Wednesday in the Word...John 7:19-24 says,...

Today's "Wednesday In The Word" covers John chapter 7 and verses 19 through 24, which read,

v.19 - "Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"

Jesus is at the Feast of Booths and teaching in the temple.  He has come secretly but now has appeared to give instruction as a rabbi.  The crowd is questioning His authority.  Now Jesus will reveal what else He knows.

The religious authorities are pointing their fingers at Jesus as a lawbreaker and Jesus starts pointing right back.  Their hidden motive, that Jesus exposes, is to eliminate Him.  It will happen on a cross but not at this time or at this festival.

v.20 - The crowd answered, "You have a demon!  Who seeks to kill You?"

Jesus says out loud what the religious leaders are thinking and plotting.  The crowd's response is in defiance to what Jesus has just said.  "You are out of your mind.  That can't be so.  Who would do such a thing?"  would be the equivalent in today's language.  How many times do we side with the world and its conclusions and not with what Jesus has said?

v.21 - Jesus answered them, "I did one deed, and you all marvel."

The deed that Jesus is referring to is found back in chapter 5 and verses 1 through 16.  It was another time in Jerusalem and Jesus heals the paralytic man near the pool at the Sheep Gate.  "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." were Jesus' words.  The problem was, it was the Sabbath day.  After some questioning of the man by the religious authorities, Jesus was identified as the one who had done some work and therefore "broke" the Sabbath.  The result was persecution toward Jesus and Jesus stepped it up a notch to closely connect Himself with God the Father.

v.22, 23 - "For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?"

Jesus wants them to compare what He did with what they do on a regular basis.  The male child is to be circumcised on the 8th day according the the law that Moses given from God.  Sometimes this lands on the Sabbath.  Should it not happen because it is the Sabbath day?  Their answer would be "no" because it was an approved exception to what could be done on the Sabbath.

The child was "made well" by circumcision as identifying with being officially part of the covenant people of God.  This paralytic man was "made well" by Jesus not only physically but spiritually as Jesus told him to "do not sin anymore."  Don't walk in the ways of the superstitions of angels stirring the water of the pool and walk in the ways of the One who commands our obedience to His words.  Jesus is telling His listeners that He is doing a greater work than the circumcision of an 8 day out Jewish boy.  

To keep the law of circumcision, they had to break the law of the Sabbath if it landed on the 8th day.  They would have been breaking the law of circumcision by not performing it if they were to keep the law of the Sabbath.  We either make an exception to the rule or we deem one more important than the other.  Jesus ends with this sentence,

v.24 - "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

If they are able to make judgments about what law they are going to obey or make exceptions to it because the appearance is an 8th day circumcision landing on the Sabbath day, then they are able to make judgments on a deeper level about what Jesus is saying and doing even if it lands on the Sabbath.  Jesus wants them to see the actual man healed rather than what day it happened on.  A man had been delivered from his physical ailments and also released from following a superstition to know of God who works acts of mercy everyday of the week.

The man was following a superstition and it would have required someone working to get him in the pool.  It was the Sabbath, so fat chance that happening because it would be a breaking of the Sabbath for whoever helped.  He would just have to wait another day to see if it might happen.  Not so with God.  God shows up as Lord over all things.  He is Lord over the Sabbath.  He is Lord over man's rules.  He is Lord over man's superstitions.  He is Lord and do you see Him as Lord over the law given by Him to pattern ourselves to follow what He does when He does it?  Do you see the righteous thing to do rather than reacting with what might appear to others as a way to elevate yourself?  

Many times we respond with what will make us look good in the eyes of others and miss the opportunity to see God's healing work as we seek to serve the others God has put before us.  Let us pray.

"Heavenly Father, may we see You rather than just the Sabbath law and may we also see You in relationship to what can happen for Your glory no matter what day of the week it is.  Help us to reach out with Your healing touch rather than reach in with some glorification of ourselves.  What acts of mercy would You have me do for You today so others have the opportunity to see You?  Amen."

Pastor Adam