John 5:1-9

Sunday Morning Bible Study

September 10, 1995

Introduction

Back in chapter 2, we saw Jesus go to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover (2:13).

In Jerusalem, He had performed miracles, and had met privately with a man named Nicodemus (chs.2-3)

After the feast was over, Jesus went off to minister for a while in Judaea, where a controversy started because Jesus was drawing in more people than John the Baptist.

Jesus avoided the controversy by going up north, going first through Samaria, where He met the woman at the well, and many Samaritans came to believe in Him (ch.4)

From Samaria, Jesus went north to spend more time in Galilee, where he healed the nobleman's son (ch.4).

:1-16

:1 there was a feast of the Jews

Which feast was it? We really don't know.

:2 by the sheep market

Note the italics in the text. The word "market" isn't in the Greek text.

Many translations say "sheep Gate". It could also be understood, "sheep pool".

Look at map.

Outside the city in Jesus' day, on the northeast of the city, there was a gate into Jerusalem, where they brought the sheep for sacrificing in the temple.

It's near this gate that there was a pool.

:2 a pool

This pool has been found, and is actually two pools, side by side.

One pool is fifty-five feet long, the other is sixty-five feet long.

The first pool has five archs with porches under the arches around the pool.

When the Crusaders found these pools, they built a church over the top of it, called St. Anne's. There's an opening in the floor that leads to the pools underneath.

For a long time, even after the Crusades, this site was lost, until an archaeologist named Schick was digging near the church in 1888, and found the pools underneath.

:2 called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda

John explains that he's giving the Hebrew name for the place, not the Greek name.

Bethesda = "house of mercy"

(Some Greek mss. read "Beth-zatha", or, "house of olives")

:3 In these lay a great multitude

Under these five porches, there were large numbers of people laying about.

Note: The text seems to indicate that Jesus is only interested in this one man. There are other passages where Jesus heals all that come to Him, but in this passage, He seeks out a particular man.

Lesson:

Not everyone receives healing.

I might get some flack for this.

Some have taught that Jesus always heals everyone.

They use verses like:

»Luke 6:19-AV And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed [them] all.

But if you look at this passage, there are a lot of sick people lying about, and it looks to me that Jesus only picks out one guy and heals him.

:3 impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered

There were all kinds of diseased and handicapped people lying all around this pool.

impotent folk - (astheneo) to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless

blind - blind

halt - (cholos) lame; deprived of a foot, maimed

withered - (xeros) dry; of members of the body deprived of their natural juices, shrunk, wasted, withered

:4 For an angel went down ...

(no mss. before A.D. 400 contains this verse - some see it as an addition to explain what the people thought about this pool, and why is "moved")

Some versions don't have this verse. Some people think it was added later to explain why the sick people hung out at Bethesda.

Who knows?

:5 an infirmity

astheneia - it's kind of a vague, general kind of word meaning:

1) want of strength, weakness, infirmity

1a) of the body

1a1) its native weakness and frailty

1a2) feebleness of health or sickness

1b) of the soul

1b1) want of strength and capacity requisite

1b1a) to understand a thing

1b1b) to do things great and glorious

1b1c) to restrain corrupt desires

1b1d) to bear trials and troubles

We aren't given any specifics as to this man's illness, except that he's had it a long time.

I kind of like that.

To me, it allows me to identify with it a little bit easier.

:5 thirty and eight years

That would be like me having a particular disease since I was one year old.

It's very likely that this man is at least middle aged, not young like I am.

It means that he's had this infirmity for 38 years, not necessarily that he's been at Bethesda for 38 years.

:6 knew that he had been now a long time ...

Jesus is aware of how long this man has been laying there.

He knows that this man has been in his condition for some time.

When Jesus sees this, it prompts Him to say,

:6 Wilt thou be made whole?

or, "Do you have a desire to become healed?"

or, "Do you really want to get well?"

I know that many of the scholars don't think that Jesus is questioning whether this man want to really be healed or not, but the more time I spend on this passage, the more convinced I am that this is the case.

Jesus usually has the tendency to say just what people need to hear.

Remember the woman at the well, how Jesus zeroed right in on her problem with men?

Is it possible that this man has been actually satisfied inside with not being healthy?

He's been taken care of some how for 38 years.

Hey, it's a living.

Lesson: (two ways to look at it...)

1. Sometimes our deliverance depends on us wanting it.

Sometimes the problem with healing is that we don't really want to get well.

Illustration:

I remember at times as a kid, when staying home from school because of illness, how you get to that point where you're feeling better, but not quite ready to go back to school.

Remember wishing you could be sick forever?

All the benefits that come from being sick?

How about with emotional heartaches or illness? (Remember that it was a kind of vague infirmity)

Are we willing to really give it up?

Are we ready to stop hanging on to the bitterness?

Sometimes we actually like bitterness and anger, because we don't think the other person should get off the hook so easily.

Sometimes we actually enjoy being mad at another person.

Illustration:

I've seen marriage break-ups where one person has been victimized by the other, but when the bad one turns, repents, and wants to reconcile, the victim is unwilling to forgive them because they don't want to give up the anger. They don't want to put their guns down.

Warning:

Don't start looking around at people who have had long term sickness or problems and decide that they must just like it that way.

This isn't a catch-all answer.

But the issue is that sometimes we need to ask ourselves, just how bad do we really want to get better?

Are we willing to give up all the attention we get by being sick?

