9 …Now that day was the Sabbath, 10 and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath. The law prohibits you from picking up your mat.”
11 He replied, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” (John 5:9a-11 CSB)
Sometimes it is worth a bit of trouble in our lives to simply do the right thing.
However, that bit of trouble may bring us reproach or ridicule, especially from the nitpickers. Those who feel that they are right and what we are doing is wrong. Maybe it goes against the social norms or maybe it brings us in contact with those others feel are unworthy.
In our passage the local religious authorities completely miss the miracle that just happened. They were too focused upon nitpicking the man who was healed for picking up his mat which was not allowed on the sabbath. A man who they had doubtless seen at this pool awaiting a miracle of healing for many years but probably never took the time to give a second thought.
They chose to nitpick rather than praise God and rejoice with this man.
Let us today look beyond our nitpicking and see the greater good.
