No sooner does Jesus speak, the man is totally
healed. He immediately picks up his mat
and walks away. By the way, this all
takes place on a Sabbath day. John 5:9
EFP
I can’t help but see a microcosm of
salvation taking place in this scene.
Jesus says the word and immediately the broken is restored; the stricken
is healed; the crippled is enabled. The
healing is immediate and complete! The
man previously condemned to a life of frustration and disappointment picks up and
packs up the remnants of his past life and simply walks away. Jesus tells the man to pack and pick up his
mat and walk, I don’t think he intended the man to hang on to his baggage.
Do you find it odd that John mentions
it is the Sabbath? I don’t. The Sabbath is intended to be a day of rest—a
day to leave your burdens behind. The
man chooses to carry his burden with him.
What is he going to do with his filthy and raggedy possessions? Perhaps what I do with the reminders of our
past—I often carry them with me.
Why? What purpose do they
serve? Jesus delivers me from my
past. Period! And what do I often do? I choose to carry my past with him.
When Jesus declares you healed—leave
your malady behind. It’s the
Sabbath…rest.
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