WORKING ON THE SABBATH

John 9:11-16
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”

12 “Where is he now?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.


The issue of Jesus working on the Sabbath came up back in chapter 7 and now the Pharisees raise the issue again. The Jewish leaders and followers were very rigid in following the Law given to them by God through Moses. In practice, it would appear that Jesus was not so rigid. When He saw a need, Jesus moved by grace and mercy rather than the strict rules of the Old Testament schoolmaster. The Law was a schoolmaster given by God to guide people until Jesus came. When Jesus came, by His own words (Matt. 5:17), He came to fulfill the Law.

We are living in the dispensation of grace. The law has not been abolished but it has been fulfilled. We follow Christ.

The Sabbath was establish by God as a holy day to honor God. It is a day where the Christian church practices the worship we will do everyday when we are gathered around the throne in heaven. We are encouraged not to neglect this practice (Heb. 10:25).

Let us not respond as the Pharisees did to those who work on Sunday. The only result from such as response appears to be division … deep division … among themselves. Let us respond with a heart of grace as Jesus did.