Jesus is accused of breaking the Sabbath

Jesus and His friends were in Galilee, where Jesus performed a miracle in Cana. Afterward, they traveled to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews.

As Jesus and His friends neared the walls of Jerusalem, they noticed there were many ill, blind, lame and crippled people at the Pool of Bethesda near the city’s Sheep Gate. It was said that people who entered the pool when its waters were stirred up would be cured of their afflictions.

Jesus looked at all of the people near the pool and honed in on one particular man. Even though He had never met the man, Jesus knew that the man had been sick for a long time.

Jesus approached the man.

“Do you want to be well?” Jesus asked.

“Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me,” the man replied.

Jesus told the man to get onto his feet, pick up the mat he was laying on and walk.

As soon as Jesus finished speaking, the man suddenly regained his health. He rose to his feet, picked up his mat and began walking.

Since it was the Sabbath, a day of rest on which the Jews were not allowed to do any work, the people who saw the man walking and carrying his mat told him he was breaking the Sabbath rules.

“It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat,” they said.

“The Man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk,’” said the man, who did not know Jesus’ name.

The people looked around for Jesus, but He had slipped away when the crowd began to gather around the man.

Later, Jesus saw the man at the Temple area.

“Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you,” Jesus told him.

The man then told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had made him well. The Jews scolded Jesus for curing the man on the Sabbath.

“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work,” Jesus told them.

The Jews hated Jesus even more for His reply and wanted to kill Him.

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John 5

1. Where did the ill people gather?

2. Who thought Jesus broke the Sabbath rules?