Like Father, Like Son

In the mountains of the Northwest, a man was sitting beside a campfire while he roasted some kind of bird over the fire with eager anticipation. About this time, a forest ranger came upon the camp and asked the camper what he was preparing for dinner. The camper replied that it was a seagull. A frown came over the ranger’s face as he informed this fellow that it was against the law to kill that particular bird, and that he would have to give him a citation.

The camper responded by telling the ranger how he had lost his way and had consumed all of his food. In desperation, he had managed to kill this seagull to maintain his strength. After listening sympathetically, the forest ranger told the fellow he would let him go this time with just a warning, and the camper thanked the ranger profusely. Just as the ranger was about to leave, he asked the camper, “Just out of curiosity, what does seagull taste like?” Thinking for a moment, the camper responded, “Well, I would place it somewhere between a spotted owl and a bald eagle.”

Well, sometimes our words get us into trouble. We reveal something about ourselves that we didn’t want anyone to know or we say things in a way that doesn’t come out right.

In our story today, we see Jesus in a very significant moment in His ministry.

We just came through the part about Jesus healing the man by the Pool of Bethesda.

And the religious leaders (the Jews as the Scripture calls them) were MAD. Why?

Because he had not only healed a man on the Sabbath, but He had ordered this man to carry his bed on the Sabbath

For this reason they were persecuting Him or harassing Him

Because He called God His Father, making Himself equal with God

For this reason, they were ready to kill Him.