Trust in the Son, not in Tradition

John 5:1-18

Sermon Concept: Trust in Jesus who is greater than tradition

Why? Because He is God (Son of God, equal with God), Lord over the Sabbath (HOW, WHY)
1. Healing on Sabbath (vv. 1-9)
2. A confrontation about Sabbath (vv. 10-13)
3. The One Greater than Sabbath (vv. 14-18)

I. Introduction:
A. Connected with experience:
People usually get heart broken every February (and we know why). But as a Filipino, does January break your heart? As a
Filipino Christian, does January break your heart? It should! Because every January we display to the world one of the biggest
idolatrous feasts with over a million people participating—the Feast of the Black Nazarene. (Share my experience and discussion
with a person who believes in this (at first he responded but in the end he muttered tradisyon ko na ito… panata ko na ito…
nakasanayan ko na ito). It’s heart breaking because he was willing to trust in tradition (statue), na maniwala sa kung ano’ng
nakasanayan na, instead of the real Jesus as revealed in Scripture.
Picture: Feast of the Black Nazarene

B. Leading to the Passage

This is not unique to Filipinos. In our fallen condition, we are attracted to a list of dos and don’ts, laws, rituals, superstitions and
traditions because of our inflated view of our own capacity or works (masyadong mataas ang tingin natin sa ating sarili). As well
as a deflated view of Christ’s work on the cross (tingin natin hindi sapat ang ginawa ni Hesus). Unchecked, this leads to legalism,
an overemphasis on obedience to man-made rules (heavy yoke). But at the end of the day, Scripture is clear that relying on these
things—human effort—cannot give salvation.

C. Transition and Main Point

-Our passage today picks on this theme of reliance on tradition (the Sabbath tradition in particular) and it challenges it by
proclaiming that someone is greater than tradition.
-And compared to the other narratives, Jesus’ encounter with a paralyzed man is not the main point but simply a stepping stone,
an illustration, to make a POINT—Jesus is greater than tradition, so our trust must rest in Him. (Jesus is greater than Sabbath,
Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath even. So, trust in the Son, not in Tradition).
-And if there is one thing we have to remember about narratives, it’s that they don’t usually divide into neat points (as in
epistles), but move from one scene to the next, leading up to a main POINT. And that’s what we’ll do today, follow the story in
John 5:1-18 as it flows.
But as guide posts, we will focus on three questions on Jesus supremacy over tradition:
1. How did Jesus show that He’s greater than tradition?
2. Why is Jesus greater than tradition?
3. What does this mean for us?

II. Body
A. The Healing on Sabbath (vv. 1-9)

1. Setting ( v. 1) “After this…feast of the Jews… Jerusalem”

-Jesus was at Capernaum in Galilee (Healed an official’s son: 2 nd sign; Water to Wine 1st sign; makes this healing a 3rd sign) to
Jerusalem (seat of Jewish faith) for a feast
-unknown feast: ex. named- Passover (6:4), Tabernacles (7:2), Dedication (10:22)
 v. 2-3 “…by the Sheep Gate a pool… called Bethesda… in these lay a multitude of invalids”
-a small opening at the temple’s northern wall
-“house of mercy, house of grace, house of outpouring”; north of the temple, pool with 5 roofed colonnades
-disabled people flocked the area (superstition: an angel stirred the pool first to enter will be healed *v. 4
Picture: PGH, public hospital (many sick people in the ward, some lying on foams along the floor)
Transition: out of the many invalids in the area, we are told that…

2. The miraculous healing (vv. 5-9)

v. 5 “One man…who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.”  generally disabled, “lame,” “paralyzed”
v. 6 “When Jesus saw him lying… he knew… “Do you want to be healed?”
-Jesus’ omniscience; no specific reason for Jesus’ choice (mercy? compassion? clear: He will make a point through the healing)
v. 7 “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool…”  He did not know Jesus. The man believed the superstition—His answer
showed that he’s waiting for Jesus to offer to carry him into the pool! (desperation? Conformity?) Despite the man’s answer…
v. 8 Jesus said, “Get up, take up your bed and walk.”  man was trusting in a tradition/ superstition, Jesus was offering His
miracle for his healing (by his words, command)
v. 9 “And at once the man was healed…and he took up his bed and walked.” The Son healed the man, not tradition!
-notice what’s missing in this healing/sign: the man’s response of faith (Cana believed; Galilee believed)
-not once do we read the word faith or believe in this passage—gives us a clue later on the man’s true condition

