John 5:17

"For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath."

Key Reflection

In John 5:17, Jesus explains that He performs His miracles without violating the Sabbath laws, as He is acting in accordance with His divine authority and the will of His Father. This assertion challenges the Jewish leaders' understanding of the Sabbath, which was often rigidly interpreted to prohibit any form of work or healing. Their response—persecution and a desire to kill Jesus—reveals their deep-seated hostility towards His claim to be God’s Son and their unwillingness to accept His teachings.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 17. My Father. God. Worketh hitherto. Worketh until now, or till this time. God has not ceased to work on the Sabbath. He makes the sun to rise; he rolls the stars; he causes the grass, the tree, the flower to grow. He has not suspended his operations on the Sabbath, and the obligation to rest on the Sabbath does not extend to him. He created the world in six days, and ceased the work of creations; but he has not ceased to govern it, and to carry forward, by his providence, his great plans on the Sabbath. And I work. "As God does good on that day; as he is not bound by the law which requires his creatures to rest on that day, so I do the same.

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