John 5:17
But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus doesn't just claim to be working like His Father; He implies that divine work, the continuous sustaining and acting of God in the world, is the true Sabbath. So, when He healed on the Sabbath, He wasn't breaking God's rest, but participating in it.
Jesus has just healed a man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, an act that deeply angered the Jewish authorities. They are now persecuting him not only for healing on the Sabbath but also because Jesus has claimed God as his own Father, implicitly making himself equal with God. Jesus's response isn't to back down but to assert that his Father is continuously working, and he, the Son, works in the same way.
The religious leaders were furious with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus' response? He pointed to God's own activity, revealing a truth about the divine nature that challenged their rigid understanding.
Jesus confronts the religious leaders' strict interpretation of the Sabbath law by drawing a parallel to God's own ongoing work.
Divine Activity
They accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath by healing. But Jesus argues that His Father, and by extension Himself, is always actively working. God didn't stop working after creation; He continues to sustain and govern the entire universe, an activity that transcends human-defined rest periods.
The True Sabbath
This implies that true rest isn't an absence of activity, but a cessation from self-focused labor to engage in God's work. The religious leaders' focus on external, ritualistic observance missed the deeper, spiritual meaning of the Sabbath, which was always intended to point to God's continuous care and redemptive activity.
Jesus didn't just defend His actions; He made a stunning claim that linked His work directly to the Father's. This claim was the real reason for the outrage.
Jesus' statement, 'My Father is working... and I am working,' is far more than a simple justification for healing on the Sabbath. It's a profound declaration of His divine identity.
A Shared Mission
By aligning His work with His Father's, Jesus asserts a unity of purpose and power. He isn't merely imitating God; He is acting in direct continuity with the Father's ongoing activity in sustaining the world and carrying out His redemptive plan. The religious leaders understood this implication immediately: Jesus was claiming an equality with God.
Divine Authority
Their hostility stemmed from Jesus making God His 'own Father,' a claim that distinguished Him from all others and suggested He was uniquely divine. His work on the Sabbath was seen not just as a violation of law, but as evidence of His divine authority to act as God does.
Understand the original words
patēr · Greek Noun
A term denoting the divine, relational, and covenantal relationship between the first person of the Trinity and the Son. In this context, it asserts Jesus' unique divine sonship and equality with the Father.
Jesus' statement that 'My Father is working until now, and I am working' directly refutes the rigid interpretation of the Sabbath law prevalent among the Jewish leaders, grounding His own authority and actions in the continuous, life-giving work of God.
c. 1500 BC
Mosaic Law Given
God gives the Law, including the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy, through Moses on Mount Sinai.
c. 6th Century BC
Exile and Re-emphasis on Sabbath
During the Babylonian exile, the Sabbath became a strong marker of Jewish identity, with increased emphasis on its observance and on returning to God.
c. 1st Century BC
Pharisaic Halakha Developed
Rabbinic traditions, particularly those of the Pharisees, developed detailed interpretations (halakha) of Sabbath law, often emphasizing strict prohibitions against perceived 'work'.
c. AD 28— this verse
Jesus Heals Man at Pool of Bethesda
Jesus heals a man who had been an invalid for 38 years on the Sabbath, directly challenging the Pharisees' strict interpretation of the Law.
This foundational passage describes God resting on the seventh day after creation, establishing the Sabbath. Jesus is drawing a direct parallel between God's ongoing work and His own activity, implying that His work is of the same divine nature.
Exodus 20:8-11The Ten Commandments reiterate the Sabbath commandment, linking it directly to God's six days of creation and His rest on the seventh. Jesus uses this very basis to argue that His work, like God's, is essential and continues, thus not violating the spirit of the Sabbath.
Hebrews 1:3This passage describes Christ as 'sustaining all things by his word of power.' This directly supports Jesus' claim of 'working,' connecting His active role in the universe to His Father's continuous sustaining power, even on the Sabbath.
Philippians 2:5-11This passage highlights Christ's divine nature and His humble obedience to the Father's will, even to death. Jesus' assertion that He works as the Father works underscores this profound unity of purpose and divine equality.
Colossians 1:17Similar to Hebrews, this verse states that Christ is 'before all things, and in him all things hold together.' This reinforces the idea that Christ's 'working' is essential to the very existence and ongoing function of the universe, a continuous divine activity.
vincentJohn 5:17: "But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."
WorkethThe discussion turned on work on the Sabbath. The Father's work in maintaining and redeeming the world has continued from the creation until the present moment (ἕως ἄρτι): until now, not interrupted by the Sabbath.And I work (κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι)Or, I also work. The two clauses are coordinated. The relation, as Meyer observes, is not that of imitation, or example, but of equality of will and procedure. Jesus…
calvinJohn 5:17-19: "But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."
- But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18. For this reason, therefore, the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but likewise called God his Father, making himself equal with God. 19. Jesus then answered, and said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, The Son cannot do any thing of himself but what he hath seen the Father do; for whatsoever things he…
Jesus doesn't just claim to be working like His Father; He implies that divine work, the continuous sustaining and acting of God in the world, is the true Sabbath. So, when He healed on the Sabbath, He wasn't breaking God's rest, but participating in it.
Jesus has just healed a man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, an act that deeply angered the Jewish authorities. They are now persecuting him not only for healing on the Sabbath but also because Jesus has claimed God as his own Father, implicitly making himself equal with God. Jesus's response isn't to back down but to assert that his Father is continuously working, and he, the Son, works in the same way.
Jesus has just healed a man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, an act that deeply angered the Jewish authorities. They are now persecuting him not only for healing on the Sabbath but also because Jesus has claimed God as his own Father, implicitly making himself equal with God. Jesus's response isn't to back down but to assert that his Father is continuously working, and he, the Son, works in the same way.
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c. AD 28
Jews Persecute Jesus for Sabbath Healing
The Jewish authorities confront Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, leading to His defense of His actions and His divine authority.
"But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”" — Jesus doesn't just claim to be working like His Father; He implies that divine work, the continuous sustaining and acting of God in the world, is the true Sabbath. So, when He healed on the Sabbath…
