The Gospel of John-28 – Jesus Christ, the Rest

John 5:10–18

"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.' But he answered them, 'The man who healed me, that man said to me, "Take up your bed, and walk."' They asked him, 'Who is the man who said to you, "Take up your bed and walk"?' Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 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.' The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working.' This was why the Jews sought 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." Amen.

 

The Grace That Vanished from the House of Grace, and the Appearance of Jesus

We examined the event that took place at the Pool of Bethesda last time. The name "Bethesda" carries the meaning of "House of Grace." A miracle occurred there, and the word "grace" in this context is synonymous with the idea of "giving freely." From our perspective, it means receiving something without any conditions or causes. This concept may feel somewhat unfamiliar to us, as we are accustomed to habits of calculating causes and effects in all matters. When we receive something, enjoy a blessing, or succeed in the world, we feel at ease only when we create reasons, saying, "God blessed me for this or that reason." We often struggle significantly to accept the fact that God has given it purely by grace.

 

Nevertheless, the Bible remarkably records in great detail events where results appeared regardless of our conditions or causes. The event at the House of Grace in today’s passage is exactly that. If it were a true House of Grace, unconditional mercy should have overflowed; yet strangely, every time the water stirred, a fight broke out over "who gets in first," a struggle entirely unrelated to grace. In a way, this is very similar to the image of our churches today or our own self-portraits as believers. We gather together as a community called the church, confessing that we are in a place of grace, living in a time of grace, and offering thanks and prayers to God. Yet, our daily lives are filled with calculating how many achievements we have made, worrying, and struggling.

 

Competition within the Church and the Absence of Grace

We calculate who has served more, who has evangelized more people, or who has made a greater contribution to the church, looking at each other with slanted eyes, or starting arguments by asking, "You were told to love, so why aren't you loving?" Though we have gathered in a House of Grace, one important thing is missing. In the end, even while gathered in the name of a House of Grace, we begin to fight over who has more ability, who is stronger, and who holds a higher position. It is not rare for those who have succeeded socially to wield power within the church. While there are times when this is for legitimate reasons, more often than not, the saints themselves choose to lower their status. I have heard people tell me when high-status individuals come to church, "That person has done such-and-such in the world, so we must hold onto them." I know well that this comes from a fervent desire to evangelize.

 

However, the church does not use our abilities, our level of success, or our worldly achievements as its standard. If that becomes the standard, the church will degenerate from a place of living by grace into a place of living by ability. At that point, it should hang a signboard for a worldly company rather than the name of a church. Through the Pool of Bethesda, we discover that something critically lacking in the House of Grace. It is that grace is absent in the House of Grace. That is why the Bible introduces Jesus. We know that Jesus going there was not by chance, but that He had a clear purpose and reason. Furthermore, He met a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Consider, dear brothers and sisters, that is a span of 38 years.

 

The Sabbath Controversy and the Perspective of the Jews

By healing this man who had neither moved nor risen by his own power for 38 years, the Lord declares that He is the Master of the House of Grace. Not the water that was there, but the Lord Himself was the true grace. What do you think? If a man who had been an invalid for 38 years were to leap up through prayer right here today, what would you do? You would clap and cheer, saying, "Hallelujah, thank You, Lord, I praise the Lord."

 

But the Bible records a truly remarkable fact. Despite a situation where everyone should be rejoicing and giving thanks, the atmosphere is ominous. Look at verse 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.'" Look at the words coming from them as a man who had been lying down for 38 years rises and walks. They point out, "Taking up your bed on the Sabbath is work; it is not lawful. You are doing something wrong." Observe their tone carefully. As I have mentioned before, John chose his words and sentences very carefully when writing the Bible. They did not say, "It makes me feel bad" or "I dislike it," but used the expression "It is not lawful." It is a judgment that it is wrong. Why do they say it is wrong? It is the logic that since the Bible records not to work on the Sabbath, moving the bedding you were using is work. To conclude, the argument of the Jews sounds quite reasonable, as there is a clear regulation in the Bible not to do any work on the Sabbath.

