Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away, and disclosed to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. And for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
John 5:9-17
Introduction
Now, after Jesus made it clear He was the only eternal hope, a confrontation occurs against the man who was given that hope. The man Jesus healed at the pool at Bethesda was caught carrying his mat. Of course, he was doing so because he was commanded to. And wouldn’t you? If you were unable to walk for thirty-eight years and the Son of God commanded you to get up, pick up your mat, and walk, the only reasonable response would be to pick up your mat and get to walking.
But there was a hitch in all of this. The healing occurred on the Sabbath day, a day designated for rest according to the Law given to Moses:
For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to Yahweh in all your places of habitation.
Leviticus 23:3
But is carrying a mat really work? There are scant few clarifications for what constitutes work on the Sabbath according to scripture. Gathering food and cooking a meal is work (Exodus 16:23-25). Going on a journey is work (Exodus 16:29). Gathering wood for a fire is work (Numbers 15:32-36). Lighting a fire is work (Exodus 35:3). Engaging in commerce is work (Nehemiah 10:31). Transporting goods is work (Jeremiah 17:24-25). And while I am not the expert on this matter, no more explicit examples come to mind. Even so, these Pharisees accuse the healed man of working on the Sabbath.
Invented righteousness
The studious Jews who poured over the Law came to this conclusion regarding work on the Sabbath: the Law does not explicitly define “work,” and so we must infer that definition from other passages. On the surface this seems like sound reasoning, but by taking a matter God intentionally left ambiguous and making it explicit, they began to set fence posts which declared, “stand on this side and you are righteous; but on that side you are a sinner.”
In an initial effort to aid the people in obedience, the wheels quickly fell off into self-righteousness. The attempt to properly define “work” came from Exodus 35, a description of the construction of the Tabernacle (the tent where God’s presence dwelt among the people before the construction of a Temple). Here, the effort is called work, and so here those who studied the Law began to form their definition. Every single thing done in the construction of the Tabernacle, from carrying materials to erasing writing, was considered “work” and prohibited by the so-called sages as if it were a direct command from God.
The prohibition on carrying anything was further derived from the explicit commands not to gather manna, firewood, or commercial goods found in Exodus 16, Numbers 15, and Jeremiah 17 respectively. But carrying the mat you have been sitting on for thirty-eight years is not related to any of these things. It is not commercial in any way. Regardless, “carrying” became a prohibited act: do it and you are on “that side” of the fence.
Instead of regarding the purpose of the Sabbath, rest, the Pharisees made it a burden.
What is Sabbath?
While it is far from perfect, modern western society does observe Sabbath rest. Only we call it, “the weekend.” Consider how you feel at the end of the work week. From time to time there might be a daunting feeling of all the house-work you need to catch up on, but generally I would expect there is a sense of relief. The burden of work is lifted for a day or two while you rest and recuperate (or catch up). This lifting of burden is Sabbath.
Thinking about Huey Lewis and the News for a moment, their song Workin’ For a Living captures this essence: we are burdened to work in order to live. At the fall, the ground was cursed to grow “thorns and thistles.” At the fall, we were cursed, “by the sweat of your face you will eat bread.” Work is necessary for life, and it is difficult and burdensome. But even in this curse, we are given the blessing of a reprieve. We are given the gift of Sabbath rest.
We do not need to choose between the strict legalism of the Pharisees and the flippant disregard of the world. Instead, let us honor the Sabbath by resting for a day – truly resting. Try not to let the house-work build up during the week. Take the time to enjoy all the wonderful gifts God has given you.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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