Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (Mark 5:37).

Read the entire Daily Lectionary reading (Mark 5:21-43) here.

Modern preachers of the prosperity gospel have ruined the preaching of this passage. In the second half of Mark 5, Mark recounts the stories of two people who receive miraculous healing from Jesus. The one, the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus meets while going to the aid of the other, Jairus’ daughter. After agreeing to go to Jairus’ house and heal his daughter who is near death, a woman with a serious medical condition reaches out from in the midst of the crowd and touches Jesus’ clothes: For she said, if I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.[1] This turns out to be true; Jesus ends up telling her, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”[2] Jesus then goes on to raise the now deceased daughter of Jairus to life again.

The problem with this passage isn’t in it’s recounting of events, but in how it has been twisted by prosperity gospel heretics for years and years. These types of preachers point to what Jesus tells the woman, “…thy faith hath made thee whole.” They tell their eager and oftentimes desperate hearers that, if they just have faith as this woman did, God will grant them the healing, the financial security, or well, whatever they ask for. This woman’s faith healed her, after all; your faith can heal you as well. She demonstrated her faith by reaching out to touch Jesus’ clothes. You can demonstrate yours by writing a check for the largest seed offering you can to Kenneth Copeland, or one of the other health and wealth heretics. If you don’t receive your blessing, you must not have had enough faith.

Such an understanding of these events, however, gives us a wrong impression of what Jesus came to earth to do, and what the purpose of His miracles was. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus goes about preaching that the kingdom of heaven has arrived: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.[3] He tells the people in the synagogue at Nazareth that He is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messiah;[4] and, to validate His proclamation, He does those things only the Messiah should be doing. He heals the blind and deaf; He raises the dead; He forgives sins.

We see a similar incident when Jesus heals the paralytic: When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.[5]

The woman wanted something more from Jesus than only physical healing, something that the paralytic also received from Jesus. The Greek word which the KJV translates “make whole” is sozo. Sozo means save, heal, preserve, or rescue, and is certainly used to indicate physical healing.[6] It is used also, however, to indicate spiritual healing and deliverance. This is the word used in Matthew when the angel tells Joseph in a dream that Mary is pregnant by the Holy Ghost, and will bear a son who will save His people.[7] When Jesus sends out the Twelve to preach and heal, He describes to them what it means to be sent out as sheep in the midst of wolves. He tells them of the tribulations they would endure for His name. Sozo is the word Jesus uses to indicate how, after enduring worldly tribulation at the hands of those who don’t believe, they will be saved – to be made partakers of the salvation of Christ: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.[8] The miracles Jesus, and the Apostles performed were to show that, in Christ were both physical and spiritual healing. Those things will be ours fully and completely upon Jesus’ return to judge the quick and the dead.

Jesus didn’t come to make our lives on earth better. In fact, being a Christian will oftentimes make our lives more difficult. Jesus told his disciples, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”[9] He came to earth as the lord of life and death. His healing miracles demonstrate this; they are not a guarantee that, if we have the right attitude, or demonstrate just the proper act of our will, God will give us whatever we want. God is not a vending machine; He certainly cannot be manipulated. Jesus’ healing of the woman, and His raising of Jairus’ daughter, shows us that He is God incarnate; He does indeed hold the power of life and death. He is the one who heals all our diseases. But He doesn’t heal us as we might expect: Jesus saith unto her [Martha] I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?[10]

Jesus doesn’t promise us healing of all our physical illnesses and hardships in this life. He promises us that, by His stripes, His death on the cross, we are healed. For even the Son of Man came to earth not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.[11] He promises us an eternal healing, and that is so much better than just getting rid of the physical problems we face in this world. He promises us healing from sin; sin is a far deadlier disease than the issue of blood the woman in the gospel faced, or the diabetes, heart disease, or cancer we may be facing. It is even more serious than the death which Jairus’ daughter suffered. Sin, in fact, is it’s cause; scripture tells us that the wages of sin is death.[12] In our baptism, Jesus washes our sins away, by water and the Word. He connects us to Himself and to His resurrection. He gives us His body and blood to eat and to drink, to nourish our faith, and forgive our sins, and as a pledge that the redemption He promises to fully realize in us on the Last Day, belongs to us fully, right now.