3. The tipping point (v. 9b)  “Now that day was a Sabbath”
-a day of rest from one’s employment for physical and spiritual refilling (Ex. 20:8-11)
-rabbis developed man-made laws that made Sabbath burdensome, forbidding certain activities that were not expressly
mentioned in OT Scripture (Oral tradition, Mishnah)focused on law obedience rather than rest

-(Jesus knew this) Jesus deliberately healed on a Sabbath to make a statement: the warped Sabbath tradition with its man-made
stipulations (is not binding-not God’s Word, not God’s intention).
-in a grander scheme, He went on to work (to heal) on a day tradition forbids Him to because He wants to show that He is greater
than this man-made rule
-1st GUIDEPOST: HOW did Jesus show that He’s greater than tradition?
-His words, not a superstition/tradition can heal
-He healed on a Sabbath (disregarding the prohibition of an unbiblical tradition)
-His statement: “I do not bow down to man-made traditions, because I am greater than these”

-Clarification: not a story about healing or an encounter per se; the miraculous signmeant to drive a point, challenge 
people’s reliance on tradition especially of the Jewish leaders hope that they will let go of it and cling instead to Jesus

B. A confrontation about Sabbath (vv. 10-13)

Transition: The second scene is a confrontation between the healed man and the Jewish leaders. We do not see Jesus in the
picture as He withdrew Himself among the crowd (v.13)
(v. 10)“Jews”  Gk. Refers to Jewish religious leaders and their followers (against Jesus)
“It is the Sabbath…it is not lawful…”infront of them was a miracle, but they were concerned with their tradition!
-no marvel or amazement at the healing, interested only in legalism and trivial laws
-God gave them this sign to recognize their Savior, but they were content with their petty rules
PICTURE: C.S. Lewis was right when he said, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when
infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is
meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
-we are pleased by tradition (Jews), entertainment, relationships, honor and distinction forget all about the Son
(v. 11) “The man who healed me…said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk…”instead of focusing on his healing, he feared the
religious leaders and tried to justify himself by putting the blame on His healer
-compare his reaction to the man born blind who was also healed on a Sabbath in John 9
-He chose to defend Jesus even if it meant being excommunicated by the religious leaders
 - look at his statements: v. 17, 24-25, 29-34
-we’re slowly getting a clearer picture of the man’s condition: 1 st there was no response of faith; 2nd unwilling to defend his
healer
(v.12) “Who is the man…?” (indignant)they must reprimand this man who promotes law breaking; a) never mind his miracles,
b) never mind if he fulfilled Messianic prophecies (Mat. 11:5, Is. 35:3); the tradition is all-important
(v. 13) “the man…did not know who it was…”Jesus withdrew Himself among the crowd

PICTURE- We need not look far, many Filipinos trust in traditions instead of God’s Son as revealed in Scripture. (ex. The black
Nazarene, wearing of talisman, babies with red cloth protection against evil spirits)
PROBLEM: Are all traditions wrong? As evangelicals, we still follow certain traditions (Christmas, Holy Week, creeds). As Filipinos
we celebrate birthdays, Chinese New Year, fiestas. Not all traditions are wrong. But those that expressly go against clear
teachings of the Bible are (Nazarene vs idolatry; Chinese New Year vs sovereignty; fiestas vs Biblical saints).
-Someone may insist that tradition and Scripture are at par, after all these are passed on to us by our forefathers. We stand our
ground and say No. Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura)final arbiter of faith and conduct (2Tim 3:16). Tradition is okay if it
reflects rather than contradicts Scripture. Tradition is subservient to Scripture—the Jesus revealed in Scripture is Supreme
over all man-made rules and regulations.
RESTATE: Jews believed that tradition (Sabbath) is supreme… but Jesus showed that He is greater, 1) How? When he nullified it
through His healing. Now, the Jews are about to discover our 2 nd guide post 2) WHY is Jesus greater than tradition?

