“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, ‘It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.'” John 5:8-10 (NIV)
What brings you personal comfort? What do you long for each day? Maybe you desire to be rid of relational tension. Maybe your idea of comfort is being nestled behind a good book. Perhaps you long for the mornings when you are winding up or you long for the evenings when you are winding down. The environment that brings you comfort may be that of peace and quiet or laughter and passionate verbal interaction.
The invalid of 38 years received the comfort of instant healing when Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” And “at once” that man was healed. There was no delay. After 38 years, the lame man’s healing came instantly.
The comfort of his instant healing was strained by the poison of legalism. The Jews were unable to celebrate the miracle of this man’s healing because they were so transfixed on the fact that Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath. Their legalism kept them from recognizing the Lord.
Legalism bypasses relationship. God has not saved you from your sin and sealed you by His Holy Spirit so that you will live in the bondage of legalism. In Christ, God has saved you so that you can walk in the freedom of your new identity in Christ.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor