming others, their circumstances, their DNA, even blaming God for their problems. Jesus admonition to "stop sinning" is also an admonition to all of us who are slow to take responsibility and quick to grab hold of an excuse.
Prayer: Lord, I cannot fool you. You know my sin and it is ever before me. A contrite heart you will not despise. But my pride and excuse making will not bring about true healing of heart.
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