April 10, 2012 – John 4:46 – 5:30

You have to realize that Jesus knew what and when He was doing this miracle.  He is setting it up for a confrontation so that He can show and explain who He is.  When Jesus is speaking here, it is pretty dense theological stuff.  From what I have read and listened to, it is mainly a focus on Christ relationship to the father and some development of the Trinitarian theology.  Christ can do nothing that the Father has not told Him to do.  He is limited to doing the Father’s will.  That is because they are one.  They cannot act in opposition because they are One.  It is no simple a left brain/right brain type of thing, it is a more complete oneness than that. 

Christ does this act on a Sabbath to show that He has power on the Sabbath.  God does not stop working on the Sabbath, so Christ will not stop working on the Sabbath.  What work does God do on the Sabbath?  Do people continue to breath, this is only willed by God.  Do people die, this is also willed by God.  Creation does not cease to exist and creation in held into existence by the will of God.  That means even on the Sabbath.  This puts a clearer light on Christ when He says that Sabbath was made for man.  God is not limited by the Sabbath in doing His Will, so Christ will not be limited.  Christ uses this situation to show His oneness with God and how they are so completely connected and that He is here to do the Father’s Will. 

It is also a wonder that those that are persecuting Christ completely ignore the miracle.  They miss the fact that the paralytic was healed and focus on the carrying the mat or curing on the Sabbath.  These are the same people that will ask for a miracle to prove you are the Christ, the same that will mock Him on the Cross saying “save yourself”.  If they only had eyes that could see.