John 9:13-17 - Lesson #96

The miraculous hand of God came to earth, made some clay, and healed
the eyes of a man born blind. One would think this would be a reason
for great rejoicing - healing had occurred, a life made new! But
this was not the case for those within the walls of the established
religion of the day. The healing had not followed the understood and
accepted rules. It seems God had operated outside His man-made box!

John 9:13-17
"They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was
a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the
Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said
to them, 'He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.' Therefore
some of the Pharisees said, 'This Man is not from God, because He
does not keep the Sabbath.' Others said, 'How can a man who is a
sinner do such signs?' And there was a division among them. They said
to the blind man again, 'What do you say about Him because He opened
your eyes?' He said, 'He is a prophet.'"

The Pharisees determined that Jesus had violated the Sabbath. The
Sabbath was a day established by God for rest and worship; "Remember
the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). But over the 1500
years since the Sabbath law had been given, the religious leaders
created specific rules as to how the Sabbath was to be kept
holy. For example, one of the rules stated that it was a violation
of the Sabbath to knead dough to make bread - or to knead anything on
the Sabbath. And since Jesus had kneaded the dirt and spit to make
mud, He had clearly violated the Sabbath.

Jesus most often healed on the Sabbath. And when He healed, it's as
if He said, "Be healed, and go violate the established Sabbath
law." For example, "Rise, take up your bed and walk" (John 5:8). In
Matthew's gospel Jesus defended the picking of grain to eat on the
Sabbath and then went into the synagogue and healed a man with a
withered hand. These were done to give correct interpretation; "it
is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:12), and "the Son of
Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8). The established
interpretation had been wrong - God was not confined to man's box!

Though Jesus revealed the character of God, died for the forgiveness
of sin, sent the Holy Spirit to guide us in all truth, and ensured
His Word would be recorded and preserved, much of what we understand
and how we worship is based on man's tradition and
interpretation. Not all tradition and interpretation is bad, and
much is necessary, but we need to understand the potential for
placing restrictions on God. Jesus operated outside the box and He
was either dismissed or rationalized away.

God will never violate His revealed Word, but He may challenge our
interpretation, challenge our box. Let's worship the God "who is and
who was and who is to come" (Revelation 1:4). Let's lift high and
honor Jesus Christ, trust His guidance and never worship our
self-created religious box.

Have a Great Day!

Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

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Scripture references: The New King James Version.
Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by Permission.

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