Every Bit Whole

"Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one miracle, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; and you on the Sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the Sabbath day receive circumcisions, so that the law of Moses should not be broken; are you angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." John 7:23-24.

Every whit whole. In today's English, totally whole, healed. That just takes my breath away. Jesus had a thing about performing miracles on the Sabbath day. This is the holiest day, a day of resting from our own works, ordained by God under the Old Covenant law. Jesus often healed on this very day. Everything Jesus did had a purpose, so it is not a coincidence that he chose this day to demonstrate his healing power. He was saying something important.

The Sabbath day was a day of rest in which the Israelites could not work. No pushing carts, picking berries, or taking out the trash. Perspiration was off limits. The only thing that you can do on the Sabbath is…nothing. Rest. The Sabbath day pointed to the rest that Jesus would bring to mankind. We do not work for his blessings and favor. We rest and receive. We drink the living water, eat the bread of life. We freely partake of Him. The Pharisees missed this truth. To simply rest and receive is a lowly, humble position.

So Jesus scolds the Pharisees for their error. He highlights the irony that they allow circumcision on the Sabbath but then turn right around and condemn him for healing a man. In this argument Jesus boldly proclaims that God’s Sabbath day is not a mere religious observance, but a day of healing for mankind. The Pharisees misunderstood and accused Jesus of being a law breaker. The reality is that Jesus was fulfilling the law, not breaking it! In stretching forth his hand to heal an afflicted soul, he was giving his Sabbath rest. His work on the cross is our Sabbath rest. Man’s religion always blinds us to truth.

Paul speaks of a rest that still remains for the people of God, but says that some may fail to enter it because of unbelief (Hebrews 4). This is not a statement of condemnation, but admonishment. He encourages us to learn from the Israelites example. They failed to enter the Promised Land that God had given them because "they did not mix the word with faith." This word mix is the same word used to describe mixing saliva with food to digest it. Faith must mix with the word like saliva mixes with food in order to break it down and use it. Faith comes through the word and his indwelling Spirit. God does not want us to miss a thing!

Over and over Jesus demonstrated his power and glory by healing on the Sabbath day. He wants to make us totally whole. He is so beautiful! Thank you Lord. Thank you for sending Jesus. Thank you for giving us your rest! You love us more than we can comprehend or even imagine.

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