If Jesus should delay His coming, we too, like generations before us, will experience physical death. But, because of the resurrection of Jesus, we understand that our physical death will be nothing for us to fear; it will be for us a fearful as going to bed. When we go to sleep at night, we know that it isn’t permanent; we will awake in the morning. We know that, because of Jesus’ resurrection, death has been defeated for us as well. This is how our faith heals us. We can take great comfort in Jesus’ words about Jairus’ daughter: the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.[13]

Teach me to live that I may dread

The grave as little as my bed.

Teach me to die that so I may

Rise glorious at the awe-ful Day.[14]

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[1] Mark 5:28

[2] Mark 5:34

[3] Matthew 4:17

[4] Luke 4:16-37

[5] Mark 2:5-12

[6] "4982. Sozo." Strong's Concordance. Accessed February 20, 2019. https://biblehub.com/greek/4982.htm.

[7] Matthew 1:21

[8] Matthew 10:16-22

[9] John 16:33

[10] John 11:25-26

[11] Mark 10:45

[12] Romans 6:23

[13] Mark 5:39

[14] Ken, Thomas. "All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night." In The Lutheran Hymnal. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Stanza 3.

Your Best Life Now

Creflo Dollar: Word of Fatih Preacher

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

This is one of the favorite verses for prosperity gospel heretics to twist. Jesus, they say, wants us to have life abundantly. The more faith we have, the more God will bless us. He’s just waiting for us to give Him the go-ahead. Prosperity preachers, like Creflo Dollar, then try to convince people that Jesus’ plan was that everyone who believes in Him should have a happy and fulfilling life.[1] You see, God is a god of abundance. He wants us to enjoy life.[2] When we really believe in Jesus, and attune ourselves to Him, we get supernatural results.[3] That sounds fantastic! How can I get God to bless me like that? How do I have faith and attune myself to Him? Here is where the aptly named Dollar and his prosperity gospel preaching heretic friends step in. They can help you step out in faith. All you have to do is get your mind right by not allowing the wrong thoughts to enter into our minds, and dwelling on those thoughts, which causes us to think wrong.[4] We also have to sow a seed offering into one of their anointed ministries. Your blessings will be on their way, in size and speed directly proportional to the size of the seed (read: monetary offering) that is sown. If you don’t, by some chance, receive your miracle cure for that case of terminal cancer, your job promotion, or the monetary blessing, it’s your fault. You simply didn’t have enough faith. Maybe you need to be bolder, and sow another, bigger seed that really shows God you’re serious. The health and wealth preachers will be happy to accept your seed. After all, private jets are expensive to maintain.

This, of course is dangerous and heretical false teaching. Christ is not saying here that He wants us, to borrow a phrase, to have our best life now. Jesus explains that in the world, rather than peace and happiness, we will have trouble.[5] The reason we can be happy and take heart is because Christ has overcome the world by His death and resurrection. Our sins are forgiven. He is ultimately concerned with mankind’s eternal well-being, not how comfortable our lives are here on earth. He has not promised us physical healing, no matter how badly the prosperity preachers mangle Isaiah 53:5: But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and By His stripes we are healed.

Far from having happy lives, free from disease and filled with monetary blessing, Jesus promises His disciples that they will be betrayed by their unbelieving family members. They will be delivered up to be killed. They will be hated by everyone on account of His name.[6] Jesus calls His disciples to confess Him before men. He warns not to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth, but rather treasures in heaven, because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.[7] No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.[8] The word mammon means material wealth. Rather than using God as a magic genie to seek after material wealth, possessions, and long life, we are called to seek first the kingdom of God. Jesus teaches us to pray, not for an abundance of wealth, but for daily bread. We are commanded not to covet and steal our neighbor’s possessions, but to help and be of service to our neighbor in keeping his money and possessions.

Knowing that we are of more value than the birds of the air, who neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet are fed by our Heavenly Father, we recognize what is truly important, and sing with Martin Luther: And take they our life, Goods, fame, child, and wife; Though these all be gone, Our victory has been won; the Kingdom ours remaineth.[9]

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[1] "Living Life to the Fullest." Creflo Dollar Ministries. March 27, 2017. Accessed May 10, 2018. https://www.creflodollarministries.org/Bible-Study/Articles/Living-Life-to-the-Fullest.

[2] Dollar, Creflo. "Sow Your Seed Until You Reach Your Destiny." Creflo Dollar Ministries. August 01, 2014. Accessed May 10, 2018. http://zoe.creflodollarministries.org/zoeclub/impartationletter_aug2014.

