Well, before we jump into God's Word, I just want to wish all of you mothers a happy Mother's Day.
Hopefully you get a chance to connect with your children today, and that it's a great day for you.
Let's pray as we go to the Word of God.
Father in Heaven, we thank you so much for your Word.
Thank you that you have spoken to us,
and that in these moments we have the opportunity to hear from you, God.
We ask that you'd open our hearts, open our minds, enable us to hear, enable us to see what we need to see and hear from you.
I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, have you ever wondered what it would be like if Jesus were to go to the local swimming pool?
That's exactly where we find Jesus today in the story which John tells.
John chapter 5, verse 1.
Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.
Now there is in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda,
and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.
To be fair, a trip to the pool in Jesus' day would be very different from a trip to the pool in our day.
Massive cultural differences.
This was a totally different time as well.
You can imagine in that part of the world, in the Middle East, and in that day, people didn't have running water.
They didn't have plumbing in their houses.
And so the local pool, that was a place to go and cool off, rinse off, drew a lot of people.
It was a bit of a social hub in the community.
We don't really know exactly what it was like for Jewish people of Jesus' day,
where they act like full-blown swimming in the pool or what.
We don't know.
Some people think that the lower part of this pool here in Jerusalem,
they actually found some of the remains of it north of the Temple Mount,
that that part of the pool was used for ritual washing or bathing.
We don't know for sure.
But this is where we find Jesus.
He's back in Jerusalem.
He's at the pool.
And what does Jesus see there?
Well, John tells us in verse 3 that here at the pool, a great number of disabled people used to lie.
The blind, the lame, the paralyzed.
One who was there had been an invalid for 38 years.
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time,
he asked him,
Do you want to get well?
Sir, the invalid replied,
I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.
While I'm trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.
Then Jesus said to him,
Get up.
Pick up your mat and walk.
At once, the man was cured.
He picked up his mat and walked.
So here's Jesus at the pool and he does another amazing miracle.
He's at the pool and John tells us that a great number of disabled people used to lie there.
That word disabled, it's more generally a term for sickness or ill,
but refers usually to people who have some kind of really serious debilitating condition or sickness.
He gives examples.
People like the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.
Now, why are these kinds of people at the pool?
Well, John tells us, it kind of comes out in verses 7 and verse 4.
In verse 7, we kind of hear it a little bit in what the man says.
He says to Jesus,
Jesus asked him,
Do you want to get well?
And the man says,
Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.
While I'm trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.
The sense that we get from that is that,
Well, I'm trying to be healed,
but I can't get down into the water before,
after the water is stirred because somebody else gets down in there first.
So what's going on here?
What's with this whole healing from going into the water after the water is stirred?
Verse 4 gives us an answer to that question.
But depending on the translation that you're using in English,
you may not have a verse 4 in your Bible.
In my Bible, it just goes straight from verse 3 to verse 5.
So why is that?
What's going on here?
Well, there's a short answer to that and a long answer.
And if you have more questions or thoughts,
wonderings about why there's a whole verse missing in your Bible,
I'd be happy to chat with you anytime.
Feel free to give me a call.
The short answer is that today,
because of modern-day archaeological discoveries,
we actually have older and more accurate manuscripts
or copies of the New Testament writings available to us
than they did with the first English translation of the Bible,
the King James in 1611.
And so those old manuscripts that we found,
they don't have verse 4 in them.
They just go straight from 3 into 5.
So probably what took place is that somewhere along the lines,
as people were reading John's account,
they were wondering,
well, what's this business about needing to get into the pool first
in order to be healed?
And so somewhere along the line,
somebody added in verse 4 to explain it.
It's kind of probably a parenthetical comment.
Verse 4 says this,
that the people who were there,
the disabled or the sick,
the blind,
the lame,
the paralyzed,
they were waiting for the moving of the waters.
From time to time,
verse 4,
an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters.
The first one into the pool after each such disturbance
would be cured of whatever disease they had.
