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Humble Hero
These rulers wanted direct proof so that they could condemn Jesus
as a Sabbath breaker. He had not only broken the law in healing the
sick man on the Sabbath, but had committed a serious evil by telling
him to carry his bed away.
Meaningless Requirements
The Jews had so perverted the law with meaningless require-
ments that they made it a yoke of slavery and made observing it
an intolerable burden. A Jew was not allowed to kindle a fire nor
even light a candle on the Sabbath. As a result, the people were
dependent on the Gentiles for many services that their rulers told
them they must not do for themselves. They thought salvation was
restricted to the Jews, and that since others were already beyond
hope, doing these forbidden things would not make matters worse
for them. But God has given no commandments that cannot be
obeyed by everyone.
In the temple, Jesus met the man who had been healed. He had
come to bring a sin offering and also a thank offering for the great
mercy he had received. Jesus made Himself known to him. The
healed man was overjoyed to meet his Deliverer. Not knowing how
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they hated Jesus, he told the Pharisees that He was the One who
had performed the cure. “For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus,
and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the
Sabbath.”
Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin to answer the charge of
Sabbath breaking. If the Jews had been an independent nation, such
a charge would have served their purpose to put Him to death. But
their accusations against Christ would have no weight in a Roman
court. They hoped, however, to accomplish other goals. Christ was
gaining an influence greater than their own, and many who were not
interested in the rantings of the rabbis were attracted to His teaching.
He spoke of God not as an avenging judge, but as a tender Father.
By His words and works of mercy, He was breaking the oppressive
power of human commandments and was presenting the love of
God.