Let me ask you a question. Do you believe it is God’s will for you to be successful in every endeavor in life? If you don’t believe it, you should because that is what total-life prosperity means. Don’t allow religion to rob you and tell you that God doesn’t want you to be successful in every way. God’s will is that everything you touch prospers! He wants you to depend on and trust Him for your success. His grace is on your life for a reason—to bear fruit. God’s grace is what empowers you to have sweatless victory in life. If you’re sweating to produce something, you’re not yielding to God’s grace that’s been bestowed upon your life.

[3] "Living Life to the Fullest." Creflo Dollar Ministries. March 27, 2017. Accessed May 10, 2018. https://www.creflodollarministries.org/Bible-Study/Articles/Living-Life-to-the-Fullest.

[4] Dollar, Creflo. "Abundant Life to the Fullest." Creflo Dollar Ministries. January 22, 2018. Accessed May 10, 2018. https://www.creflodollarministries.org/Bible-Study/Articles/Abundant-Life-to-the-Fullest.

[5] John 16:33

[6] Matthew 10:22-31

[7] Matthew 6:19-21

[8] Matthew 6:24

[9] Luther, Martin. "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." In Lutheran Worship. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1986.

Stanza four; Composite translation.

A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda

Christ healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’” Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working” (John 5:1-17).

Jesus visits the pool of Bethesda. There He meets a crippled man lying among the sick. The man is alone. He has no one to place him into the pool after the water is stirred by the angel so he can receive the miraculous healing. Jesus simply tells the man, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” Reaching out with the hand of faith, the man does as he is bidden. The Pharisees are not moved by the healing. They instead focus on the fact that this man, whom they recognize, is now carrying his bed on the Sabbath. He is sinning by doing work on the Sabbath day.[1] They may have been technically correct, according to the letter of the law. They were, however, turning a blind eye to the spirit of God’s law. They were so focused on earning God’s favor by their observance of God’s law, which they perverted by the imposition of their man-made regulations, they forgot that God desires mercy, and not sacrifice.[2] God gave the people of Israel the law through Moses to show them their sin. This was so they would repent of their sin, turn to Him and be healed.[3] God tells the prophet Hosea that, while He certainly wants to see his law obeyed, His commanded sacrifices were only pleasing to Him if they came from the heart, a heart of true repentance.

This is what Jesus tells the Pharisees. St. Matthew records Jesus’ Sabbath-day healing of a man with a withered hand.[4] On that occasion, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of breaking God’s law by healing on the Sabbath. When they ask Him if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, Jesus turns the question back on them: What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.[5] Jesus, by his examples of “doing work” on the Sabbath, shows us that doing good takes priority over a legalistic interpretation of the Law.

Jesus later seeks out the man whom He had healed at the pool and talks with him.[6] Jesus calls the man to repentance. See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. He directs the man’s eyes away from his physical health to his spiritual health. Jesus is not implying here that it is possible for man to become perfect. While we are in this fallen and sinful world we will continually remain in a struggle with our sinful flesh.[7] Jesus is calling this man to live in repentance and faith; to walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.[8] He calls us to do the same. If we walk according to the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that we do not do the things that we wish.[9] But, repenting of our sins and trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of those sins, He heals our spiritual infirmities. Walking in the Spirit, we may do good works for our neighbors, and cause God’s mercy to extend to those around us.

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[1] Exodus 31: 12-18

[2] Hosea 6:6

[3] Romans 3:19-20; 7:7; James 2:10

[4] Matthew 12: 9-14

[5] Matthew 12: 11-12

[6] John 5:14

[7] Romans 7:13-25

[8] Romans 8:1

[9] Galatians 5:16-17

Remarkable!

The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes,” (John 9:30).

Of all the miracles God used throughout the Old Testament to show people who He was, there is not one recorded instance of a man born blind ever receiving his sight. This miracle happened in John’s Gospel and give indisputable proof that Jesus is from God – the promised Messiah.

We join the story of the healing of the man born blind right after the heated exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees. This argument about the validity of Jesus’ claim to be Messiah and condemnation of the Pharisees illegitimate authority culminated with Jesus calling himself by God’s divine title – I AM – and the Pharisees trying to kill him. It is right after this scene that Jesus gives us, and all the world, proof of His authority. We don’t know how long a period of time separates the two events. However, they had to happen close to each other, judging by the reaction of the people and Pharisees who witnessed it, and the subsequent investigation.