C. The one greater than Sabbath (vv. 14-18)

-the answer comes in the last scene:
(v. 14) “…Jesus found him in the temple…Sin no more…” after being questioned by the Jews, the man met Jesus in the temple
area; Jesus’ words about sin may infer that the man’s sickness was a consequence of sin (David’s adultery death of son; 1 Cor
11:30; but not always the case)
-what is interesting, though, is that Jesus’ first words to this man were about sin, and an admonition not to sin anymore; there
was no commendation of faith whatsoever
(v. 15) “...told the Jews that it was Jesus who healed him”knowing that the Jews reacted negatively to the breaking of the
Sabbath law, he still went and reported Jesus to them! (To justify himself further? There was really a man who commanded
him…He is Jesus.)
-1st there was no response of faith; 2nd unwilling to defend his healer; 3rd He reported Him to the Jewish leaders! The effect?
(v. 16) “And that is why the Jews were persecuting Jesus…” we witness start of open and continuous (verb indicates this)
hostility towards Jesus Sabbath/tradition breaker  death on the cross
(v. 17) “My Father is working…I am working.”  DEFENSE: a) Jesus is the Son of God (deity) b) The Father never rests in His
sustenance of the universe (He does not get tired; Is 40:28), same is true of Jesus as His Son (applies God’s attribute to Himself)
— I am Lord of the Sabbath (Lk 6:5) because I am God, I am Divine!
PROBLEM: If anyone says Jesus is not God or never claimed to be, point him or her to this passage!
(v. 18) “The Jews were seeking all the more to kill him…” they rejected Jesus (a. Lord of the Sabbath and b. Divine); they did
not believe His Words; they preferred their tradition murder Him in the name of their rules/regulation

2nd GUIDEPOST: WHY is Jesus greater than tradition? Because He is the Son of God (God/Divine) and as the Father (being God)
continuously works to sustain the universe, so does the Son—Fully Man but also fully Divine!

III. Conclusion
RESTATE: We have seen that Jesus is greater than tradition:
a) How did He show this? He, not tradition healed. By healing even on a Sabbath tradition (He’s not bound by man-made laws)
b) Why is He greater than tradition? Because He is God’s Son (Divine); Lord of the Sabbath
c) What does this mean for us? We have to rely on Him rather than on traditions, rituals, rules or laws first, for our salvation, even
for our sanctification, even for our glorification. Trust in the Son, not in tradition!
Applications:
1. OTHERS: What will you do when you have friends or relatives who practice certain traditions that go against Scripture?
-Condemn them? Be adversarial? Consider them Heretics?
-Suggestion: look at these as springboards for Gospel presentation Why do you follow this tradition? What benefit do you
get from it? How do you reconcile it with Scripture?
-Just be genuinely interested, helping them question their own beliefs.
-and when the opportunity comes, present Christ who is your living hope!
2. CHURCH: As a church, have we scrutinized our practices in light of the Scripture? (Evangelism trust is on a tool?
Discipleship trust is on a program or a method? Calendar of activitiesSacred, unbendable)
-We are the Body of Christ, and it is but proper to rely on Him wholly as we fulfill His ministries
-His measure of success is not only statistics motives, faithfulness, hearts
-We pray that there will be more people (caution: that we should not be consumed by numbers, but that our attitude should
be even if God will not add to our numbers, as long as He desires to use us still, we will be here, we will remain faithful)
3. SELF: How about your personal traditions? Sometimes we don’t notice it but they can come in statements and beliefs like:
-Ganito na talaga ako, ganito na ang attitude ko so I just live with it!
-Ay siya? Ayaw niya talaga ang spiritual discussions. So I don’t bother starting one.
-These statements reveal that our trust is on the status quo, how we perceive things.
-Have we forgotten that the God who changed you and me is the same God who changed the murderer and persecutor by the
name of Apostle Paul? If He can turn a murderer into a missionary; He can transform you also!
-Or have we forgotten that we are no different from the people we think are uninterested in the Gospel? Before the Spirit’s
work, we didn’t care at all about God! If He is able to do the miracle in us, He can, even in those we consider “lost causes.”

-Friends, where do we place our trust? If in anything other than Jesus (tradition, people, work, ministry, finances) it’s dangerous.
-Remember repentance? It’s actually a call to turn away from anything claiming lordship over our lives and to surrender to Jesus,
believing that He alone can forgive, cleanse and reconcile you to God by His death and resurrection (not traditions, not good
works, not institutions)
-Trust in the Son, not in tradition (whatever form it takes).

Prepared by: Frederick Paulo Tomacder

June 17, 2018