2. Do you really want what you're asking for?

I think sometimes we ask people to pray for things, because we know that this is the proper thing to ask for, but we really don't want it, nor expect it ourselves.

Illustration - Expectation Corner

A little book, long out of print, called Expectation Corner, tells of a king who prepared a city for some of his poor subjects. Not far away he constructed a large storehouse where everything they needed would be supplied if they would only send him their requests. There was one condition, however: they should constantly be on the lookout for his messengers so that when they came with the gifts in answer to their urgent pleas, the petitioners would always be found waiting and ready to receive them. One faithless subject, not actually expecting to get what he asked for, never watched for their delivery. One day he was taken to the king's storehouse; and there, to his amazement, he saw scores of packages that had originally been made ready for him. The messengers had come to his door, but because he was not looking for them, the king's gifts never satisfied his needs.

Sometimes God makes us wait for things, simply because we are so unbelieving and insipid in the way we ask for His heavenly favors. Many miss out on desired blessings because they close themselves in the gloomy chambers of doubt. How much better to be stationed in the faith-illumined section of the garden of prayer called "Expectation Corner".

I think we need to examine from time to time just how much of our heart is in what we're asking for.

»John 15:7-AV If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Keys to answered prayer:

1. Abide in Jesus - Just stay close to Him, live in Him

2. His Word abides in you - let the Word of God get so close to you, it's living in you. It gets it's mail at your address.

3. Have a will in prayer - have desires, a will.

Oftentimes, when we're just staying close to Jesus, we'll start to pray for something, but after a few weeks, we'll notice that our heart's just not in it anymore.

That's because Jesus has changed our heart, and given us His desires, and is leading us by changing our desires.

:7 Sir, I have no man

Is this a true, legitimate response? Or is the man just making excuses?

Think about it...

In the past, this excuse has conjured up images in my mind that this man is totally paralyzed from the neck down, and must be totally dependant upon somebody to move him.

But that's not logical.

If the man is totally paralyzed, and has nobody to help him, how has he survived for thirty-eight years?

He's either not totally paralyzed, or he has people to take care of him.

This leads me to believe that Jesus is really nailing him on the head when He asks him whether or not he really wants to get better.

What he's really doing is just blaming other people for his own condition.

Lesson:

Be careful about blaming others for your condition

Ever since the beginning of time, mankind has always been looking for someone to blame his problems on.

Adam blamed Eve.

Eve blamed the serpent.

When Saul was caught in disobedience by Samuel, he replied:

»1Samuel 15:20-21 AV And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

I've heard bosses blaming their employees.

I've heard employees blaming their bosses.

I've heard pastors blaming their congregations for not growing.

Husbands and wives, blaming each other for a rotten marriage...

Children blaming parents ...

When we keep blaming other people for our problems, we're only hurting ourselves.

Illustration:

During World War II the U.S. submarine Tang surfaced under the cover of darkness to fire upon a large Japanese convoy off the coast of China. Since previous raids had left the American vessel with only eight torpedoes, the accuracy of every shot was absolutely essential. The first seven missiles were right on target; but when the eighth was launched, it suddenly deviated and headed right back at their own ship. The emergency alarm to submerge rang out, but it was too late. Within a matter of seconds, the U.S. sub received a direct hit and sank almost instantly.

In much the same way we can destroy ourselves by hostility toward others. The effects of holding a grudge are very serious. Modern medicine has shown that emotions like bitterness and anger can cause problems such as headaches, backaches, allergic disorders, ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart attacks, to name just a few.

What God is looking for, if for a person who is willing to admit that he's responsible for his own sins.

»Proverbs 28:13-AV He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh [them] shall have mercy.

»Psalms 32:5-AV I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

:7 to put me into the pool

Or, lit., "to throw me into the pool"

:8 Rise, take up thy bed, and walk

Jesus speaks with the authority of a command.

He commands the man to get up and walk.

bed - The bed was the light mattress or pallet of the poor which could be easily rolled up and carried under the arm.

Note: Jesus asks the man to get up by himself!

The man's excuse was that he had nobody to help him, and Jesus doesn't ask somebody to come over to help, but asks the man to get up himself.

Lesson:

Sometimes it's just Jesus and you.

God can and does use people in our lives to bring healing.

But sometimes God wants to do it by Himself, just you and Him.

I think we cheat ourselves of a lot of God's blessings in our lives because we want them to come through a person.

»Psalms 34:4-AV I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

:9 immediately

As soon as Jesus spoke...

:9 made whole

This is the same Greek word that's used in verse 6 ("Wilt thou be made whole?")

hugies - sound, of a man who is sound in body; to make one whole i.e. restore him to health

Jesus had commanded the man to get up pick up his bed, and then in order for the man to be able to do it, Jesus heals him.

Note:

Sometimes, Jesus commands something to be done, and it isn't until the person starts to obey that they are healed.

ie. The ten lepers.

But here, the healing occurs before the man gets up and walks.

Lesson:

Jesus won't call you to do something without then enabling you to do it.

He isn't going to ask you to fly without first giving you wings.

Some of you have sensed a special call on your life.

Don't be afraid if it seems impossible or too big at first.

When the time is right, God will have you completely equipped.

Illustration:

About 13 years ago, when we first started going to Calvary Chapel, I remember meeting with one of the pastors and talking to him about God's call on my life for ministry.

He said, "Why don't you just go out and start a church?"

I thought he was crazy.

That was the last thing in the world I thought I was capable of.

:9 on the same day was the sabbath

As we'll see next week, the timing of this miracle is going to cause some problems for Jesus.