The 9th chapter of John tells us that, “As he [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him. ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus ‘but this happened so that the word of God might be displayed in his life.’” It was common thought in Jesus’ day that such an infirmity was a result of sin. Jesus rejected this idea, and corrects his disciples. Jesus tells them that God allowed this man to be born blind so that God’s work could be displayed to all.

The story continues: Jesus heals the man. The man’s friends and acquaintances see the miracle and ask how it happened. He tells them that Jesus did it. Word gets back to the Pharisees who, with hardened hearts and a previous axe to grind, seek to catch Jesus in the act of sin, or “breaking of the law” (their man-made regulations) any way they can.

In the course of their investigation, the Pharisees question the blind man three times. They even talk to the man’s parents, just to make sure that this is the same man. Each time he is questioned, he gives the same account of the story, “’He put mud on my eyes,’ the man replied, ‘and I washed and now I see.’” No matter what angle they try, there just isn’t a way around it for the Pharisees – Jesus healed the man born blind, something, according to their own Pharisaic teaching the Messiah would do, and something God had never done in the past. Finally, the man born blind gets fed up with the question from the Pharisees and tells them, “I have told you already and you did not listen.”

“You did not listen.” That must have really made the Pharisees angry. The text actually says that they “hurled insults at the man,” but it was probably a little more intense than that. Here the Pharisees were, being lectured about this man, this prophet – the Son of Man, Jesus – by someone “steeped in sin at birth.” Their blood must have began to boil as they shouted, “but as for this fellow [Jesus], we don’t even know where he comes from.” Their anger and annoyance must have turned to rage as the blind man explained, “You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners.” Surely the exchange between the man born blind and the Pharisees puts us in mind of Isaiah chapter 6:

“ ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’”

Here the prophet describes the Pharisees, and all those who deny what God plainly tells and shows them – that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

The blind man could see what the Pharisees refused to acknowledge, because Jesus opened his eyes – not merely in a physical way, but also in a spiritual way. The Pharisees claimed to be Abraham’s children, but they could not even realize what God was showing the world – that He loved them and sent his Son, the promised Messiah to restore mankind to the relationship we had with God before our fall into sin. Those who had true faith in God and His promise to deliver man could plainly see who Jesus was when He declared it by his words or actions – the promised Messiah – even if they did not fully understand what Jesus’ “Messiah-ship” meant. But as for the Pharisees, those who put their trust in earthly things, such as man-made laws and political power, Jesus sums it up best, “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you [Pharisees] do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47).

To whom do you belong? Is God your Father, or are you children of the devil? Can you see what God is showing you, like the man born blind, or are you “seeing but never perceiving and hearing but never understanding,” like the Pharisees. Is the Father that you claim reflected in your actions, or are you living under a delusion like the Pharisees? St. Paul wrote in Galatians, “You are all sons of God through Faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ.”

Through Christ’s death and resurrection we have been set free from sin and death. We should not, however, use this freedom to indulge our sinful nature. When we do, we alienate ourselves from fellowship with God. Rather, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, we must strive to serve one another in love. As it is written, “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” When we do good to all people, both to those who believe and those who don’t, we proclaim the love Christ has for humanity, not with words, but by the way we live our very lives.

Healing on the Sabbath



Christ at the Pool of Bethesda



After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids - blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed." But he answered them, "The man who healed me, that man said to me, 'Take up your bed, and walk.'" They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you." The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God (John 5: 1-18).

Let’s take a look at interesting verse from John chapter 5 in light of the book of Exodus:

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gate…You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people” (Exodus 20:10; 31:14).

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem (John 5:1).

