Section 12
only offended the religious Jews, but also caused them to consider that Jesus was blaspheming, because, according to their concept, He "not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God His own Father, making Himself equal with God" (5:18). In their consideration, that was a blasphemy to God. Yet, it was this "blaspheming" One who enlivened the impotent man. His enlivening of that man testifies that He is equal with God the Father in giving life to people.
BOTH THE FATHER AND THE SON WORKING
Although God's work in creation was finished (Gen. 2:1-3), the Father and the Son were still working for redemption and building (John 5:17, 19-20). The religious Jews kept the Sabbath of creation. They did not know that because of man's fall the rest of that Sabbath was broken. Neither did they know that the Father and the Son were still working for fallen man's redemption in order to fulfill God's original purpose, which is the building of God's eternal habitation. What God did was the old creation. What the Father and the Son are doing is the new creation through re demption for God's building. This work includes the Son's life-giving, which is manifested in this