“Therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill Him: Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus replied, “I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing, and He will show Him greater works than these so that you will be amazed. And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to anyone He wants to. The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
John 5:16-‬23

So the religious leaders were upset at Jesus because He healed the man at the Bethesda pool on the Sabbath. Remember, these guys had made numerous rules upon rules to safegauard this commandment to take a day off each week to worship and rest. So Jesus responds to their disgruntalment by telling them that He healed on the sabbath because that was the work God the Father had given Him to do on that day, which further insesnced them to the point of wanting to kill Him, because His calling God His Father was a little too personal and was “making Himself equal with God” (vs 18)! So Jesus answered them that He was nothing, nor did anything of and on His own, but ONLY did or said what He saw the Father saying or doing-in ither words, ALL OF HIS POWER CAME FROM THE FATHER! Remember, this is being spoken by a Man Who’s turned water into wine, healed the religious leader’s little boy from several miles away and has now healed a guy who was sick for 38 years, all in a very public way!

So Jesus continues with this narritive about He and the Father’s relationship, including that the Father loves the Son (Him) and shows Him all He’s doing and has even given Him (the Son) final judgement over all things (vss 22-23) so that all people will respect and regard the Son (Jesus) the same way they do the Father, which further enraged the already angery religious leaders!

So they were mad because Jesus broke their rules and healed on the sabbath and was now claiming to have such a personal relationship with God that it called attention to Jesus’ “Godness” (Diety) and mostly because He did all of this OPENLY which made Him popular with the people, so that now they felt threatened and jeolous! So they start making plans to kill Jesus (vs 18). (What about the commandmant, “Thou shalt not kill”? (Ex 20:13))

Jesus had certainly captured their attention–of course, Anyone who came along offering LIFE as opposed to LAWS and rules and a RELATIONSHIP with God as opposed to REGIMENTED activities would be precieved as a threat to their control and way of life!

Jesus had what God created us to have in the first place, BEFORE sin entered the picture. JESUS KNEW GOD, KNEW WHAT GOD WANTED TO DO AND ACTED ACCORDINGLY AND ON GOD’S BEHALF. Jesus, came to restore us to THAT kind of love-based relationship with God!

What do you want-a set of rules or a relationship?

Think about it!