John 5:1-47
The Healing at the Pool
1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
The Authority of the Son
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Testimonies About Jesus
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.
33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
Our desire to work and stay active is actually a reflection of the Father's own nature...By placing an importance on work, we see that "the holiness of work" isn't just a human idea—it is a Divine Command...We see the Divine Pattern of Work, when we follow the Father and the Son...The foundation of our diligence is found in the life of Jesus, particularly in the fifth chapter of John...When Jesus healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, He was met with criticism from those who focused only on legalistic rules...His response, however, unveiled a profound truth about the nature of God: “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17)...This statement confirms that God is the "Eternal Doer" who never tires and never slumbers...Jesus explained that He does nothing by Himself; He simply carries out the work He sees the Father doing...This "Authority of the Son" is rooted in action—healing the broken, giving life to the weary, and finishing the works the Father assigned to Him...When we choose to be diligent and active, we are not just staying busy; we are aligning our lives with a God who has been working since the beginning of time and a Savior who invites us to cross over from "death to life" through faith and purposeful living...
When one reads John 5 from a work point of view, we might say that the world is divided between those who passively observe and those who actively engage in doing things...The author of Proverbs writes, but the wisdom of Proverbs reveals that this is more than just a personality type—it is a reflection of our spiritual state...Proverbs 12:24 teaches us that "the hand of the diligent will rule," identifying diligence as the essential hallmark of the Doer...This quality is a resilient choice to move forward, refusing to be paralyzed by life’s heavy burdens, whether they come from the deep grief of loss or the painful echoes of a difficult and troubled present or past... For those of us who find peace in the steady rhythm of a job well done, labor is transformed from a mere chore into a sanctuary of order, providing a true "Sabbath rest" for the mind and heart...
So besides work being a way to manage troubles and worries...This Sabbath of the hands can be a calming time for many...It may sound like a contradiction, but for the diligent, work is a rest...It is a "Sabbath for the mind" because it requires a level of focus that leaves no room for the "fussy and argumentative" voices of the past...When the hands are busy, the heart is often at its most quiet...
Proverbs actually talks about the non-doer...Scripture calls the non-doer a "sluggard" or a "lackey"...The "lackey" is one who lets the potential of the day slip through their fingers because they are overwhelmed by the "lion in the street"...They are passive observers of their own lives...In contrast, the Doer understands that God has placed a "physicality of grace" within our hands...By working together, we are not just fixing physical things; we are taking dominion over chaos...We are taking the energy that might otherwise go into "negative self-talk" or just sitting around and watching TV browsing the internet or thinking about what we might do or could have done...
There is a holiness in the work we do...We often mistakenly believe that "holy work" only happens inside a church building, but the Bible teaches that all honest labor is sacred...When one is focused on a project, your hands are participating in the "Eternal Architect’s" design...Work was present in the Garden of Eden before the fall; it is a gift from God...To find solace in work is to align ourselves with the Nature of Jesus, who was a Carpenter long before He was a Public Teacher or Rabbi...There is a "Logos" in action when you measure, cut, and build...This labor thaws the "apathy" of the heart because it requires presence, focus, and a "Ministry of Presence" with the task at hand...
For a man who is anxious, has troubles, or is in grief, work is a bridge over the valley of sorrow.. For a man with a difficult past, it is a fortress of stability...This is the "hidden protection" of God’s Providence...He provides us with "good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do"...When we are working, we are standing on the Rock of Matthew 7...We are not building on the shifting sands of emotion, but on the solid foundation of productivity and purpose...This work is our "Love Letter" to a God who created the heavens and the earth in His own Way of Working to create all things...Jesus says, "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working"...This reveals that God isn't just a "Distant Deity" watching from the sidelines; He is the Eternal Architect who is constantly building, sustaining, and restoring...When we view God and Jesus as active Workers, it changes how we see our own "mundane" tasks and our "process" of managing life's weights...We better see some divinity in the "Doer"...If God is always working, then our labor—whether it’s fixing a window, managing a property, straightening a fence post, painting a dumpster, or simply working through a day of troubles, anxiousness, or grief—it is an act of Imitating the Father...He didn't just create the world and walk away; He is actively "upholding all things by the word of His Power" (Hebrews 1:3)...When one is working and making things happen, you are aligning your hands with the very heartbeat and rhythm of the Universe...This is why there is such solace in work; it is a "physicality of grace" where we join in the work God is already doing...
Jesus’ work wasn't just physical; He was (and is) working to "adjourn" the negative talk in our minds and thaw the apathy in our hearts...He is the Continuous Advocate who is constantly interceding for us...While we are busy managing our external problems, He is busy "working all things together for good" (Romans 8:28) on the inside...This means that even when we feel like we are standing still, the process of healing is moving forward because He is the one driving the work...Jesus didn't say He was working instead of us, but that He is working with us...He invites us into a "shared labor"...This is the "Easy Yoke" He mentions in Matthew 11...When we treat our trauma or health as a chronic situation to be managed, we aren't managing it alone...We are "laboring together" with a Savior who knows the fatigue of the road and the sweat of the workshop...
As one goes about their routines this week, remember that your "doing" is a sacred echo of the Father’s work...You aren't just passing time; you are participating in a divine process of restoration...Because He is always working, you can trust that your labor is never in vain, and your foundation on the Rock is being reinforced every single day...And His work throughout our lives proves that we are supported by the One who never tires and never slumbers...
The reward for the Doer is not just the finished product; it is the peace that comes from a life well-lived...Proverbs 13:4 says, "the soul of the diligent is richly supplied"...As we continue to work, we must know that our labor is not in vain, but has a purpose...We are practicing a form of worship that honors the "Way, the Truth, and the Life"...We are proving that while troubles and grief our difficult-they are real, they do not have the final word...The final word belongs to the Savior who invites us to work alongside Him...
As one closes their day, remember that our hands are an extension of God’s Grace...Working hands can be busy and happy hands...Whether you are discussing sports, recalling your youth, or supporting a friend through loss, the work you do is holy...When one is working they can be at home, and whole, and know that we are His—and you are doing exactly what you were created to do...