KEY SCRIPTURE; John 5:15 KJV “The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.”

After the first (the impotent man who laid by the poolside for thirty-eight years) encounter with the master, that resulted in his healing, he was met by the Jewish religious leaders, who enquired about why he was carrying his mat on the sabbath day. He told them, the man who healed me asked me to carry it. After some time, he met the Lord Jesus in the synagogue who instructed him, not to go and live in sin any longer. It was here, that he knew that the Lord Jesus, was the one who healed him. When he met the Jewish leaders again, he now told them it was Jesus who asked him to carry his mat. The Jewish religious leaders, as a result of this decided to persecute Jesus, and even wanted to kill him.

When the Lord knew it, he never got mad with the formally impotent man. He rather addressed the Pharisees this way, my father is working and so I also work. This man’s statement to the Jewish leaders, actually called for the fury of these religious leaders. The Lord was not in any way moved by the supposed mistake of the man. Why was he not offended about the action of this man? I believe he did not just consider the outcome of the man’s action, but realised that, he acted out of a very sincere mind, not knowing that these Jewish religious leaders would act that way. He (the Lord) also acknowledged that the real evil doers were the religious leaders.

Many people get very offended with certain individuals because the outcome of their actions was very severe or may be injurious. Please, do not use an outcome of one’s actions to judge him. Consider dispassionately the merits and the demerits of the people involved, as well as their actions or inactions to know why one did what he did. The Lord carried the issue from the human plane to His relationship with His father. We as children of God should not allow our actions to be a response to what men may be doing or saying. His statement meant, I am not going to stop what my father has asked me to do, He is working, and has given me an assignment to do, and so I am going on with it.

There are some choristers who stop singing because certain people started commenting negatively about them. Who called you? Who are you singing for? Some even stop going to church because a job given to them was given to another person. Stop reacting to the actions and inactions of people. Settle it once and for all that it is God who saved you, and called you, and so you must be ultimately accountable to him.

THOUGHT: YOU ARE WISE IF YOU MAINTAIN YOUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS, BUT A FOOL IF YOU DERAIL TO REACT TO WHAT SATAN IS SAYING OR DOING THROUGH MEN

FURTHER STUDIES

John 5:17 KJV “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”

John 9:4 KJV” I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”