So because it probably wasn't in the original writing of John,
we don't know for sure if it's true.
It's possible that people really were healed,
and if they were,
then for sure we would give the glory and the credit for that to God.
And it's also possible that that was the prevailing thought or attitude or idea
that there is more of a religious superstition,
that,
hey,
this pool has magical healing properties,
and occasionally from some kind of natural thing,
it's probably a spring-fed pool or fed from some kind of moving water source,
it would get stirred up,
and people thought that you could be healed from it.
At least this man thinks that way.
Either way,
this man thinks that way.
And so he's trying to get into the pool.
Jesus asks him,
do you want to get well?
I'm trying.
I've been trying to do it,
but I can't.
All my attempts have failed.
Every time I try to get in there,
somebody beats me in,
and they get the healing,
and I miss out.
Who is this man?
Let's consider for a moment just who this man is.
Verse 5.
One who was lying,
one who was there had been an invalid for 38 years.
When Jesus saw him lying there
and learned that,
or knew that he had been in this condition for a long time,
he asked him,
do you want to get well?
So,
we're not told exactly what this man's condition was.
We assume,
just from what's said,
that it was some kind of a paralysis.
For whatever reason,
or whatever condition he had,
he wasn't able to walk.
He'd lost the use of his legs,
and so there he was lying on his mat.
And John tells us that he had been,
he had had this condition for 38 years.
Now, that's a long time.
It's half the average lifespan of a Canadian citizen.
Think of that.
The last 38 years of your life
lived in a wheelchair.
This is significant.
This man has been through a lot.
Notice that it's Jesus who initiates with him.
In verse 6,
when Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been in this condition for a long time,
he asked him,
do you want to get well?
So, Jesus comes to him
and starts the conversation.
The man basically says,
I'm trying.
I've been doing what I can
to get into the water and be healed,
but all my attempts have failed.
Jesus, we imagine,
is looking right at him.
In verse 8, he says,
get up,
pick up your mat,
and walk.
At once,
the man was cured.
He picked up his mat
and walked.
Wow.
This is amazing.
To give you a bit of a picture,
I mean, just imagine
what this would be like
in modern day terms.
There you are,
you're at the hospital,
you've been there for two weeks,
you're in one of those rooms
that has two beds,
you're in one bed
and there's another guy
in the other bed,
he's been there
as long as you've been there,
and every day,
multiple times a day,
you've watched
as he presses the button
and a nurse comes in
and lifts his legs
out of the bed
and kind of slides him over
into a wheelchair
to help him get over
to use the bathroom
or to go for a little stroll
down the hall.
And then one day,
a stranger walks into the room
and says to this man
lying in the bed,
do you want to get well?
Well, I have,
I've been trying,
I'm doing everything I can.
Get up.
Get out of the bed.
Can you imagine
how shocked you would be
if in that moment
he just stood up
and started walking around?
This is amazing
for anybody
who knew this man
or who was a regular
at the pool
and saw this man
from time to time.
Can you imagine
the looks on their faces
as Jesus says,
get up.
And this man stands up
and begins walking around.
Amazing.
Well, that's not
the end of the story.
It goes on in verse 9.
John tells us,
the day on which
this took place
was a Sabbath.
And so the Jewish leaders
said to the man
who had been healed,
it is the Sabbath.
The law forbids you
to carry your mat.
But he replied,
the man who made me well
said to me,
pick up your mat
and walk.
So they asked him,
who is this fellow
who told you
to pick it up
and walk?
The man who was healed
had no idea
who it was.
For Jesus had slipped away
into the crowd
that was there.
So John tells us
that all of this,
this healing,
happened on a Sabbath.
And you can just imagine
this poor man,
I mean,
he's having one of the best
days of his life.
And then all of a sudden,
it's kind of squelched.
He gets,
in a sense,
pulled over
by the religious leaders.
Today is the Sabbath day.
What are you doing?
