John 5:18

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

John 5:18

Here in verse 18 we find out that the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus.  The verse goes on to explain the reasons why the Jews were trying to kill him.  The first reason is because he was breaking the Sabbath.  The second reason is because Jesus was calling God his own Father.

Reason 1: "Breaking the Sabbath"

So, how was Jesus breaking the Sabbath in the eyes of the Jews?  Earlier in the chapter we read about an invalid who is healed by Jesus.  While this may have been a miraculous thing, what caught the attention of the Jews was the fact that this happened on the Sabbath.  For some reason, the Jews thought that this was a bad thing and it caused them to persecute Jesus (v16).  In response to their concerns that Jesus was breaking the Sabbath, he provides them with his reasoning in verse 17:

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

John 5:17

This issue of the Sabbath comes up multiple times in the gospels and Jesus has differing responses to his critics.  In Luke 13 Jesus responds by calling them hypocrites.  In John 7, referring to this same instance here in John 5, Jesus gives the example of circumcision on the Sabbath and told them to "judge with right judgment".  In Matthew 12, Jesus gives a few examples before telling them "the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath".  Here in John 5 Jesus provides yet another unique response.

Jesus points to God as the reason why he is doing work on the Sabbath.  Even though God rested on the 7th day of creation and made the Sabbath a day of rest, God couldn't actually take a day off.  In Jewish thought, God still had to keep certain things moving and for him to completely stop would cause many things to stop as well.  Jesus makes the case that since Jesus' father (God) is working even on the Sabbath, it would make sense that Jesus himself would be working as well.  However, the big shocker in this response is the connection that Jesus makes with God.

Reason 2: Calling God his own Father

By calling God his Father, Jesus was not simply calling God "The Father".  He was making a specific connection between him and God.  He was relating to God on a personal level.  By doing so, he made himself "equal with God".  This obviously angered the Jews and made them want to kill Jesus even more than before.

It was blasphemous to make yourself equal with God.  However, it's important to really understand what is meant here.  In this passage, is Jesus equating himself with God?  Though Jesus certainly is God, the context in this particular passage does not necessarily mean the same thing.  Instead, the Jews were outraged that Jesus even put himself on the same level as God by calling God his father.

John 5:14

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

John 5:14

Jesus says something very interesting when he finds the man who he healed in the temple.  He says “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”  Jesus is telling the man to stop sinning and that the purpose of this is so that nothing worse would happen to him.  This is a very clear example of the connection between sin and bad things happening to a person.  So, is it true that sin does in fact lead to bad things?

It is very clear that there are consequences of sin.  The first and most clear consequence of sin is death as stated in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death".  We know that everyone sins according to Romans 3:23: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".  If all have sinned and the wages of sin is death, everyone will face death.  This is also mentioned in Hebrews 9:27: "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment".

In the bible we also see different examples of people experiencing the consequences of their own sins or people experiencing the consequences of the sins of others.  I can think of David when he sinned with Bathsheba or Achan when he sinned by taking some of the spoil for himself or Nebuchadnezzar when he didn't give God the glory.  Examples of people experiencing bad things as a result of sin is not limited to the Old Testament either.  In the book of Acts we read about Ananias and Sapphira who get killed for lying about money they were giving.  The bible is full of examples of people experiencing something bad as a result of sin.

However, things aren't always that simple.  Sometimes in our life we do see the wicked prosper and seemingly get away with wrongdoing.  It seems that justice is not always served and bad things do not always follow sins.  In Psalm 73, the psalmist wrestles with this problem as he sees the wicked prosper.  This is a serious question that many face when seeing injustice right before their eyes.  We may even call for justice when we see someone run a red light or cut in line.  Do these sins, no matter how great or small, result in something worse happening to them as Jesus seems to warn the man in John 5?

There do seem to be some exceptions to this matter.  Jesus himself tells his disciples the purpose for one man's blindness later on in the book of John.

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

John 9:1-3

The purpose or cause of this man's blindness was not due to sin.  Instead, it was for the purpose "that the works of God might be displayed in him".  Though Jesus warns against sin to avoid something worse happening to the man in John 5, we see in John 9 an infliction that was not because of sin but instead for a specific purpose.

Another example is Job.  With all that happened to Job, you may wonder what he did to deserve the hardships he went through.  However, we read about how he did not sin.

In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Job 1:22

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job 2:9-10

The bible seems to speak of multiple cases.  There is a clear connection between sin and bad things happening as a result.  However, there are also bad deeds going unpunished.  In addition, there are even people who suffer hardship without a cause.  How can the bible speak to all these cases and not be contradicting itself?

Some have helped me with this question and have lead me to consider the end.  This is similar to Asaph in Psalm 73.

Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
    my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
...
But when I thought how to understand this,
    it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
    then I discerned their end.

Psalm 73: 1-3, 16-17

What is the end of the wicked?  What happens to all of us in the end?  In the end, God will be just and will serve justice as it is rightly due.

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

Romans 2:6-11

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Corinthians 5:10

God will judge everyone in the end.  It doesn't matter if it seems like the wicked get away with sin or not, God will serve proper justice in the end.  In fact, if you back up in Romans 2, we see that the wicked are storing up wrath.  Though punishment is not exacted immediately, it is simply being saved up for later.

But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

Romans 2:5

You may ask, why does he do this?  Why doesn't God just exact justice immediately.  Well, we see an answer in 2 Peter.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

The context of this passage is "the day of the Lord".  So, with regards to the day of the Lord, he is being patient.  His patience is meant for people to come to repentance.  He is waiting for people to turn to him.  Think instead what would happen if he exacted punishment immediately?  Well, what happened to Uzzah when he put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it?  God struck him down and he died.  What happened when Ananias and Sapphira lied about the money?  God killed them.  Now before you think that you are different from these people, recall a verse which was quoted earlier.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

Romans 3:23

If that isn't enough, look a bit earlier in that same chapter.

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
    no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
    “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
    in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
    “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

We are all not righteous and we all fall short.  We deserve death, but God withheld for the time being.  He could have killed us instantly but he decided to be patient with us for the purpose of repentance.  When you think about it that way, it is actually a good thing that God doesn't exact punishment immediately.  Otherwise, we'd all be dead by now.

So what's the conclusion?  What the bible speaks about may be hard and confusing to understand, but this question in particular is helpful to be viewed with the end in mind.  Whether bad things follow as a result of sin or the wicked prosper, God is just.  God will take care of it in the end.

Among all of the examples provided, I saved one for the end.  Jesus is the prime example of one who suffered but not as a result of his own sin.  He certainly didn't sin as we can see from Hebrews 4.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

So, why did he do it all?

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26 (NLT)