Let us return to the Gospel of John. The passage is John 5: 1-15. If you have time, read the story. It is a healing story. A man has been an invalid for 38 years. Healing happened at this pool when the water stirred, and the man was not able to get there. After the man explained this to Jesus, Jesus said, ” Get up. Pick up your mat and walk ( verse 8 ). Immediately the man was healed. There is no belief or repentance statement from the unnamed man. Jesus seems to know the place and the surroundings, and he just heals the man. He has compassion.
Then the narrator drops the note that it was the Sabbath !!! Jesus broke the rules of the temple/synagogue system. It was the carrying of a mat by the healed man that caused the sin to be exposed. It seems silly, but we do the same thing today when some issue breaks the rules of the church. How do you feel about the role of Jesus as rule breaker ? He seems to point out the wrong ideas about the Sabbath. He knows it is the Sabbath when he heals the unnamed man. And he does not fit well in Jerusalem .
Slavery, prayer coverings, no TV, women in ministry are some of the rules we had in our Christian history. What do we need to change today ? Did Jesus of Nazareth tell us to throw out everything ? I do not believe so, but what are the things we keep and what do we let go of . Love must be our guiding principle.
Grace and peace with each other .
Fred
Chaos in the winds Scattering my troubled thoughts to land on soft clouds Monica Pieper Landoni 2022
