John 5 – 6
Verse 5:10 starts on the problem between the Law and logic:
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.”
This is where the “intention” and the legalism goes crazy. I mean think about it, he is just moving his bed that he had been “resting” on for 38 years finally walks because of Jesus and the legalistic Jews found a problem with that. The intention of the “Sabbath” is to work 6 days and rest 1, if you have not been working for 38 years work the “legal” Sabbath does not technically apply.
We are seeing this same absurdity today in the schools. Granted we are coming off a horrific mass shooting before Christmas in Connecticut of elementary school students, but a few days after the incident a 6 year old was suspended for making a gun gesture with his hand. This is a bit over the top especially when you consider the video games he may play or the cartoons/shows/movies he is allowed to watch at that age.
This is an example of an over the top interpretation of a law or rule. On the surface the punishment may seem to be an overreaction to harmless play, but I would hope this is more reflective of disciplinary problems with the child. I would assume the child and parents were notified before a seemingly minor incident caused a suspension. But like the cripple who walked after 38 years, this may be an overreaction.
Verse 6:35 focuses on our salvation:
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
On the surface this sounds like if you accept Jesus you will never go hungry. In today’s financial turmoil we have many Christians who are going hungry all around us. Now one could say they are not really going hungry since I have not heard of any starvation deaths of Christians. This obviously is an illustration not of our physical needs, but rather our spiritual ones.
In verse 32 Jesus talks about being the true bread from heaven, comparing himself to the manna. Accepting Jesus is talking about one’s eternal life more so than the temporal one we live today. His “food” will ensure our eternal salvation, whereas the manna just ensured our survival here on earth.
Verse 6:40 cuts to the chase about our belief in Jesus:
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day .”
Simple equation to salvation! We often get wrapped up in the dirty details of being a Christian that we try to tie works into the promise of salvation. We just need to accept the gift and move forward, nothing more. Many argue that you need to “show” the “works” of the spirit to prove the salvation is true. Our some may argue that as a Christian you will obey the “Law” and its details like eating and tithing, otherwise they question your salvation.
Often I argue K.I.S.S. or Keep It Simple Stupid with the message of salvation, but if you have been following my writings for any amount of time you will notice the exact opposite in my writings. I get off on some tangents and often beliefs that have no scriptural basis. At the same time, I eventually will find my way back to the true intentions of God.
Verse 6:63 gets into an interesting subject of us as humans:
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
First I notice that “spirit” is used twice in this verse and once it is capitalized. So there is a dual meaning here over and above the basic definition which I think is key to our understanding of God. The “Spirit”, or “Ruach Hakodesh” in Hebrew, is God or the Holy Spirit. That “image” of God actually is what drives this meat suit we live in. So without it, we are just a lump of meat that does nothing.
If you look to the Hebrew “flesh” is translated from “basar” which often gets interpreted as “human nature” but the actual translation is “flesh, meat, body” or the physical stuff. “Human nature” is actually more the physical needs of the body driving the “spirit”.
Now the words Jesus “have spoken” give our spirit a better connection with the true Spirit of God. See this is the fine line between our spirit which drive our bodies and the ultimate Spirit of God. Often this “connection” gets blurred into humanistic terms like “energy” and the “universe”, similar to The Secret. Through this they acknowledge some kind of “energy” that many call “God”, but they do not make the actual connection. I believe if you dismiss God from this “spirit” connection you lose the connection in the afterlife. Granted riches on earth would be nice, the ideal of existing in eternity without that connection is not appealing.