 

The Form of the Law and the Completion of Creation and Redemption

Let us look at Exodus 20:8–11 regarding the commandment of the Sabbath: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates." It clearly states not to do any work. Thus, the argument of the Jews appears to have merit. Let us consider one more plausible example. Look at Luke 13:14. When Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath, the ruler of the synagogue said with indignation, "There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day." How rational and obvious an argument this is! His words, asking why He would heal on the Sabbath instead of the other six days, sound quite persuasive.

 

However, as we know, Jesus does not accept their argument at all. In a way, Jesus seems a bit mischievous. Why did He choose to heal on the Sabbath, leaving aside the other six days? This suggests that Jesus intentionally healed on the Sabbath. What, then, is the reason? We can grasp the Lord's intent if we examine how the Jews observed the Sabbath and how they understood its meaning. The Sabbath, the fourth commandment of the Ten Commandments, was very important to the Jews. As the orthodox who received the Law, they observed the Sabbath thoroughly. For them, observing the Sabbath was proof that they were a pious people chosen by God, and evidence that they were children of God.

 

They believed the basis of their salvation lay in the act of keeping the Law. Therefore, rather than contemplating the true meaning or purpose of the Law, they were preoccupied with keeping it out of custom. Because they used the Sabbath as a means to outwardly manifest that they were a chosen people, they failed to realize the true reason God instituted the Sabbath. So, why did Jesus challenge the Jews by healing on the Sabbath? He is asking why the Sabbath was given and what it exists for. Exodus 20:11, which we read earlier, tells us to rest because God created the world and rested. This means that because creation was completely finished, God rested, and we are to participate in that rest.

 

The completion of creation and the Sabbath are deeply related. That is, resting on the Sabbath is a proclamation that creation is complete. Furthermore, look at Deuteronomy 5:12–15: "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day." Here, the reason to keep the Sabbath is because of the deliverance from slavery in Egypt. That is, because of the two completed events of creation and redemption, God commanded us to keep the Sabbath and to enjoy the completion of that rest on that day.

 

Sabbath: Participating Together in God's Peace

God rested because He redeemed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and completed all the work of creation. Therefore, the Sabbath is a day to commemorate creation and redemption. But here, a question arises. Commemorating is good, but why must we do no work and rest on that day? Since it is a day of receiving salvation, it would be good to offer thanksgiving, worship, and praise to God; why were we prohibited from doing any work? If we deeply examine this question, we can understand the true meaning and content of the Sabbath more clearly. We must not lightly dismiss the instruction to rest because God rested as merely, "It is a day for us to rest because God also rested." We know well that He did not rest because He was exhausted from six days of creation work and had no choice but to rest. There is a clear reason and purpose for God’s rest.

 

The true meaning of this instruction is to invite us to participate together in the perfect peace and joyful rest that God enjoys after finishing His creation work. The instruction to rest because He rested is an invitation for us to enjoy the delight of the rest that only God enjoys. God resting does not mean He put His hands down and did nothing; it means He began the work of seeking His people and leading them into His rest to share joy together. This is a truly moving part. God did not leave the world He created alone, but invites you to His rest to enjoy it together.

 

Therefore, there is a fact we must remember first: the Sabbath is a day to participate in the peace God enjoys. It is not a yoke or a burden to us. The purpose of keeping the Sabbath is not to become a more noble person or to justify ourselves before God by fulfilling the Law. Remember, the Sabbath is a time for us to enjoy the peace that God enjoys together. Do not forget that we are called to enjoy that wonderful peace that God enjoys.

 

God’s Working and the Experience of Redemption

The reason we can enjoy God's rest on the Sabbath is, paradoxically, that it is a day God works. God rests, but in reality, He is working most busily so that we can enjoy rest. As Jesus said, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." Just as the priests of the past moved busily, presiding over sacrifices in the temple while all the people rested, God is working ceaselessly even now so that we may enjoy true peace and rest in the house of God. God is working busily even now to save us from the abyss of suffering, to wash away the tears and pains shed during the week, and to heal the wounds in our hearts.

