Specifically, Jesus deals with man, one individual at a time. Usually, we find Him stepping into man’s affairs at a time when the individual realizes that no one else can help them. “Jesus, the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Remember the last part of our study? How much more important than just saying, “Jesus is the answer”, is demonstrating how He can accomplish the help? I shall, time and time again, remind you of Jesus’ words in St. John 17:20 - 23, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” (You may as well commit it to memory.)

By virtue of this relationship, you have the privilege of asking God to demonstrate His presence and His power for those you see in need. By virtue of His relationship with the Father, Jesus, (though speaking directly to the individual) was always in an attitude of submission to the Father’s will, thereby asking the Father to accomplish the miracles that “the world may believe that thou hast sent me”. By allowing God to demonstrate His presence and His power, we are accomplishing the mission which Jesus has given us because, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, because it is not we, but, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” WOW!! “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…Beloved, now are we sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be…” Who are you?

It does not take genius, nor clairvoyance, to know when someone is in need. And, the question is always the same: “Wilt thou be made whole?” It is of utmost importance to focus the person’s attention on his need, the immediate need which they can perceive. The world is lost in its needs. The needs are all the people can see; that which is immediately affecting them, individually, but often we are concerned with “causes” and “blaming”. We cannot change the world all at one time (only God can do that); but, through our relationship with God, we can initiate changes one individual at a time, just as Jesus did. And, He’s told us to do it. The man’s helplessness was stated in his reply to Jesus’ question. It is the same reply you will get, in various forms, from those of whom you ask the question. Then, just as Jesus did, we can ask God to initiate the changes for them.

“Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” is the same as “take up your cross and follow me”. Christians everywhere are still carrying their “bed”, their needs, as a cross, a burden. Jesus has “made us whole”. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” We are commanded to no longer worry about the cares of this world, and to do so is “sin” to those who “know to do good, and doeth it not”. “Seek ye first…and all these things…” Therefore, when Jesus saw the man later (he was still carrying his bed), He said, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” 

Now, many Christians equate illness or disability as a result of individual sin. Even some Christian scholars support this view. We will be studying an event later where Jesus declares that this assumption is not valid. Yes, all illness and disability is a result of our sinful nature, but not to our own specific sin; unless our sinful actions result in the conditions which bring about the illness or disability. Frankly, only the one suffering and God knows the truth of these instances. And, in any case, God is quite willing to reveal Himself to those suffering, so they will know He is God, and that He does love them. His gift will be healing or grace beyond the need. Jesus is not telling this man that some illness worse than he has already experienced could come upon him. He’s telling him, “You’re whole, you now know God: you are now to affirm that, lest you be denied in the judgment.” “Not all that say unto me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of God.”

Then, the religious crowd steps in with its objections about when the healing took place. “You can’t work on the Sabbath!” The Law says, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” If God “hallowed” the Sabbath day, then, of all days to do what He tells us to do….? But, to this rather simple command of God, the Jews had added a whole list of things which constituted “work”. Today, we are just as legalistic. Our “Sabbath” must be on Sunday, or Saturday! We’ve already shown the fallacy of that statement. With God’s command taken for what is intended; that is, “that we rest at least one day in seven”, what is to prevent our “Sabbath” from being on any day of the week in which we are not required to work? Of course, for coming together to worship, it is necessary to have a day set aside. Jesus really didn’t argue the point with the Jews, and I’m not either. He just said, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”

In apparent contradiction to the stand of the Jews and the legalists, I had a friend, a DD (Doctor of Divinity), tell me, “Sunday is my work day.” We had been discussing “religion” until the wee hours of Sunday morning. He pastors a very large congregation. God surely works on Sunday! At His work ! No one objects! If we are involved in His work, that is, revealing God to those needing Him, how can we not work on Sunday? Or any other day? Jesus’ yoke and burden are permissible on the Sabbath. Remember, “this is the day…..” If you will read the entire Psalm 118, you will find that the “day” being discussed is the same day that Jesus talked about when He said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” This day dawned when Jesus was born, and will continue until……