In John 5:1–18, Jesus encounters a man who has been helpless and sick for thirty-eight years. Unable to heal himself or even make his way into the pool, the man receives healing through the direct command of Jesus: “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.”

This miracle displays the initiative and power of divine grace. Yet the response of the Jewish leaders shifts the focus away from the grace of the healing and toward their strict Sabbath regulations. The sermon examines the contrast between law and grace, showing how the discussion of the miracle leaves out the command that displayed grace: “Get up.”

The sermon also considers Jesus’ warning to the healed man to “sin no more,” emphasizing the seriousness of sin and the judgment that is far worse than physical suffering. The man is confronted with the light of Christ, yet his response s ...