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Commentaries
English
John
  
10So the Jews said to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet."11But he answered them, "The man who healed me said to me, "Take up your pallet and walk."12They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your pallet and walk?’?"13Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.


Those present in the porches of Bethesda were delighted, except the fanatical legalists. These bigots were madly envious, especially as the healing took place on the Sabbath. Not only had Jesus healed the invalid, but also ordered him to carry his bed through the lanes of the city. This they felt was a sin against God and the Sabbath ordinance, when all work had to cease on the day of rest. Any transgressor of this law was liable to death (Numbers 15:32–36). The Jews reckoned that the Messiah would not come, unless the whole nation observed the Sabbath meticulously.
These Jews would not have stoned the man bearing his bed on the spot, for a warning had to be given before sentence was passed. The protest was meant as a threat. The healed man defended himself by mentioning Jesus’ order. Carrying the bed was a condition for the complete cure.
The legalists were furious and felt no pleasure in the healing act. Nor did they discern the authority of love that Jesus showed in the cure. They began to discuss with envy and hatred the person of the healer. He had dared to command the invalid to carry his bed on the Sabbath. So Jesus, in their opinion, was a transgressor worthy of death.
The healed man did not know the healer, since Jesus was a stranger. This was his first visit to Bethesda. After healing he seemed to vanish. Jesus did not want faith in himself to be based on miracles, but on his loving person.