Life of Christ Lesson 25: Lord of the Sabbath - Part I

In this lesson, the Lord gave the second recorded sermon of His earthly ministry.  Interestingly, most people do not know this sermon by its name; nor do they realize how powerful it is, for it is Christ's defense of His claim to equality with God!  It is called "The Sermon on the Judgment and Resurrection Power of the Son" (John 5:19-30, 40-47).   In the sermon, Jesus gave Israel five significant truths about Himself, about His relationship with God, Who He "dared" to call His "Father" (because it is true), and about His real power.  Did you know that the Father has given all judgment over to His Son (5:21-23)?  Who will sit on "The Bema Seat" to judge the works of believers?  Who will be the Judge of "The Sheep and the Goats" at the end of the Tribulation?  Who will sit on the Great White Throne at the judgment of all unbelievers following the Millennial Kingdom?  Answer: God the Son, Jesus Christ.   Also included in this lesson are five witnesses the Lord Jesus presented to prove that His own witness of His Identity is true (5:31-39).  THEN, we get into a discussion of some of the ludicrous traditions the Pharisees had devised over the years regarding the Sabbath.  They had added 1,512 man-made restrictions to God's original commandment about the Sabbath!  In the Jewish Talmud, there are 24 chapters containing Sabbath regulations!  Talk about a heavy yoke!