John 5:11

"So the Jews said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to carry the mat.”"

Key Reflection

The Jews' reaction highlights the tension between Jesus' miraculous healing and the strict Sabbath laws of first-century Judaism. By questioning why the man was carrying his mat, they emphasized the legalistic approach to religion, missing the spiritual significance of the miracle as an act of God's sovereignty and compassion.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 11. He that made me whole. The man reasoned correctly. If Jesus had power to work so signal a miracle, he had a right to explain the law. If he had conferred so great a favour on him, he had a right to expect obedience; and we may learn that the mercy of God in pardoning our sins, or in bestowing any signal blessing, imposes the obligation to obey him. We should yield obedience to him according to what we know to be his will, whatever may be the opinions of men, or whatever interpretation they may put on the law of God. Our business is a simple, hearty, child-like obedience, let the men of the world say or think of us as they choose.

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