8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. (John 5:8-15 – English Standard Version)
When the Jews saw the man who had been healed, the first thing that came to their mind was that it was not lawful for the man to take up his bed. The Jews was actually witnessing a miracle, but they only concerned about the laws. They do not care about the well being of the man. The fact that the man got healed did not bring attention to them. Legalism can block us from witnessing the work of God. In church, there are many rules and policies. The church does need rules and policies for operational purpose, but we should not allow them to dictate our actions. In your church, if you see a guy, with nose and tongue rings, dressed like a beggar, how would you react? You probably wouldn’t tell him that the way he dresses is not appropriate. But in your mind, you may ask why this person comes to the church and you may judge his motivation for coming to church. Most likely, we wouldn’t react with amazement. “Wow, a person like this come to our church. I must take the opportunity to know him more.” When you see a man who has been sicken for 38 years and now is healed, it’s very normal to ask, “wow, you can walk now, how could that happen?” The Jews didn’t ask the question because they focus so much on rules. Christian faith is not about following rules, it’s about love and caring. It’s about touching people’s hearts. I hope we wouldn’t miss that point.
So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” (John 5:10)
