God’s Chosen Believed in the Law rather than in Christ

(15) God’s Chosen Believed in the Law rather than in Christ

Rev. Mark Kosko
 (John 5:9-30)                     

 I. Christ healed a man on the Sabbath
The man was an invalid for 38 years. The miraculous healing was irrefutable.
Healing on the Sabbath was deliberate to make a point about Jesus.
They did not accept Jesus’ explanation of His relationship with the Father because they did not accept him.

 II. The Law called for Death to the one who desecrated the Sabbath
They accepted miraculous healing but not on The Sabbath
Numbers 15 & Exodus 31: The Jews plotted to kill Jesus
Although the healed man was not subjected to punishment for the same violation.(Constitutional Equal Protection Violation!!)

 III. Observations of the Passage:
The Jews strictly adhered to the Law which was from God but they were blind to His actual presence. It had to be that way.
They rejected Christ because they held a fixed expectation of who the Messiah was supposed to be according to Scripture. It had to be that way.
Christ was persecuted and crucified by the very Law God provided to His chosen people. It had to be that way.
God’s greater plan to provide Salvation for all was more than the Jews could ever have asked or imagined, according to His immeasurable power that is at work within us. (Eph 3:20-21)

 IV. Application Questions:
Do we as Christians ever judge others according to our interpretation of Scripture?
Do we use the Bible to draw closer to God, or to condemn and exclude others?
Are we ever humbled or awed by the brilliance of God whom we can barely fathom?