The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 9:13-15,
"They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight."
Jesus healed a man born blind on the Sabbath. He didn't do it on a Friday and he didn't do it on a Monday. He did it on a Saturday -- the Sabbath.
This was not the only healing Jesus performed on a Sabbath. Another instance is found in John chapter 5. There we read about a disabled man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Again, even though the man had been disabled for years (and you might think any day would do), Jesus chose to heal him on the Sabbath and have him carry his mat.
The Pharisees and Jewish leaders kept the people under their thumb by using the law given to Moses. Sabbath-keeping was a key point, in my view, because if they could intimidate the people through controlling their activities, such as Sabbath-keeping, it would maintain their control over many aspects of people's lives. Control over others is the elixir that inebriates a certain kind of spiritually corrupt person. Sound familiar to today?
The people were afraid of these "leaders". Look at what concerned the blind man's parents as they answered questions put to them by these Jewish leaders in their investigation of the matter: "His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue." John 9:22. Not a retribution to take lightly as this would cut off their unfettered access to the community and probably impact their livelihood.
When Jesus went to the Festival of Tabernacles we read, "no one would say anything publicly about him [Jesus] for fear of the leaders." John 7:13. The Jews in Jesus' day were controlled by fear of the Jewish leaders through intimidation and the retribution they brought against those who challenged their power.
"They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight."
Jesus healed a man born blind on the Sabbath. He didn't do it on a Friday and he didn't do it on a Monday. He did it on a Saturday -- the Sabbath.
This was not the only healing Jesus performed on a Sabbath. Another instance is found in John chapter 5. There we read about a disabled man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Again, even though the man had been disabled for years (and you might think any day would do), Jesus chose to heal him on the Sabbath and have him carry his mat.
The Pharisees and Jewish leaders kept the people under their thumb by using the law given to Moses. Sabbath-keeping was a key point, in my view, because if they could intimidate the people through controlling their activities, such as Sabbath-keeping, it would maintain their control over many aspects of people's lives. Control over others is the elixir that inebriates a certain kind of spiritually corrupt person. Sound familiar to today?
The people were afraid of these "leaders". Look at what concerned the blind man's parents as they answered questions put to them by these Jewish leaders in their investigation of the matter: "His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue." John 9:22. Not a retribution to take lightly as this would cut off their unfettered access to the community and probably impact their livelihood.
When Jesus went to the Festival of Tabernacles we read, "no one would say anything publicly about him [Jesus] for fear of the leaders." John 7:13. The Jews in Jesus' day were controlled by fear of the Jewish leaders through intimidation and the retribution they brought against those who challenged their power.
No surprise then that the Sabbath-keeping hammer the Jewish leaders used on the people became a target of Jesus to challenge these leaders who were fixated on controlling others. Clearly Jesus used his Sabbath healings as an intentional action to challenge these so-called "leaders" and to tie them up in knots! We read of Jesus baiting these leaders over their Sabbath-keeping hammer in John 7:21-24.
I marvel at the way Jesus disrupted the power structure of the day, exploiting his exposure of their hypocrisies to bring light into the darkness of this world, bringing a message of new life and freedom for all who will embrace him in faith.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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