True Rest and Mercy

True Rest and Mercy

 

John 5:1–15

 

Jesus healed a man who had been ill for 38 years by the pool of Bethesda, but that day was a Sabbath. The Jews say to a person who is healed that it is not lawful for you to take your bed on the Sabbath, and ask who healed the sick on the Sabbath.

 

Jesus healed a sick man who had been sick for 38 years on the Sabbath so that he could find true rest. But the Jews insist that it is not right to heal people on the Sabbath because of the law. Let's not be bound by the law and live a life of true rest and mercy!

 

Jesus meets the sick again and says, "Don't sin again. So that nothing worse will happen to you," he orders.

All we have to do after experiencing Jesus' grace is not to commit a crime. If you don't know the Lord who healed you by staying only in the recovery of your body and don't clear your life of sin, it means that even if your body gets better, you can lead to "worse," or eternal death. There is no real peace other than leaving sin and returning to the Lord.

 

God, don't be bound by the law and live a life of true rest and mercy! And let us enjoy true rest through a life of leaving sin and returning to the Lord!