 

Through this work of God, creation and redemption are being completed in our lives today as well. Look at verse 14 of the passage: "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.'" This man being healed was not because of his outstanding faith. The invalid of 38 years did not know who Jesus was and could not even properly remember His face. But by telling him, "Sin no more," the Lord showed that He not only healed his disease but also forgave his sins. The essence of this event is not the act of meeting Jesus and being healed itself, but that through that meeting, he received the grace of forgiveness. That is, a miraculous event called salvation occurred for him. He thought he could be saved only by entering the water, but the word of Jesus Christ, not the water, saved him from the waters of death and gave him new life.

 

If the ritual of entering the water symbolizes the Exodus of crossing the Red Sea in the past, what is the true Exodus and Red Sea for us now? It is the word that comes out of the mouth of Jesus Christ. That word baptized him and saved him from death and gave him life. This was a clear event of redemption that happened to him. Jesus did not merely heal his physical illness, but restored his eternal life. The history of the Exodus appeared to him through the word of Jesus Christ. The Sabbath is a day to experience God's creation and God's Exodus. This is the second characteristic of the Sabbath. To live, obtaining life and enjoying true joy and praise in a place where we were inevitably doomed to die, is the Sabbath we must enjoy.

 

Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath

Do you remember the first characteristic of the Sabbath? It is that we enjoy the peace God enjoys together, and the history of the Exodus occurs for us on that day. Just as Moses, after crossing the Red Sea, praised God’s glory, saying, "Who is like you, O Lord? You destroyed the Egyptian army and saved Your people," we who have experienced the true Exodus also praise the Lord. But there is an even more remarkable fact. Another important characteristic of the Sabbath is that it is not only about us enjoying peace and being reborn to obtain salvation, but that Jesus Christ Himself is the Lord of the Sabbath and the Sabbath itself. Why is this important? Because Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, is working even now, just as God is working. The reason the Lord healed the sick man is not merely for the sake of the healing itself, but because He brought the heavenly rest of God down to this earth.

 

The Lord came to this earth bringing heavenly rest. He healed the sick and cast out demons, not merely to show off His power, but to show the people of this earth what heavenly rest is and what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Heavenly rest is giving life where there is death and wiping away the tears of those who weep. Therefore, the concept of the Sabbath has changed. Where Jesus Christ is, that is the Sabbath. Until then, the seventh day was the Sabbath, but now Jesus, who brought the true rest of heaven, is with us. Then, is Jesus, who is the heavenly rest itself, not much more important than the formal Sabbath?

 

The rest that Jesus Christ brought is the true rest. The form of the Sabbath, which we used to keep legally, has vanished, and where Jesus Christ is, that becomes the Sabbath. If where the Lord is is the Sabbath, what kind of existence are you who live serving the Lord? If you confess that Jesus Christ is within you and that you walk with the Lord, the place and the day where the Lord is together with you is the Sabbath. Because the Lord is there, we experience true rest on that day. The Lord brings the rest of heaven to us and lets us experience it Himself. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ lives this life of the Sabbath. However, the problem is that we have not properly established these concepts. Not realizing that every day is the Sabbath, we live day by day as if enduring, and only when the Lord's Day comes do we confess, "Lord, I want to enjoy rest, but it is too hard," which is the spiritual poverty of our faith that is truly regrettable.

 

Living to Prepare for Eternal Rest

As such, our faith right now might be in the wrong order. You might ask like this: "Then, if the Lord is with me and heavenly rest has come, should I not be free from illness? Should all the work I do not be successful? Should there not always be joy without frustration or despair, and should all things in the world not be prosperous? Since the Lord has come down bringing heavenly rest." But, brothers and sisters, the reason the Lord came to this earth to heal the sick and work was to show the result of what heavenly rest is like. I tell you clearly, there is no illness to be healed in heaven. The reason not all your physical illnesses are healed even though heavenly rest has come down is that there is no illness to be healed in the Kingdom of Heaven in the first place. The fact that the Lord showed heavenly rest means that the heavenly joy, existence value, and that grace which you, living on this earth, must enjoy, are being given to you right now by Jesus Christ working Himself.

