Jesus responded to them, “My Father is stillworking, and I am working also.” John 5:17 csb
I once worked for the cable company in my early days. It was a good job, and I learned a lot about how we receive television and internet service. During that time, I discovered that some technicians would hook people up on the side, giving customers more than what they were actually paying for each month. I never did that because I believed it was stealing from the company. When I put on that work uniform, it meant I was a part of that company, and my job was to do what I was being paid to do.
In our text above, in John chapter 5, Jesus had just healed a man who had been disabled for over thirty years! The man went away thrilled with his new lease on life that Christ had given him. However, there were some who weren't happy: the Pharisees. They were upset that this man had been healed on the Sabbath and was carrying the mat he had been lying on for thirty years. The man was simply following Jesus' instructions to him: "Take up your mat and walk!" Oh, how that bothered the Pharisees!
These men had taken it upon themselves to be everyone's boss. They were, in fact, the religious leaders of the day, but many of them were no longer working for God; they were working for themselves. They found out from the man that it was Jesus who had healed him. The Pharisees then confronted Jesus, and John tells us in verse 16, "therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath."
The Lord's response to them was, "My Father is working, and I am working also!" In other words, "I work for My Father, not you. I am doing the job I have been sent to do." The Pharisees, the priests, should have been working for the same purpose, but they weren't. Instead, they were busy looking at who wasn't doing what they wanted them to do.
We find today that many people are like the Pharisees, not doing what God has called them to do but keeping themselves busy looking at what everyone else is doing. The Apostle Paul spoke concerning this very matter, which had infiltrated the church:
1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 "But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone."
There is a whole world that needs to hear the Gospel! We don't have time to be busy about other people's business; we have our Father's business to attend to. God is still working, and He desires to work through you. But you cannot do the job you've been called to do if you're busy wondering who is and who isn't working.
Even within our own movement, Calvary Chapel, I see this taking place, and it is causing great division. Satan loves it! The Lord doesn't want us looking at anybody but Him and focusing on the job He has called us to do. We work for the Lord, on mission with the Great Commission. Nothing has changed; the job remains the same. It is important that we stop looking at others and getting hot and bothered by the job they are doing, because the world is watching us. Let us be an example of excellent workers unto the Lord. Let's get our hands busy about His work!
“When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him? ” “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” John 21:21-22
Agape,
Frank
