The One Year New Testament

August 17

John 5:9b-17

John 5:9b-17

And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Reflection

The fact that Jesus healed the lame man on the Sabbath (a weekly day designated for rest; see Ex. 20:8–11) is both intentional and significant. Jesus has authority over Israel’s Sabbath, because he is the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:1–11; Mark 2:23–28). Only through Jesus can we find God’s mercy and grace and enter into true Sabbath rest (Heb. 4:1–10), ceasing from our futile efforts to save ourselves, as we trust in Jesus’ perfect work on our behalf.

Though Jesus cares about our whole being, this man’s greatest need was not healed legs but a rescued heart. When Jesus pursued him and spoke the words, “Sin no more,” he wasn’t calling him to live a perfect life but to live in response to the mercy of a perfect Savior. Though we are perfectly forgiven, we await the full experience of our perfection in eternity with Christ. Until then, we are to be growing in grace (2 Pet. 3:18). As those swept into Christ’s eternal kingdom and now heading toward the day of our completion, we are called to “sin no more”— to live out our new, radically transformed identity.

Philemon 17-20

Philemon 17-20

17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Reflection

Note how Paul models the transforming love of the gospel as he asks Philemon to “charge that to my account” (Philem. 18). This reminds us that Christ himself has said the same thing to us. Likewise, when Paul asks Philemon to “receive him as you would receive me” (v. 17), this request that Philemon regard Onesimus as he would Paul himself draws our minds to the gospel. For in the gospel, God regards us as he would his own Son. God receives us as he would receive Christ.

Ever so gently, then, Paul’s words of grace work against a worldly perspective. This grace is so powerful that it makes a slave a brother (v. 16) and a partner (v. 17) without debt (v. 18).

Psalm 116:7

Psalm 116:7

Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

Thoughts For Prayer

Jesus is the true Sabbath —the One in whom our soul finds rest from all its striving. Ask God to help you look to Christ for rest from all forms of anxiety, inner strife, and self-reliance.

Missions Prayer Requests More

  • April 23, 2024

    Supported Workers: Andrew & Angie James

    Country: Uruguay

    Andrew and Angie thank God for his love, goodness, and grace, which daily sustains them. Please pray that they continue to rely on the Lord and that their children grow up to love the Lord with all their hearts. Pray that the youth, small group, and ESI ministries would be a blessing in the lives of all involved.

    Zambia (Africa). Population: 21,134,695 Believers: 25.7%.Zambians widely accept Christianity, even in public institutions and the media. Former president Chiluba declared Zambia a Christian nation in 1991, and Zambians practice freedom of all religions. But national transformation along biblical lines still has not come. Too few know the Word of God, or how to live a Christian life. Pray for Christians to live pure and holy lives that depend on God alone for spiritual power and blessing. Pray that Zambia will truly be a nation that honors God. From Operation World DVD-ROM 2010 and www.operationworld.org