Bethesda and the Sanhedrin
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Him on the Sabbath than upon other days. They demand His special
attention. They crave His choicest blessings. God does not wait for the
Sabbath to pass before He grants these requests. Heaven’s work never
ceases, and men should never rest from doing good. The Sabbath is not
intended to be a period of useless inactivity. The law forbids secular
labor on the rest day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must
cease; no labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful upon that day;
but as God ceased His labor of creating, and rested upon the Sabbath
and blessed it, so man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and
devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy
deeds. The work of Christ in healing the sick was in perfect accord
with the law. It honored the Sabbath.
Jesus claimed equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred,
and of the same character with that which engaged the Father in heaven.
But the Pharisees were still more incensed. He had not only broken
the law, according to their understanding, but in calling God “His own
Father” had declared Himself equal with God.
John 5:18
, R. V.
The whole nation of the Jews called God their Father, therefore
they would not have been so enraged if Christ had represented Himself
as standing in the same relation to God. But they accused Him of
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blasphemy, showing that they understood Him as making this claim in
the highest sense.
These adversaries of Christ had no arguments with which to meet
the truths He brought home to their consciences. They could only cite
their customs and traditions, and these seemed weak and vapid when
compared with the arguments Jesus had drawn from the word of God
and the unceasing round of nature. Had the rabbis felt any desire to
receive light, they would have been convinced that Jesus spoke the
truth. But they evaded the points He made concerning the Sabbath, and
sought to stir up anger against Him because He claimed to be equal
with God. The fury of the rulers knew no bounds. Had they not feared
the people, the priests and rabbis would have slain Jesus on the spot.
But the popular sentiment in His favor was strong. Many recognized
in Jesus the friend who had healed their diseases and comforted their
sorrows, and they justified His healing of the sufferer at Bethesda. So
for the time the leaders were obliged to restrain their hatred.
Jesus repelled the charge of blasphemy. My authority, He said,
for doing the work of which you accuse Me, is that I am the Son of