John

Check out all the previous John readings here.

John Reading Plan | Week 5, Day 2

Prayer

Give your soul a moment of silence to align with your body. Express gratitude to God for the opportunity to be with Him and invite Him to meet you at this time.

Bible Reading: John 5:8-15

Read these verses three times slowly.

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 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.”

But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

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.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Reflection & Questions

Yesterday, we read the story of the healing of this man. 38 years he had been an invalid, and in a moment he was healed. 38 years! And now he was free to walk and run and leap! You would think that everyone would be celebrating. But shockingly, that was not the case. The Jewish leaders are so steeped in their religious thinking that they can’t celebrate with the man, for “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” He is healed and they are worried about his mat! Unbelievable.

The man innocently and yet rightfully responds: “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” In other words, “I have been an invalid for 38 years and a guy heals me in a moment. How could I not do what he says?” He might well add, “What have your rules ever done for me?”

To make matters look even worse for the religious leaders, they have no idea who the man is who is healing! They ask, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” Surely, they should know someone who is full of God’s power! But again, they aren’t concerned about who healed him. They are concerned about who told the man to break their sabbath law.

Jesus came to abolish such thinking. God had never intended for man to lose sight of a relationship with Him for religious practices. As much as we might look down on the religious leaders for their blindness, we should be careful to mind our own thoughts. Where are we missing seeing God at work because we have become preoccupied with our traditions? Where are we critical of others because of minor infractions when there’s much bigger ones in our own lives? Where are we more worried about how someone looks or behaves, and not concerned about their intentions or heart? Where are we excluding others with religious justification? These, and other questions like them, are good to meditate on. Afteral, we don’t want to miss the work of God!

1. What is the difference between relationship and religion? If the religious leaders had a relationship with God how do you think this story would have played out differently?
2. Do you see anyway that “religion” has got in the way of your ability to see what God is doing? Talk to God about it.

Prayer

Talk to God in response to today’s reading.

Worship Song

You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:

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Questions?