John 5:8-12
Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
Last weekend I preached from John 5:1-15. My closing point was: Expect Adversity. You can see it plainly
in the passage above. Religious leaders were more concerned about the conduct of a person than his overall condition. Jesus had healed this man after he spent 38 years sitting by the pool of Bethesda. But there seems to be no notice of this miracle. Instead, full attention has been focused on a much smaller detail.
This reminds me of a testimony I heard many years ago from my father’s golf buddy, Buckeye Tim. Tim had become frustrated with the church, had walked away from the Lord and was living only for himself. But the Lord was continuing to call to him.
Buckeye Tim devised a plan. He would go to church as the Lord was calling him to do. He would, however, sit in the back and wear a baseball cap. All he needed was for one of the church people to ask him to remove his hat to reveal their lack of real care for him.
So, off he went. As the service went on, no one seemed to even notice his hat. In fact before and after the service folks were genuinely interested in talking to and getting to know him. They even encouraged him to come back soon.
Years later when I heard this testimony, I was struck by Buckeye Tim’s words. “I never had to wear a hat again. I could see people really cared for me.”
When I read about the mat in John chapter 5, I imagine the man healed by the pool of Bethesda never
had to carry it on the sabbath again. He found out who truly cared for him that day. Hosea 6:6 says “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
We may be surprised by the reaction of the Jewish leaders in this passage. They don’t seem to honor the power and ability of the Lord to handle the situation. It’s humbling to know; we can be like that too.
“Lord, help us to love, care for and encourage others to be changed by You.”
If you were encouraged by this devotional, head over to our website and track along with our current series as we study the Gospel of John. Every week I will be posting a devotional here that relates to the passage we are in.
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