In our scripture readings for this fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Jesus encounters a man at the pool of Bethzatha. The man has been trying to enter the pool first after an angel stirs the waters, for whoever does that is healed of whatever disease they carry. And he has been unsuccessful in entering the pool first, for thirty-eight years. Jesus cures this man as a testimony to his status as God's Son, AND he does this on the Sabbath, for he knows that WILL get the attention of the Jewish leadership....
So your past finally catches up to you, and you are arrested and taken into custody for the crimes of real estate fraud, embezzlement, and tax evasion. You now need an excellent lawyer! And you've narrowed the prospects down to two. The first lawyer says, “I know Section 380 about fraud in the Canadian Criminal Code backward and forward, in fact, I helped review it. I know all the legal precedents in the last twenty years. I know the most promising areas to find a loophole for you.” The other lawyer says, “The judge in your jurisdiction is my cousin. I know the type of person he likes to put away, and the type he likes to acquit.” Which lawyer do you hire, the one who knows the law, or the one who knows the judge?...
The Jewish leaders who confronted Jesus after he performed his miracle on the Sabbath, were experts in the law of Moses. They not only knew the law backwards and forwards, they helped add to it through the establishment of “fence” laws – restrictions more limiting than the law itself, to prevent even coming close to breaking it. Particularly around the Sabbath, they had restrictions on the distance you could travel and the weight you could carry, to make darn sure you were not doing any “work.” And they were quick to pat themselves on the back for improving the “lawfulness” of the people around them.
That's why, concerning the man at the pool of Bethzatha, the Jewish leaders cared more about him carrying his mat, than the miracle of his cure. And that's why, concerning Jesus, the Jewish leaders were more angry at his working on the Sabbath than they were interested in the source of his miraculous power. The Jewish leaders had all the knowledge they needed for salvation in their scriptures, and they had all the knowledge they needed for prestige in their society.
The cheat code that allows us to win our favourite game. The life hack that makes a difficult chore easy. The inside information that enables us to profit on the market. We are constantly on the lookout for knowledge, secret or otherwise, that will bring us salvation. “Learn the one food you should eat before bed to lose fifty pounds in two weeks.” “Take this one nutritional supplement to eliminate brain fog forever.” “This is the one activity cancer doctors don't want you to know about, to get yourself into remission.” For only three payments of $39.99, you too can have the knowledge of salvation. Even the scriptures can fall under the hypnotic spell of the promise of secret knowledge. “Just read every 666th letter going backward through the book of Revelation in the original Greek, and it will spell out the password Peter will ask for at the pearly gates.” If only we knew everything we needed to know to guarantee salvation...and what a bonus if we could make a couple bucks selling that information....
But God did not commission the scriptures to give the KNOWLEDGE of eternal life, he commissioned them to testify to his son Jesus, the Messiah, the SOURCE of eternal life. Moses and the prophets testify to the Messiah who was to come. Gospel writers like John testify to the Messiah who was here incarnate, crucified, and raised from the dead. Revelation testifies to the Messiah who will return. This testimony is given, so that people will come to Jesus to have life and salvation. This testimony is given at Jesus' baptism, where God declares Jesus as his beloved Son. This testimony is given through the signs and wonders of Jesus, doing what he sees his Father doing. This testimony is given through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, that God has granted Jesus to have life in himself. And this testimony is given through God giving Jesus the authority to execute judgment, because he is also the Son of Man, and has experienced humanity's trials and temptations.
As people called by God, and particularly as people holding Martin Luther in high regard, we take scripture seriously. We give bibles to baptized infants and confirmation students alike, we take the time for bible study, we're even using a new lectionary – the Narrative Lectionary - to encounter different scripture in the context of the worship service. But we're not doing it to win bible trivia contests or search for secret knowledge. We want to have a relationship with the judge, and so we dig deep into the prophecies about him, into his miracles and teachings, into the way the early church built relationship with him. We study what Jesus did, so that we can trust what Jesus will do. We hear the testimony about Jesus, so that we can declare him to be OUR Messiah. And we listen to his voice, so that we can be the kind of people to whomsoever the Son wishes to give life.
Gracious God, we thank you for your testimony to your Son Jesus, given so that we may have eternal life. Enable us to testify also, so that others may be saved, in Jesus' name, amen.