John

Check out all the previous John readings here.

John Reading Plan | Week 5, Day 3

Prayer

Pause for a moment of quiet and stillness. To center yourself fully, take a deep breath in and exhale slowly. Repeat this process three times. Ask God to open your eyes to the amazing truths in His word today.

Bible Reading: John 5:16-23

Read these verses three times slowly.

So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 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.

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. 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. 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. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 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.

Reflection & Questions

We’ve been focusing this week on the healing of the man who was an invalid for 38 years and the shocking fall out from it. The fallout continues in our verses today. The religious leaders, true to form, “began to persecute [Jesus]” because he healed someone on the Sabbath. It goes without saying that Jesus knew exactly what He was doing. He healed on the Sabbath to cause controversy and bring to light the ridiculous way that religion has blinded these leaders to the work of God. Their man-made rules had taken the instructions around Sabbath to a devastatingly rigid regime and no longer was it a joy to people, but a massive burden.

Jesus corrects their faulty thinking: “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” We’re told that God rested from creating on day 7 in Genesis 2, but He never stopped doing good. There is always good to be done, whatever day it is and God is always doing it. And neither are we. Whatever day it is, we should seek to do good for those around us.

The religious leaders expose their blind hearts even more in response to Jesus’ answer though. They rightly understood that Jesus was claiming to be God, and “…for this reason they tried all the more to kill him.” So leaders who were worried about a man carrying his mat are now plotting to kill Jesus. Oh the blindness of religion!

1. What would the world look like if God stopped doing good one day a week?
2. What ‘work’ are you doing to mimic your Heavenly Father and make a difference in people’s lives?

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?