The entire narrative of John, chapter 5, centers around our Lord's healing a man in Jerusalem at the Pool of Bethesda. This miracle was wrought on the sabbath day. The Jews accused our Lord of violating the sabbath. Such charges hurled against Him called forth a very vigorous debate between Him and the Jerusalem authorities. In this discussion He brought forth some of the most brilliant gems of truth concerning Himself, His relation to the Father, and the testimony which God gave concerning Him, all of which are found in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John.

Having left Jerusalem after the observance of the Passover mentioned in John, chapter 5, our Lord returned to Galilee. While He was en route, He walked through some grain fields with His disciples on the sabbath day (Luke, chap. 6). They, being hungry, pulled some of the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. They then ate the grain which they had in this manner separated from the husks. Immediately the ever-present Pharisees, who were always on hand to criticize, spoke to the disciples saying, "Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath day?" (Luke 6:2). Jesus answered for the entire company saying: "Have ye not read even this, what David did, when he was hungry, he, and they that were with him; 4 how he entered into the house of God, and took and ate the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat save for the priests alone?" (vss. 3,4). The Pharisees had developed many and stringent laws and regulations concerning work on the sabbath. What the Apostles did on this occasion could, under no circumstances, be considered as falling under the classification of working on the sabbath. Nevertheless, according to the strict Pharisees, what they did was a violation of the sabbath command. But the Lord Jesus justified them by calling attention to what David and those who were with him did on the sabbath, in that they went to the house of God and received showbread, which the priests alone were permitted to eat according to the law, and ate it to sustain life. Nothing that the Pharisees said could condemn what David and his men did--in an emergency. The case with the Apostles was parallel to that of those men with David. The disciples were hungry and on a journey and simply took some heads of grain in their hands and ate them.

Jesus was with the Apostles and approved what they were doing, which in nowise could be construed as violating anything that God had ever said. Our Lord furthermore answered the Pharisees by saying, "The Son of man is lord of the sabbath." For the first time in the Gospel of Luke the expression, the Son of man, appears. What is the significance of this expression? Scholars are divided upon it. Some believe that it is a messianic title. We know that the words, Messiah and King, are titles of the Messiah found in different Old Testament prophecies regarding Him. Daniel (7:13,14) records a vision in which he saw the Ancient of Days seated upon a throne and one "like unto a son of man" coming before Him. When He did that He was invested with a world-wide everlasting kingdom and dominion over the nations of earth. Because of this fact some have concluded that the term, Son of man, in the New Testament is borrowed from this vision. The logic is not conclusive. Why is He said to be one "like unto a son of man" when He appears before the Almighty to receive His kingdom? The answer is simply this: This one is actually like a son of man because He is the one who, being God, entered the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth. He grew up as a man. Finally, He went to the cross and was executed according to the predeterminate counsel and foreknowledge of God. He was buried, but was raised from the dead. Shortly after that He ascended to heaven and has been there at the right hand of God ever since. Daniel, in vision, saw this Son of man, who was residing in His glorified human body, come before the Ancient of Days, God the Father. Because of these historical facts, Daniel said that He was like unto a son of man. Thus the expression, son of man, is not necessarily a messianic title.

What then is it and why did Jesus assume that title to Himself? The most obvious reason seems to be that it was assumed by our Lord because of the fact that He was God and became a man by miraculous conception and virgin birth. He bore a relationship to the entire human family. He assumed the form of man in order that He might retrieve the loss sustained by the human family when Adam transgressed God's one and only prohibition laid upon him. Thus all sinned and fell in Adam. Our Lord, being the second Adam, as Paul states, championed the cause of mankind, won the victory over Satan, and has brought deliverance, bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel. Thus the expression, Son of man, seems to indicate simply that our Lord bore a special relationship to the human family. He was therefore, par excellence, the Son of man. Being the Son of man--the God-man, God in human form--He was and is the Lord of the sabbath. Being thus the Lord of the Sabbath, He has a right to do that which He chooses on the sabbath, or at any other time. But let it be noted that our Lord never violated the law of God as given by Moses. He only went counter to Pharisaical interpretations of the law of God. He declared in the Sermon on the Mount, as we shall later see, that He came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them--to fill them full in every particular.

