“The proof of the pudding”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Saturday, August 17, 2024

John 5: 1-18 (Forward, p. 19) CEV p. 1105

We probably all know the saying, ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’. The same might well be said in terms of the evidence that Jesus provided to substantiate His claims. In today’s passage, verse 17, Jesus says, “My Father has never stopped working, and that is why I keep on working.”

The religious authorities rightly understood the import of what Jesus was saying. They rightly surmised that Jesus was saying that God was His Father—which then made Him equal with God. And that, by extension, meant that He could do what God did, including working on the Sabbath—which contravened one of the authorities’ most precious laws.

But coming back to the miracle itself: did that not give evidence of the validity of Jesus’ claims, for God would not have honoured Jesus’ work if He was a charlatan or imposter, someone who was not whom He claimed to be? Surely this was ‘the proof of the pudding’.

However, the authorities were not willing to accept any of these ideas, even though the proof was right there in front of their eyes. And so, instead, they decided to ‘rid’ themselves of the problem once and for all, by having Jesus killed. Sadly, it is that same kind of strategy that some would try to use today. Rather than face the facts, accept the abundant evidence of who Jesus is and what He does, they would rather suppress the facts and banish those who share them. But it won’t work, even as the authorities’ plotting with regards to Jesus didn’t work either.

Forward notes: “When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up’” (verses 6-7).

“Do you want to be made well? It is a simple question. The man lying by the pool is so focused on the process of a miracle that he seems to forget why he is there. After years of waiting, he is blind to the possibility of another way to healing.

“Do you want to be healed, rescued, unburdened, or forgiven? The simple answer is yes. But how often do we encounter obstacles that become bigger than our objective? How often do we get waylaid by the details of the journey and forget our destination?

“Jesus is undeterred by our shortcomings. He knows what we need before we even ask. With God, all things are possible. It is okay to need help getting unstuck, reframing our issues, or trying new tactics. And recognizing that we need help is usually the first step in the journey.”

MOVING FORWARD: “Are you stuck in a problem with no ready solution? Can you be open to a new way of healing?”