John doesn’t say which feast was occurring at this time, but it was a major one. Some commentators believe that John is referring to the Feast of Booths or the Feast of the New Year.[1] It is significant to us, I believe, because John is saying that everyone would be in the city for the feast, and would therefore be there to see Jesus’ interactions with the man he is about to heal and the Pharisees. There were seven feasts celebrated by the Jews. They were: The Sabbath, The Passover, The Feast of First fruits, The Feast of Weeks, The Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and The Feast of Booths.[2] These feasts, however, were not intended to be simply dinner get-togethers, or empty calendar observances. God wanted to gather his people together and to interact with them at his altar, in the place designated for that purpose.[3] Each of these feasts had a specific ceremony and symbolism attached to them, which we will not explore at length now. Ultimately, though, the Lord’s feasts were all intended to focus Israel’s eyes on the coming Messiah, and God’s relationship with his chosen people.[4] St. Paul called these feasts, “a shadow of the things to come.” Here, John tells us that the substance and culmination of the feasts was walking in the very midst of the people – God meeting his people in God’s holy temple[5] – and they turned away from him.

So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed” (John 5:10).

The Pharisees were telling the man that carrying his mat was forbidden under God’s command to refrain from work on the Sabbath.[6] Technically, I suppose they were correct. However, they were turning a blind eye to the spirit of God’s law. They were so focused on earning God’s favor by their observance of God’s law, which they perverted by the imposition of their man-made regulations, that they forgot that God desires mercy, and not sacrifice.[7] God gave the people of Israel the law through Moses to show them (and us) their sin, so that the people would repent of their sin, turn to Him and be healed.[8] God tells Hosea that, while he certainly wants to see his law obeyed, his commanded sacrifices were only pleasing to him if they came from the heart – a heart of true repentance. This is what Jesus tells the Pharisees, all Israel, and the entire world. In St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day.[9] In this instance, the Pharisees also accuse Jesus of breaking God’s law, albeit in a roundabout way. They ask him if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus, however, turns the question back on them. “Which one of you who has a sheep,” he says, “if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”[10] Jesus, by his examples of “working” on the Sabbath, shows us that doing good (mercy) takes priority over a too-strict, or legalistic (sacrifice) interpretation of the Law.

Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place (John 5:13).

The Greek word in this verse that is translated “withdrawn” can be rendered as “to lean sideways,” or “to evade” or “slip away.”[11] This implies that what Jesus did was a strategic move, like a retreat. Why Jesus would feel the need to “evade” the crowd is not explicitly explained. It certainly isn’t because he is afraid of a confrontation with the Pharisees regarding his actions, as he has demonstrated time and again. It isn’t because he wants to remain anonymous to the man who was healed, because he seeks him out at the temple later and talks with him.[12] The only conclusion I can come to regarding Jesus’ tactical retreat from the crowd in this chapter is that Jesus was working to do the will of his Father. The large crowd saw the miracle that Jesus had performed. They would have recognized from the miracle that someone very special, possibly the Son of David (the Messiah), was in their midst.[13] Jesus’ continued presence in the crowd could have caused a riot or, worse yet, the proclaiming of Jesus as King of Israel by the crowd. Jesus certainly is the King of Israel. However, the people did not understand the spiritual nature of Messiah’s work, and were expecting a worldly king, one who would rescue them from their earthly oppressors and restore the physical nation of Israel.[14] As Jesus told Pilate, his kingdom was not of this world.[15] So, as he would do later, Jesus slipped away to keep this from happening.[16] Jesus would allow himself to be hailed with shouts of “hosanna”, and be crowned as King according to God the Father’s timetable – with a wreath of thorns.[17]

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God (John 5: 17-18).

For all of the differences between Christian denominations, the one fundamental truth about God that all orthodox Christian bodies espouse is the doctrine of the trinity. In fact, one of the earmarks of non-Christian cults is their denial of the Holy Trinity. To human beings, rationality tells us that such a thing defies logic, and thus, could not be true. However irrational, though, this is how God has revealed himself to us through Holy Scripture. The doctrine of the trinity is clearly revealed in the pages of Scripture. Within the nature of God, the Bible teaches, there are three distinct persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three persons, while remaining distinct, share the same divine attributes. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all three identified as individuals and all three are identified as God. Yet, according to Deuteronomy 6:4, and a host of other Scripture texts, there is only one God.

The person of the Father is identified in 2 Peter 1:17, “For he [Jesus] received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him for the Majestic Glory, saying ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” Here Peter is referring to what happened at Jesus’ baptism, when his messianic ministry began.[18] Peter’s quote is also an allusion to two messianic passages from the Old Testament – Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1. In Psalm 2, we are told that the Davidic King will be God’s servant and son. In Isaiah, we are told that God’s Spirit would rest upon his servant – two prophecies fulfilled in Jesus at his baptism.

