John 5: Boxing God

Are we prepared to let God be God?

One of the problems with religion in Jesus' day is that it squeezed the life out of people.  Spiritual judging, fault-finding, hypocrisy, score-keeping, self-righteousness...all of these were in full swing.

His critics either don't notice or don't care that Jesus has just miraculously healed a man and released him from a 38-year long infirmity.  All they see is someone breaking the Sabbath rules by carrying a mat.  "Aha!  Caught a lawbreaker!"  The man - definitely not one of the most gracious souls you will meet - wastes no time in pointing the finger of blame at his healer.  (What a nice way to say thanks.)

Jesus may have been humble of heart, but He also never backed down from a fight.  When the religious authorities get on His case about working on the Sabbath, Jesus ups the ante: "My Father is always at work to this very day, and I, too, am working."  Now they are upset not only because Jesus is working (like God) on the Sabbath, but also because He refers to God as His own Father.

The Jews back then understood the profound implications of what Jesus was saying better than we do today.  We have had 2000 years to get accustomed to portrayals of Jesus as the Son of God.  In fact, Christians are taught to view everyone as "children of God" and to look to God as our "heavenly Father" through Christ.  Not so in Jesus' day!  The Jews perceived that talk like this was revolutionary.  Jesus was making Himself out to be someone in special relationship to God, staking a claim for divinity Himself.  It's only chapter 5, and His enemies are already seeking to kill Him (vs. 18).  In their minds, Jesus is out of control, crossing boundaries, and challenging the establishment.  He is out of "the box."

How about us?  Do we allow that God may be much bigger than the box that we put Him in?  Do we understand that God made the rules and that He has the freedom to defy our expectations?  Our religion shouldn't be hard and calcified, but life-giving and full of love! 

Let God out of the box!