 

It does not mean merely that physical illness is healed or that your business prospers. Even if you are healed, our bodies are finite, and whether a business goes well or not is merely a worldly matter. Of course, those things are precious for testifying to God's will while living on this earth, but they are not things you can take with you when you die. They are gifts God has entrusted to you temporarily to prepare for eternity. Your children, parents, and spouse are also God's blessings given to prepare for that very eternity. Why do we honor our parents? Is it merely because of worldly common sense to be mindful of others' eyes, or because they are the ones who gave birth to us? It is never so. Parents are the ones who make us realize whose children we are, and they are the ones who allow us to realize, if only dimly, what the love God gives to His children is. This process is beyond the level of filial piety; it is a process of finding and learning the archetype of the Kingdom of God through our parents. This is the reason the Bible emphasizes honoring parents so strongly.

 

This is a truly remarkable thing. Honoring parents and loving children is a naturally moral thing. But the Bible commands, "Do not provoke your children to anger." Why would He command something everyone knows? Why is the instruction "Honor your father and mother" emphasized so strongly? It is for no other reason than that we learn how to enjoy God's rest through these relationships. This is the reason that every day we live believing in the Lord becomes the Sabbath. Living every day confessing, "Lord, today too, I live not by my power but by the power of the Lord," that is rest. It is a confession that although I cannot stop working, I live not by my labor but by the Lord's grace. The reason God commanded us to do no work on the Sabbath is also to make us realize this true message of faith.

 

Living the Life Where I Do Not Live, but the Lord Lives

Why do we do nothing on the Sabbath? It is because it is the day to prove that we live relying solely on God. Even if it seemed like I lived by my own power for six days, by laying down all labors and stopping on the Sabbath, I realize the fact, "I did not live, but because God was with me, I could come this far, and the Lord is completing my life." That is, resting and doing nothing on the Sabbath is, paradoxically, a confession of faith that "I cannot do anything by myself, and the Lord accomplishes all things." It does not mean that you do no activities, but the Sabbath is the way to confess that even all the work you do is actually done not by my power but by God. The Sabbath of the Old Testament was like that. But now the era of the New Testament has opened, and through Jesus, every day has become the Sabbath. Then, how should we live every day?

 

It is living confessing every day, "I live not by my power but by the power of the Lord." The confession of the Apostle Paul is exactly that: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." It does not mean that Paul sat still without any plans. He planned more fiercely than anyone and did his ministry with his life. But he did not consider all the work he did as his own and confessed, "By the grace of God I am what I am." It is because he was living the life of rest.

 

Those who have realized rest confess, "I do not live according to my will, but I live within the will of God, and my life is not in my hands but is held in the hands of God, so it becomes a life of rest." I read a piece in a science magazine a while ago that said there are two types of muscles in the human body. One is the muscle I can move as I please, called the "at-will muscle," and the other, like the intestines or the heart, which I cannot move at my will, is called the "proper-action muscle." When I thought about it, the life of a Christian is like this. It seems I will live as I please, but because it does not happen as I please, I live "properly"; that is the life of a person who believes in Jesus. Is it not that there are many things in faith life that do not happen as I please, and many times I have to endure things I want to do? The act of lowering my head and apologizing first as a person of faith, instead of just cursing and cutting ties as I would have in the past, that is living "properly."

 

Therefore, to show that we do not live by our own power, make every day of yours like the Sabbath. Prove to the Lord, "Today, I lived with all my strength, but Lord, this is a life lived not by my power but with the Lord. I wish not for my will but for God's will to be done. If there is anything I must discard for the Lord, I will discard it; if there is any pain I must endure, I will endure it. I will discipline my life a little more to be closer to the Lord's word." When you do so, the path of your life becomes the path of the Sabbath. However, because this path is not a path I go as I please, there are times when you have to walk a path of pain you do not want, and there will be many times you feel frustrated and difficult, crying out, "God, why must I undergo such things?"

 

Heavenly Joy That Cannot Be Taken Away

While the suffering itself may not disappear, I want to guarantee you one thing that the Bible clearly says. The Bible promises, "Those who are in Jesus, those who enjoy rest every day, even if all environments come as if to swallow them, nothing can take away your joy." No one can take away your rest. We are people who cannot help but live a life full of comfort, and we live a life full of joy and full of peace. It is because there is no one in the world who can take this away. This is the rest given to you. No one can take it away. The world can take away many things from you. It can take away your health, take away your material possessions, and make you taste the pain of failure in all the work you do. But this cannot be helped. This rest cannot be helped. This is your inheritance. Nothing can steal it. As the Lord said, it is like treasure in the Kingdom of Heaven, so neither thief nor moth can destroy or take it away.

Because of that very reason, we can praise the Lord even while breathless when the world comes to us as if suffocating. Even in the horrible pit where it looks like the world is trampling us, wondering "How can such a thing happen to me," we can still praise and pray. Because no one can touch this rest of mine, this life of mine, this eternal life that no one can take away. It is in the hands of God, and so the saint lives that rest. Brothers and sisters, when I preach, I sometimes say, "Let us do this." It is the same for this rest. Let us make this rest a rest. That saying does not mean "If you do this, it works."

 

In the saying that you should make the rest a rest, there is the meaning: since you are those who possess rest, since you are those who cannot help but live as those who have that rest, please realize that and follow. There may be those who say, "Does this make sense?" Please do not glare at me when you hear me say, "God leads you," wondering, "Let us see when God leads." Do not provoke by saying, "Why do you tell us to do this and that every day" when I say, "Brothers and sisters, you must live like this," but I want you to think like this truly. It is because your eyes have been opened. Then, it is natural to see. Your hands have been revived. Then, it is natural to move those hands. Your life has been revived.

 

Then, from that time on, you will rather breathe out rest in the midst of all the tests and temptations of the world. You will say that which is unavoidable in the world. Brothers and sisters, this joy, this rest, is what the Lord promised. What the Lord promised is not something else, but exactly this. It is within you right now. Please pull it out. And please live it out. Please, I ask you to live without missing that rest within you, that wonderful glory the Lord gave you, that wonderful love, grace, and blessing coming out from you right now. When meeting people, do not miss the rest of the Holy Spirit the Lord speaks of within you. When the world tempts you, win in all environments with that wonderful truth that no one can take you away. This joy is within you. It is the day your sins were forgiven. It is the day you were saved.

 

It is the day the peace God enjoys is enjoyed as your own. How can this world handle you? How can this world understand that peace? How can this world take it away? Who can block the hand of a saint who is so stung, bloody, with everything gone, even clothes torn, covered in wounds, with only one finger left, finally using that one finger to hold the hand of the Lord? That is the rest you are enjoying, the rest you cannot be taken away with Jesus accompanying you. Do not kill Jesus again by comparing how well you are doing, glaring, wondering, "Let us see how well you believe in Jesus," and calculating how well I am doing, but please enjoy this rest the Lord gave you with praise and joy. Please surprise the people of the world by looking at you. Please let us hear the words, "How is it that every time everything in the world hits that person, it has to break, what on earth is in that person?"

 

Let us pray.

Loving Lord, we are people living holding that wonderful glory. As Paul and Peter testified, all that reverence and power has been given within us. Lord, because we do not realize it too much, the Apostle Paul prayed so earnestly, "Let them know what is the hope of His calling, let them realize what is the full power given to them." Lord, we pray together. Lord, please forgive our lack of wisdom, and since You said You would give liberally to those who ask for wisdom and would not reproach, please let the beloved saints of the Lord know how enormous the rest they possess is. Let them know how wonderful this rest is that Jesus Christ permitted us by bearing the cross and shedding blood. Lord, please do not let us miss this joy we must enjoy. Let us realize. Please let the Holy Spirit within us make our hearts peaceful through those things, and let us experience the wonderful miracles that make us have room and joy even in difficult, hard, and frustrating things, Lord.

 

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.