John 5:1–29 – Jesus heals a man who had been infirm for thirty-eight years, the same number of years that Israel had wandered the wilderness after provoking God (see Deuteronomy 2:14). The healing is done on the Sabbath day, revealing Jesus as the true Lord of the Sabbath, who brings genuine rest, life, and liberty. Freed from his disability, the man receives true Sabbath rest, and immediately goes to the Temple. In contrast, the religious leaders turn God’s gift of Sabbath into a burden, and set about trying to kill the one who brings that true Sabbath rest. By healing on the Sabbath, and then tying it into the resurrection, Jesus shows that he is the one who gives the ultimate Sabbath rest of eternal life.
