Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them — the Pharisees divide over the meaning of the miracle. Some conclude Jesus is 'not of God' because he violated the Sabbath (keepeth not the sabbath). Others argue that if he were a sinner, he could not perform miracles ('How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?'). The logic of the second group is: miracles are works of God; sinners cannot do God's works; therefore, this man is not a sinner. The division (krisis, crisis/judgment) reflects the fundamental tension: law vs. grace, institutional authority vs. redemptive power.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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