The Healing at the Pool
But he answered, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” John 5:11 · Berean Standard Bible
The man answers, 'The person who healed me told me to pick up my mat and walk.' His logic is simple: if He can heal me, I should listen to Him.
It is a fair point. If someone has the authority to reverse a condition you have had for thirty-eight years, their instructions probably carry some weight.
The healed man speaks with simple logic, pointing out that the one who healed him also gave him the instruction they are questioning.
His defense is beautifully uncomplicated. He does not know theology or law. He just knows that the man who gave him his legs back told him to pick up his mat. And that is good enough for him.
The healed man deflects responsibility to his healer: 'The man who made me well told me to do it.' His defense implicitly argues that the authority to heal supersedes the authority to prohibit carrying on the Sabbath.
The man's logic is sound: if someone has the power to heal a thirty-eight-year condition, his authority to command carrying a mat should not be questioned. This reasoning foreshadows Jesus' own argument about divine authority in verses 17-30.
The healed man responds to the authorities by shifting responsibility to the one who healed him and gave the command.
The man's defense is simple but profound: the one who had the power to heal me told me to carry my mat. His reasoning points to a higher authority than Sabbath regulation.
9Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk.
10so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your mat.”
11But he answered, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
12“Who is this man who told you to pick it up and walk?” they asked.
13But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while the crowd was there.
Read all of John 5 — A man who has been an invalid for thirty-eight years is told to pick up his mat and walk. The Pharisees are more concerned about the day of the week.
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