When some of the men of Jerusalem saw the man whom Jesus had made well carrying his bed, they told him it was not lawful or right, for him to do that because it was the Sabbath day.
The man answered, “He that made me whole, the same said unto me, ‘Take up thy bed and walk.’” But he could not tell them the name of the One who had made him well. Afterward Jesus met him in the temple and told hint to sin no more.
The man then went to the men who had asked him who had said for him to carry his bed, and told them it was Jesus Who had made him well. Those men already hated Jesus because He had spoken against their wrong acts in the temple, and their anger grew more that He had cured the man on the Sabbath day and told him to carry his bed.
But those men did not honor God or believe His words. They should have been expecting such a One, and known that One who could by His word cure a helpless man and do many other miracles, had the right from God to tell the man what to do on that day.
When those men spoke in anger to Jesus, He said, “My Father worketh... and I work.” and He told them His work which was all for people.
To cure the sick and helpless seems a great work to us, but that work was only for people’s life on earth, Jesus told them of far greater work He would do, He said,
“Verily, verily, I say unto ynic That meant, “It is true, it is true.”
“He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath, everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (punishment); but is passed from death unto life.”
That is most wonderful work of Lord Jesus to give life forever to each one who hears, or accepts, His word and believes God Who sent Him, for no one could have that life by any work they could do, all would be away from the presence of God, called “death”, because all are sinners. When Jesus gave up His life on the cross was His work to suffer the punishment for sin.
Jesus told those men another “work He will do, also greater than we think; He said,
“The hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth: they that have done good (believed His words unto the resurrection of life; they have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (punishment forever (see also 1 Cor. 15; 1 Thes. 4; Rev. 20). Those words of Jesus are very plain and solemn, and what power in His voice that all who have ever tlit will hear His voice of command to rise.
ML 08/11/1946