In Luke 6:6-11 we have the record of Christ's entering the synagogue and teaching on a certain sabbath. In this meeting there was a man whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees, who were always present to note everything which they could change into an objection, watched Him very closely to see whether He would heal on the sabbath, in order that they might have something whereby they could accuse Jesus. Our Lord knew their thoughts. Very frequently we can read the thoughts of others by noting the expression on their faces. But at times we miss in reading their thoughts. Our Lord, however, never failed to recognize what His opponents were thinking about. In total disregard, therefore, of their critical spirit and their desire to find something whereby they might accuse Him, He said to the man with the crippled hand: "Rise up, and stand forth in the midst." The man obeyed, doing as Jesus said. All eyes in the synagogue were doubtless fastened upon Jesus and upon the man who was standing before the congregation. At this point our Lord, turning to the scribes and Pharisees and doubtless to the congregation also, asked this question: "I ask you, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to destroy it?" (6:9). Jesus looked around at them, but it does not seem that any of them replied. Then our Lord said to the man with the withered hand: "Stretch forth thy hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored.

When Jesus performed this miracle on the sabbath day, His carping critics were filled with anger and went into a huddle to consider what they might do against Him. It would be interesting to read the parallel account found in Matthew 12:9-14, which gives certain details that are omitted by Luke. According to Matthew and Mark the Pharisees went out and took counsel with the Herodians, how they might destroy Jesus. It is interesting, also, to read Mark's account of this same incident, found in Mark 3:1-6.

After the healing of this man on the sabbath, our Lord seems to have engaged in a great healing ministry and then went out beside the sea. Being pressed by the great multitude, He requested someone to procure a little boat in order that He might get into it and from it speak to the people who were on the shore (Matt. 12:15-21; Mark 3:7-12).

The next thing recorded of our Lord's activities by Luke is His praying all night; "And it came to pass in these days, that he went out into the mountain to pray; and he continued all night in prayer to God" (6:12).

Luke is the gospel writer who presents Christ as the Son of man, the ideal, perfect man. Naturally, then, he would lay great emphasis upon the prayer life of our Lord. Though He was God in human form, having limited Himself by assuming human flesh, He lived the life of faith and became "the author and perfecter of our faith" (Heb. 12:2). The word, our, in this quotation is in italics, which fact indicates that it is not in the original, but is an interpolation by the translators. Sometimes, in adding a word, the translator makes the thought clearer; at other times, it is obscured. In this case the "our" obscures the real thought. Christ was the first one who lived, in deed and in truth, a life of absolute faith. This being true, naturally He would spend much time in prayer. Frequently He would arise early in the morning and go out to a desert, or secret, place to pray. The emphasis on His prayer life is set forth in the great Servant passage (Isa. chap. 50). "... he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as they that are taught" (Isa. 50:4). God would awaken Him early in the morning, and He would engage in prayer, asking for guidance and equipment for each day's service. If Christ, the God-man, the only perfect human individual who ever lived, depended upon prayer for guidance and everything else, how much more does it behoove us, who are simply mortal, and are encompassed with evil on every hand, to pray for the guidance and the blessing of God!

"0 Thou, by whom we come to God--
The Life, the Truth, the Way;
The path of prayer thyself hast trod;
Lord! teach us how to pray."

After this night of prayer Jesus called his disciples to Him and from among them He chose twelve "whom also he named apostles." The word, apostle, means "one sent." Its meaning is exactly that of "missionary," which is derived from the Latin. There were twelve original Apostles. Paul became a thirteenth one, but was not of the Twelve. Messengers of the churches, sent by them along with Paul to carry an offering made by the Gentile churches for the poor saints in Jerusalem were likewise called apostles. There were certain qualifications of an apostle. This is seen in Acts, chapter 1. When the place left vacant by Judas in the apostolic company was to be filled, the Lord instructed the Apostles to choose out men who had been with Jesus from the baptism of John to the ascension, that God might appoint the proper one. Since no one today can have the qualification of an apostle, there can be no successors of the Apostles.