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said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well!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. 16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. —John 5:10-18

The spirit of a pharisaical heart

I. The Sabbath issue 5:10-15

A. Confronting the healed man 5:10-11
1. Accusation of violating Sabbath Law 5:10
2. Answer to the accusation 5:11
B. Interrogating the healed man 5:12-13
1. Question of identity 5:12
2. Confusion of identity 5:13
C. Encouraging the healed man 5:14-15
1. Encouragement - sin no more
2. Warning – “that nothing worse may happen” (Duetoronmy 28:58-61; Leviticus 26:14-16; Psalm 32:3-4, 38:1-8; I Corinthians 11:30)

Jesus’s care for humanity goes beyond the mere

II. The charge of blasphemy 5:16-18

A. Misguided leaders 5:16-17
1. They ignored the miracle 5:16
2. The obsessed on the Sabbath Law 5:16
3. They misunderstood who Jesus was 5:17
a. “My Father” misunderstood the uniqueness of His relationship with God
b. “Working until now” misunderstood the activity of God in the present
c. “I am working” misunderstood His equality with God

B. Misguided intentions 5:18
1. Intentions stated – kill Jesus 5:18a
2. Intentions justified 5:18b
a. Breaking of Sabbath Laws
b. Calling God His own Father
c. Making Himself equal with God

Jesus never shied away from

Small Group Questions

1. What did God teach you through this passage and sermon? Share the work of God in your heart with the group.

2. What questions did this passage and sermon raise in your mind?

3. Have you ever experienced a time when God intervened in your life in a miraculous or special way?

4. Are there some restraints in our traditions or our desires to hold to “the letter of the law” that could cause us to miss God’s miraculous or special work?

5. What are the implications for us today of Jesus’ statement to the healed man, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”