Death to life

Early in his ministry, the religious leaders challenged Jesus, and they seemingly had many reasons to do so. The law of Moses required the Sabbath to be kept holy, and the religious leaders had set strict rules about what could and couldn't be done. One major issue they had with Jesus was that he healed on the Sabbath (John 5:1-17; Mk. 3:1-6; Lk. 13:10-17; Lk. 14:1-6). The recent healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda was problematic for them. But there was an even more troubling issue — this statement: “But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working’” (John 5:17).