At the church where I serve, we are spending our
time together in a sermon series entitled unexplainable. During this series, we
are spending the weeks leading up to Easter looking at seven unexplainable
events from history in the life of Jesus that are recorded for us in an account
of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of John. In the gospel of John that we see John, as he looked in the
rearview mirror of his life, record for us seven events from history in the
life of Jesus that are unexplainable. And as John gives us a front row seat to
these events from history that seemed to be unexplainable, our hope and our
prayer during this series is that as we look at these unexplainable events from
history in the life of Jesus, we would discover several timeless truths about
Jesus that have the potential to powerfully impact how we view Jesus.
This week,
I would like for us to spend our time together by
looking at the third of these events from history that seem to be
unexplainable. And as John gives us a front row seat to this event from
history, we will discover another timeless truth about Jesus that have the
potential to powerfully impact how we view Jesus. So let’s look at this event
from history together, beginning in John 5:1:
After these
things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there
is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a
pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a
multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the waters; for
an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up
the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in
was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted. A man was
there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
John brings us into this section of his account of
Jesus life by proving for us the context for which this event from history
would take place. John tells us that some time after doing the unexplainable by
healing the royal official’s son, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem to participate in
a feast of the Jews.
Now while John does not tell us exactly which feast
this was, this would be a time where the Temple and the city of Jerusalem would
be filled with out of town guests who had come to worship God. John then
explains that in Jerusalem, there was a pool named the pool of Bethesda, which
had five porticos, or entrances, to the pool. This pool actually consisted of
two separate pools. Here is a rendering of what the pools looked like in Jesus
day.
John tells us that a multitude of people who were
suffering from various diseases gathered around these twin pools. These were people
who were suffering either from a debilitating illness, blindness, a severe
physical injury, or were paralyzed. We then discover that the reason that
multitudes of people were gathering around these two pools was due to their
belief that that the water of these pools were periodically disturbed by an
angel. And as the angel disturbed the water of the pool, the belief was that
the first person who was able to get into the pool would be miraculously healed
from their injury or illness.
However, nowhere does the Bible talk about angels
participating in such an event. You see, this was an old wives tale; this was a
superstition. And like so many wives tales; like so many superstitions, people
who were at the end of their rope, people who had exhausted all other means of
experiencing healing, would come to the pool of Bethesda in hopes of being
healed. The pool of Bethesda became a place where a cruel contest occurred
between the many ill people lying there. These people were willing to do or try
anything in order for the opportunity to be healed. So these physically damaged
people would jockey for position to have the opportunity to be first in the
pool when the angel appeared to stir the waters.
Now can you imagine seeing multitudes of people that
are damaged in some way physically surrounding these pools? Can you imagine how
desperate one must be in order to participate in this cruel contest? Can you
imagine the disappointment of never being able to make it into the water? The
disappointments of “false alarms”? The disappointment of never seeing anyone
healed?
John explains that there was a man there who had
been suffering from a debilitating illness that left him paralyzed for 38
years. And this man, at the end of his rope in total desperation, finds himself
jockeying for position so that he could have the opportunity to be first in the
water. Can you see him there? Can you see his eyes fixed on the water of the
pool, waiting in hopeful anticipation to see ripples in the waters? Because it
is into this context that John brings us into this unexplainable event from
history in verse 6:
When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already
been a long time in that condition,
He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?"
As this man who has suffered for 38 years from a
debilitating illness remained focused on the water of the pool, we see Jesus
approach and asked a seemingly obvious question: “Do you wish to get well”?
Jesus basically asks this man “Do you want to be healed and restored to
health”? John explains that Jesus was
fully aware that this man had been in this desperate position for a significant
period of time.
Now a natural question that arises here is “Well
Dave, if Jesus knew that this man had been in this desperate position for a
significant period of time, then why is He even asking this question? You see,
Jesus is asking this question in order to draw the man’s attention away from
the water of the pool and on to Him. Most likely, the man hardly noticed that
Jesus had shown up. After all he was focused like a laser beam on the water in
the pool. So Jesus here is getting the attention of this sick man.
But here is something to consider: Why did Jesus
choose this man? I mean, John makes it clear that there were multitudes of
people by this pool. And most likely, Jesus had to step over and around others
to get to this man. So why this man? And why only this man? We will come back
to these questions a little later. We see how this man responded to Jesus
question in verse 7:
The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have
no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am
coming, another steps down before me."
Now this morning, did you notice something about
this man’s response? Did you notice that this sick man’s focus and hopes for
healing was based on the pool? “If I only could get to the pool, but I can’t
get to the pool. If I only had someone to help get me to the pool, then the
pool would heal me. But I have no one to help get me to the pool.” This man had
a desire to be healed, but he also knew that he did not have the means to be
healed. This man had no one to help him get to the pool, which he viewed as his
savior and healer. We see John record Jesus response in verse 8:
Jesus said
to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." Immediately the man
became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
Can you imagine what that must have looked like? Can
you imagine the scene as a man who had been paralyzed as a result of a
debilitating illness for 38 years suddenly feels within him the ability to walk
again? This man, even though he did not know who Jesus was, responded to Jesus
unexplainable activity in his life by getting up immediately and walking.
But did you notice that something is missing here?
Did you notice that nowhere is there any mention of this man’s faith? I mean,
this man does not even ask Jesus his name. And Jesus heals this man, even
though He does not acknowledge what Jesus had just done for him or even ask his
name. Jesus searches this man out and miraculously heals him and the man simply
gets up and walks away without even thanking him or asking his name?
John then mentions that it was the Sabbath on that
day. Now if we were watching this as a scene from a DVD, at this point some
ominous music would begin playing. You know some “duh duh duh duh”. Some
ominous music would begin to play in order to set the stage for what was about
to happen as this man walks away from Jesus without thanking him or asking his
name.
Tomorrow, we will see John record for us what
happens next...
No comments:
Post a Comment