This leads to the second person of the trinity identified in Scripture – the Son. In the New Testament there is a person named Jesus, who is identified as God’s Son. Not only is Jesus called God’s Son, though, he himself declares himself to be God. It is at this point that we see a divergence form orthodox Christianity in the theology of the cults. Every non-Christian cult denies the deity of Christ and forgiveness of sins by his merit alone. Scripture, however, tells a different story. The amazing exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees, recorded in the eighth chapter of John gives us incredible insight into who Jesus claimed to be, and whether or not the Pharisees understood his claims.[19]

Jesus tell them, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” Shocked, the Pharisees reply to Jesus, “You are not yet 50 years old and you have seen Abraham?” Their thoughts that they were dealing with a madman must have been confirmed to them at this point in the conversation. But Jesus goes on to clarify for them. “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born I am!’”[20] Jesus did not say, “I was,” but “I am.” By applying God’s divine title from Exodus 3:14 to himself, Jesus expressed the eternity of his being and his oneness with God the Father. The Pharisees must have understood that Jesus was calling himself God, because they picked up stones with which to stone him for blasphemy.

Another such incident is recorded in John 10:24-33:

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one." The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?" The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God" (John 10:24-33).

The Greek word used by John in this passage is neuter – one THING, not one PERSON. Jesus is telling us that he and the Father are one in essence, or nature, but they are not identical persons. As the Scripture says, the Jews took these words to be blasphemy, and tried to carry out the law – the penalty for blasphemy was stoning – though without due process.[21]

Holy Scripture also identifies a third person – the Holy Spirit – and calls him God. It is with this person of the Holy Trinity that, I believe, Christians have the most trouble understanding and explaining. It is doubly perplexing when a Jehovah’s Witness, in the comfort of your own living room, proceeds to tell you that the Holy Spirit is merely a “force” that comes from Jehovah, and not a conscious, thinking, personal entity. Most Christians are usually at a loss to rebut this false doctrine. However, the words of Holy Scripture make things clear. Peter, in the book of Acts, identifies the person called the Holy Spirit and calls him God.[22] The incident with Ananias and Sapphira shows us that the Holy Spirit is regarded as God among his people:

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the HOLY SPIRIT and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such at thing? YOU HAVE NOT LIED TO MEN BUT TO GOD” (Acts 5: 3-4)

You cannot lie to a table. You cannot lie to a chair. You cannot lie to a hat rack, or even to a dog or a cat. In order for a person to lie to someone/something else, it has to be living, conscious, and have understanding to be able to believe what it is being told. Therefore, for Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit must be a conscious and living being, and not merely a “force.” St. Luke, again in the book of Acts, makes this point beautifully:

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, THE HOLY SPIRIT SAID, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work TO WHICH I HAVE CALLED THEM.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off (Acts 13: 2-3).

Only a conscious, living being talks, as the Holy Spirit does in this passage. In addition, St. Luke uses the first person when quoting the Holy Spirit, again indicating personality. Finally the Holy Spirit says that the work to which the worshipers are called is HIS work, making the Holy Spirit equal to the Almighty God.

While there are many more ways in which Holy Scripture reveals the triune nature of God, these are some of the most obvious and easiest to understand. The Bible teaches that the three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – are all individuals, and all share divine attributes, making them all God. In the case of the Holy Trinity, it is not simple arithmetic (1 + 1 + 1 = 3). In this case it is 1 X 1 X 1 = 1.

End Notes


[1] The Lutheran Study Bible, English Standard Version, Verse 5:1 notes, p. 1788.
[2] Leviticus 23
[3] Exodus 29: 42-43; Numbers 17:4
[4] Colossians 2: 16-17
[5] Psalm 11:4
[6] Exodus 31: 12-18
[7] Hosea 6:6
[8] Romans 3:19-20; 7:7; James 2:10
[9] Matthew 12: 9-14
[10] Matthew 12: 11-12
[11] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel, (Columbus, Ohio: The Wartburg Press, 1942), 369.
[12] John 5:14
[13] Matthew 12: 22-23
[14] Acts 1:6
[15] John 18:36
[16] John 6: 14-16
[17] Luke 19: 28-40; Matthew 27:29
[18] Matthew 3: 16-17
[19] John 8: 27-59
[20] John 8: 48-56
[21] Leviticus 24:16
[22] Acts 5:3-4