because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him.
Parallel translations
- WEB It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
- KJV And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
- BSB Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.
- ESV Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
- NKJV Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
- NASB Now it was a Sabbath on the day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
John notes that Jesus performed the healing on a Sabbath. This detail explains the Pharisees' coming objection.
Overview
The narrator highlights that the miracle occurred on the Sabbath, which the Pharisees regarded as a violation of their rules. This sets up the controversy over whether Jesus could be from God while seeming to break the Sabbath. The conflict reveals how human traditions can blind people to God's gracious work.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- John 5:9Immediately, the man was made well, and took up his mat and walked. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
- Luke 13:10–17He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day.
- Matt 12:1–14At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
- John 7:21–23Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel because of it.
- Luke 14:1When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him.
- Mark 2:23He was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields, and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain.
- John 5:16For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath.
- Luke 6:1–11Now on the second Sabbath after the first, he was going through the grain fields. His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate, rubbing them in their hands.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 9:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.