SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/28/2016
7:30 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 The
Master Persecuted
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John 5:9b-16
Message of
the verses: “Now it was the Sabbath on that day. 10 So
the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and it
is not permissible for you to carry your pallet." 11 But he answered them,
"He who made me well was the one who said to me, ’Pick up your pallet and
walk.’" 12 They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, ’Pick up
your pallet and walk’?" 13 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. 14
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." 15
The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16
For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these
things on the Sabbath.”
As we ended looking at the first part of this
passage yesterday I was writing about how I have had difficulty in
understanding about the Law of the Sabbath and said that I had a bit more to
say about that this morning, which is actually a quote from John
MacArthur: “The Old Testament prohibited
working on the Sabbath (Ex. 31:12-14; 25:2), but did not specify exactly what
kind of work was forbidden. It seems,
however, that one’s customary employment was in view. The Israelites were not to participate in
their normal, week-long occupations on the Sabbath day.
“But rabbinic tradition went far beyond that,
listing thirty-nine forbidden categories of work—including carrying goods. The rabbinic prohibition against carrying
loads on the Sabbath was ostensibly based on such passages as Nehemiah 13:15-18
and Jeremiah 17:21-22. Those passages,
however, were aimed at individuals who conducted their ordinary business, their
livelihood or occupation, on the Sabbath.
Thus they did not apply to the healed man, since he did not make his living
by carrying his mat.”
Now as I think more of this subject of not doing
things on the Sabbath and how the Pharisees had different rules than what the
Word of God had to say about it I can understand why people have difficulty
with this and it has to do with why people fall into a false “religion.” People do that because they feel guilty for
being a sinful person and have a desire to do something to please the Lord so
that they can one day be ushered into heaven.
I have been a believer for a long time and it is still difficult for me
at times to embrace the fact that I did nothing, nor ever could do anything in
order to merit God acceptance of me, for “Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
Now we see that the Jews (The religious leaders)
confronted the man who was carrying the matt because He was doing it on the
Sabbath as they said to him “it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet”
for “It is the Sabbath.” Now if you
think about how heartless and loveless that they were as this man had been
unable to walk for 38 years and now they are getting on him for carrying his
mat and not rejoicing that he has the ability to carry it because of this great
miracle done for him by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Since it is Sunday morning and I must get ready for
church I will end this SD, and pick up the remainder in our next SD, as I do want
to finish this section and then get into the discourse that takes up the
remaining portion of chapter five.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Third” (2 Corinthians 12:14).
Today’s Bible
question: “What did Jesus teach
regarding how to treat others?”
Answer in our next SD.
2/28/2016 7:52 AM
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