Anchor My Faith

Why Were the Jews Persecuting Jesus?

Scripture: John 5:16-18

With this lesson we begin a new section, but when looking at the opening phrase of our text we find ^{Jn 5:16} “And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus.” We must stop and look back to the previous section to find the reason why the Jews were persecuting Jesus. In that section, Jesus had healed a paralytic man on the Sabbath and told him to take up his bed and go. Because Jesus did this on the Sabbath he was breaking the rules established by the Jews and was thus being persecuted by them.

Coming back to our text, we will look at the whole verse: ^{Jn 5:16} “And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.” As we saw above, the “And this” points us back to the reason for the persecution, but the verse ends with an indication that Jesus has a habit of doing things on the Sabbath that anger the Jews.

Moving on to the next verse we read: ^{Jn 5:17} “But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”’ After the man learned that it was Jesus who healed him and told him to take up his bed and go, he goes to the Jews and informs them. Filling in what was not said, we conclude that the Jews went and found Jesus and accused him of doing wrong. Jesus replies to their accusation with a statement that will anger the Jews even more and increase their persecution.

Jesus refers to God as his Father, suggesting a closer relationship to God than other people have, even implying that he is the Son of God. God the Father does not cease to work and works on the Sabbath and just as he works, Jesus said that he also works. This implies that Jesus is lord over the Sabbath, which is a claim to deity. These Jews recognized what he was claiming, and ^{Jn 5:18} “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”

In Genesis 2:2-3 we read: “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So, God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Adam’s disobedience damaged the perfect universe, causing God to establish a plan of restoration and then to work out that plan of restoration. The Father is working on this restoration and so is Jesus and this work does not stop on the Sabbath.

The work assigned to Jesus is to purchase our salvation so we as sinful people can be restored to a perfect state through our faith in Jesus. By his statement, Jesus is claiming to be working with his Father and that he is his Son. As we walk with Jesus, we see him doing his work of teaching the people who he is and why he must die on the cross for them. As the Son of God, his work of restoration does not stop on the Sabbath. Even now his work continues as he is preparing a place for us in heaven. As Jesus heals and raises the dead on the Sabbath, he is pointing to his ability to provide eternal life and to raise us from the dead in the resurrection.

In the minds of the Jews, Jesus was guilty on two accounts: he was breaking the Sabbath and he was making himself equal to God by claiming God to be his own Father. The Jews saw this claim as blasphemy and worthy of death. Being spiritually dead, the Jews were unable to understand or accept who Jesus was and what he was doing and how it related to their salvation. They could not see the overall plan and work of restoration and so they charged Jesus of violating their code of conduct.

In the next lesson we will learn more about who Jesus is and what he is doing.

Conclusion

As believers we need to understand that persecution is part of our life. Able brought the correct sacrifice to God and as a result he was persecuted by Cain by being killed. Jesus suffered and died for his obedience to the Father and today many are suffering and dying for their steadfastness of faith in Jesus. Father, strengthen and encourage us as a greater degree of persecution comes upon us in our walk with the Lord.