Presently they interrupted him by asking why he was carrying that bed on the Sabbath day. They sternly reminded him that it was not lawful for him to bear burdens upon the Lord’s day. In his joy the man had forgotten that it was the Sabbath; yet he felt no condemnation for obeying the command of one who had power from God to perform so wonderful a miracle. He answered boldly, “He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.” The Pharisees were not delighted at the cure which had been effected upon this poor invalid of thirty-eight years. They overlooked the object of the wondrous miracle, and, with their characteristic bigotry, seized upon the act as a violation of the Sabbath law. {2SP 159.1}

Pludselig afbrød de ham, idet de spurgte, hvorfor han bar sin seng på sabbaten. De mindede ham med strenge ord om, at det var ulovligt for ham at bære byrder på Herrens dag. Manden havde i sin glæde glemt, at det var sabbat; men han følte intet samvittighedsnag, fordi han adlød ham, som havde kraft fra Gud til at udføre en sådan undergerning. Han svarede frimodig: "Han, som gjorde mig rask, sagde til mig: "Tag din seng og gå!" Farisæerne glædede sig ikke over, at denne fattige krøbling, som havde været syg i otte og tredive år, var blevet helbredt. De gav ikke agt på hensigten med dette underfulde mirakel; men den skinhellighed, som var dem ejendommelig, fæstede de sig ved denne handling som en overtrædelse af sabbatsbuddet.