John 5:8

• Jesus healed the sick man immediately and only asked him to obey. To prove that the man was healed, Jesus told him to pick up his mat and walk.

• Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a weekly day of rest. The law of Moses said that no work should be done on that day (based on Genesis 2:2; Exodus 20:8). Jewish tradition identified 39 types of work that were not allowed (Mishnah Shabbat 7:2). One rule said that a person could not carry an object, such as a sleeping mat, from one place to another (John 5:10).

  Jesus told the healed man to pick up his mat and walk. When the man obeyed Jesus, he broke this later Jewish tradition.

This chapter is structured like a courtroom case (a legal trial). It begins with a description of the event that led to the conflict (5:1–15). This is followed by the decision of the Jewish leaders to take action against Jesus (5:16). Next comes a statement of the charges against him (5:18). The chapter then presents the defense given by Jesus, where he explains his authority and his relationship with the Father (5:17, 19–40).