在这段经文中，耶稣因在安息日治病而陷入麻烦。宗教领袖们认为这是在安息日“作工”，而律法要求人们在安息日要歇了一切的工。安息日本是神赐给他们很好的礼物。但不幸的是，这种感觉，在一大堆因被视为“工作”而遭禁止的活动的情况下，消失殆尽。比如，这个故事中那个被医治的人仅仅因为拿着他的褥子就惹上了麻烦。
耶稣在安息日治病，宗教领袖们很生气，因为规则对他们来说比爱邻舍更重要。但耶稣在这里提醒我们，对神来说，怜悯比僵化的律法更重要。耶稣有医治病人的机会，他抓住了这个机会来服事，因为天父总是在建造祂的国度，无论今天是星期几。
这促使我们思考今天我们遵循的任何“规则”，是否限制了我们服事神的能力。有没有什么地方是我们不愿意去的，有没有什么人是我们不愿意帮助的，或者有哪些时间是我们不愿付出的？如果是这样，我们是不是阻碍了彰显神的爱和关怀的途径呢？
父啊，求你赐我们恩典，叫我们知道你良善的命令和那些会阻碍你旨意成就的、我们人的规条之间的分别。阿们。
约翰福音 5:1-18
1这事以后，到了犹太人的一个节期，耶稣就上耶路撒冷去。
2在耶路撒冷，靠近羊门有一个池子，希伯来话叫做毕士大，旁边有五个廊子，
3里面躺着瞎眼的、瘸腿的、血气枯干的许多病人。
5在那里有一个人，病了三十八年。
6耶稣看见他躺着，知道他病了许久，就问他说：“你要痊愈吗？”
7病人回答说：“先生，水动的时候，没有人把我放在池子里，我正去的时候，就有别人比我先下去。”
8耶稣对他说：“起来，拿你的褥子走吧！”
9那人立刻痊愈，就拿起褥子来走了。
10那天是安息日，所以犹太人对那医好的人说：“今天是安息日，你拿褥子是不可的！”
11他却回答说：“那使我痊愈的对我说‘拿你的褥子走吧’。”
12他们问他说：“对你说‘拿褥子走’的是什么人？”
13那医好的人不知道是谁，因为那里的人多，耶稣已经躲开了。
14后来耶稣在殿里遇见他，对他说：“你已经痊愈了，不要再犯罪，恐怕你遭遇的更加厉害。”
15那人就去告诉犹太人，使他痊愈的是耶稣。
16所以犹太人逼迫耶稣，因为他在安息日做了这事。
17耶稣就对他们说：“我父做事直到如今，我也做事。”
18所以犹太人越发想要杀他，因他不但犯了安息日，并且称神为他的父，将自己和神当做平等。
"In his defense Jesus said to them, 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.'" - John 5:17
In this episode Jesus finds himself in trouble with the religious authorities for healing on the Sabbath. They saw it as “working” on the Sabbath, the day on which people were commanded to rest from all kinds of work. The Sabbath was meant to be a good gift to God's people. But unfortunately that sense was lost under a mountain of rules against activities that counted as “work.” For example, the man who is healed in this story gets in trouble just for carrying his mat.
When Jesus heals on the Sabbath, the religious leaders get angry because their rules have become more important to them than love for their neighbor. But here Jesus reminds us that mercy is more important to God than rigid legalism. Jesus has an opportunity to heal, and he takes it because the Father is always working to build his kingdom, regardless of what day of the week it is.
This challenges us today to consider any “rules” we follow that may limit our ability to serve God. Are there places we are unwilling to go, people we are unwilling to help, or times when we make ourselves unavailable to others? If so, are we putting something in the way of showing God's love and care?
Father, give us the grace to know the difference between your good commands and our human rules that can get in the way of your will being done. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
