My Father worketh even until now, and I work. — John 5:17
God keeps no Sabbath. He never ceases to be active. The worlds do not stop in their orbits to rest when the holy day begins. The grass does not stop growing, the flowers do not cease to bloom, the wheat does not pause in its ripening when the day of rest comes.
There is no Sabbath–keeping in God’s providence. His care for His children does not intermit when the Sabbath dawns upon the world. The people found fault with Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath.
This was His answer: “My Father worketh even until now – has never ceased to work in blessing and helping His creatures.” Then He added, “And I work.”
This was in answer to the charge that He had broken the Sabbath in healing the man. We also get here a hint of the kind of works that are right for us to do on the Lord’s Day. There is not a shadow of defence here for ordinary secular work on the Lord’s Day, but works of mercy, of religion, we may do on the day of rest.