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?”
I have bee intrigued with Jesus profound statement talking about God and His work...The passage on God working is not about traditional earthly labor...Jesus is using the concept of "work" to reveal something fundamental about God's Nature and His Own Identity...It is Divine Work...God's ongoing, and Active Presence is that He is here helping and watching us...
There is a Divine Nature of Work for God and Jesus...For us, work is often tied to effort, exhaustion, and the need for rest...We work for a period and then stop...But for God, "work" is a different kind of activity...It is the continuous, effortless act of creation, sustenance, and redemption...The ancient Jewish understanding of the Sabbath was that God ceased His creative labor on the seventh day...Yet Jesus challenges this by saying, "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working."...God was working according to Jesus on the Sabbath...
This statement is a stunning revelation...It means that God did not simply create the universe and then leave it alone...He is constantly upholding every atom, every galaxy, and every life form...This is the unseen, foundational "work" that keeps the cosmos from unraveling...It is the work of a LOVING Creator who is not distant but intimately involved in His creation...Jesus, in claiming to be a part of this very work, is making a powerful claim about His Own Divinity and His direct connection to the Father's eternal purpose...He isn't just a Teacher or a Prophet; He is an Active Agent in the same ongoing, life-giving work of God...
To help grasp the power of Jesus’s words in John 5:17, we need to remember the context He was in: He had just healed a man on the Sabbath...The Pharisees saw this as a clear violation of their law, which strictly forbade physical labor on the Sabbath...Healing on the Sabbath in their eyes was work...Their understanding of "work" was limited to human, earthly toil...They believed that God's law required absolute stillness...And so they believed one healing someone on the Sabbath was actually work...So the Pharisees saw healing on the Sabbath as a form of "work" that was forbidden by their interpretation of the law...While the Old Testament commandments prohibited work on the Sabbath, the Pharisees had developed a complex and rigid set of rules around this principle...Their goal was to protect the holiness of the day, but their interpretations became so strict that they often prioritized the rules over the well-being of people...
The Pharisees adopted legalism, which is the belief that a person can earn favor with God by following a set of strict rules and laws...It's the mindset that external actions and obedience to a code of conduct are what make you righteous or holy...The Pharisees were a classic example of legalism...They not only followed the laws of the Old Testament but also created hundreds of additional rules and traditions to ensure they would never accidentally break God's law...For them, every action was a checklist...This is why they were so outraged when Jesus healed on the Sabbath...They weren't focused on the compassion of a man being healed; they were focused on whether the act of healing broke their man-made rules about what was considered "work."...In their view, the law was a barrier to be scaled rather than a path to be walked.In their eyes, healing a person was an act that could wait until the next day...They viewed it as a type of labor, and therefore, a violation of the Sabbath...Jesus's actions in John 5, and in other accounts like the healing of the man with the withered hand in Luke 6, were so scandalous to them precisely because they challenged this legalistic mindset...Jesus wasn't just performing a miracle; He was making a theological statement about the true meaning of the Sabbath...He showed them that God’s law was meant for the good of humanity, not to put people in bondage...Jesus’s actions in John 5:17 were a direct response to this narrow view...By saying, "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too AM working," Jesus was revealing that God's "work" of compassion, mercy, forgiveness never ceases...And even healing and helping others does not cease on the Sabbath...It was a perfect way to expose their flawed view of God and His Sabbath...This is a key example of how Jesus’s Way of life was so radical...He was not against the law, but against a legalism that lacked love and mercy...
Jesus's response completely flips this script. He essentially says, "You think I'm breaking the Sabbath?...You don't understand the Sabbath at all...The Sabbath is a day of rest from human labor, but it is never a day of rest from God's Divine Work of mercy, forgiveness, healing, and redemption...My Father is always working to bring healing and life, so how could I, His Son, not do the same?"...He is revealing that the highest form of "work" is an act of LOVE and Mercy...His healing was not a violation of the Sabbath, but its highest fulfillment...This shows that the Jesus Way is a dynamic and compassionate path, not a static list of rules...
St. Paul agreed with Jesus' Way and His healing on the Sabbath...From Philippians 2:13 and Ephesians 2:10 we see they tie in beautifully...These verses show that God's ongoing work is not just external—in sustaining the universe—but also internal, within each believer...Philippians 2:13 tells us that "it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."...This means God is not just an outside force; He is an active, LOVING Presence shaping our hearts and our desires...He "works" to change our will and to empower us for good...This is a profound type of labor—a work of inner transformation...
Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."...The word "workmanship" in the original Greek is poiēma, from which we get the word "poem."...We are God's poem, His masterpiece, His Opus...The Divine "work" here is the act of creating and shaping us to be people who can do good works...Our "work" then becomes a reflection of His creative handiwork...
These verses beautifully illustrate that God’s work is a partnership with His Son and His followers...He works in us, and we are called to actively "walk" in the good works He has prepared...John 9:4 adds another vital layer to the meaning of "work."...Jesus says, "I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."...While the Father's work is eternal, Jesus's earthly ministry had a limited timeframe, that would end when He ascended to Heven...This reveals that Divine Purpose also has a sense of urgency...The "day" was His time on earth, and the "night" was His crucifixion, after which His earthly ministry would be complete...This emphasizes that followers of Jesus are also called to work with a similar sense of urgency to fulfill God's purpose in our limited time on earth...
The statement, "My Father is always at His work, and I too am working," is a powerful call to action for every believer who follows "The Way of Jesus."...It means that a life of faith is not passive one...It is an active, ongoing partnership with God's work...It is not about simply waiting for heaven, but about participating in the here and now...The "work" of the Jesus Way is the active outworking of the Spirit's transformation in us...
When we follow Jesus' Teachings, we are engaging in this work...We are making God's word accessible to others and helping to spread "The Way of Jesus."...When we show compassion to the needy, when we seek justice for the marginalized, and when we forgive those who hurt us, we are doing the "work" of the Father, just as Jesus did when He healed on the Sabbath...This work is not about earning our salvation, but about living out the salvation we have already received....
The phrase "My Father is always at His work" is a profound reassurance that God is not a distant, passive observer...But He is as Paul says, He is near us, and as Immanuel -He is with us...He is a LOVING, active, and present LORD...Jesus's work is the visible expression of that Divine Activity...He is the Ultimate Role Model for what a life of faith should look like: a life constantly engaged in the glorious work of God...