Carrying your mat
on the Sabbath day.
That's against the law.
Now we probably should reflect a little bit on that.
The Sabbath,
according to God's command,
was a day that they were to take
as a special day,
a day of rest
from all their regular work.
God gave that command
to Moses.
And it was for the Israelites.
But since then,
rabbis and teachers
had kind of added in
a whole bunch of,
we could call them sub-commands,
or a little bit of a framework
of various commands
and laws
that would help
that if you kept them,
it would keep you
from breaking the big one
of the Sabbath.
And so they had come up
with a system of,
or a classification system
of 39 different kinds of work
that you could not do
on the Sabbath.
And if you did these things,
it was considered
to be breaking the law
of the Sabbath.
Not treating the Sabbath day
as holy.
And one of those kinds of work
was carrying something
from one location to another.
Amazingly,
they applied this
not just to,
you know,
obviously kind of
work-related things,
but even to small things.
According to one
modern-day Jewish website,
this is Orthodox Jewish belief,
even carrying a key
or a handkerchief
outside of your home
is considered work
and breaking the Sabbath law
of carrying,
which prohibits carrying.
And this kind of legalism
is applied
even today
by Orthodox Jews
to a whole manner of things.
I mean,
it's considered work
to write on a piece of paper
on the Sabbath.
It's considered work
to activate
an electronic device
of any kind
or turn it off
on the Sabbath.
That's the modern-day equivalent
of kindling a fire
or extinguishing a fire,
which is considered work.
Even something as simple
as tearing
a strip of toilet paper
on the Sabbath
is considered work
by some of the most
strict or stringent
Orthodox Jews.
And so this is a big deal
for this man
who's carrying his mat.
He gets pulled over
by the religious leaders
and essentially
charged
with breaking the law.
And what does the man do?
He kind of deflects
a little bit.
He says,
the man who made me well
said to me,
pick up your mat
and walk.
I'm just doing
what the guy
who healed me
told me to do.
And it seems
that his tactic works
because the next question
that comes from
the religious leaders
is,
well,
who is this fellow
who told you
to pick it up
and walk?
And I think
even the way
it's phrased,
they're not so interested
in who is it
that healed you.
They're interested in
who is it
that told you
to carry your mat,
to pick it up
and carry it
on the Sabbath day.
We want to know
his name.
I mean,
that's encouraging
someone to break
the law.
And ironically,
the man who was healed
has no idea
who it was.
He didn't even know
Jesus' name.
It says he had just,
Jesus had slipped away
into the crowd
after he was healed.
Well,
later in verse 14,
Jesus found this man
who had been healed
at the temple
and said to him,
See,
you are well again.
Stop sinning
or something worse
may happen to you.
The man went away
and told the Jewish leaders
that it was Jesus
who had made him well.
So this is kind of
the end of the story.
Jesus runs into this guy
again at the temple.
And this time he has
some very different
kinds of words for him.
See,
you are well again.
You've been healed.
You've received this amazing
gift of God's grace.
Now stop sinning
or something worse
may happen to you.
We'll come back
to that in a moment.
What does the man do?
It says the man went away
and he told the Jewish leaders
that it was Jesus
who had made him well.
That's probably
not the response
that we are expecting.
If we think back
to the royal official
last Sunday
after his son
had been healed,
he and his whole
household,
his whole family
believed in Jesus.
Like,
the real kind
of true faith.
But this man,
even though he has just
been healed miraculously,
miraculously,
it seems as though
he goes back
to the Jewish leaders
and kind of reports
who it was
that had made him well,
but also who it was
that had told him
that he should
break the law.
Not the kind of
grateful response
that we're expecting
to see here.
Well, what are we
supposed to see
in all of this?
Well, there's lots here,
but as we've been doing
throughout this series,
we want to take
a few minutes
just to focus in
on what we see
of the glory
of Jesus.
This is part of
why John is writing,
that we would see
how Jesus
is glorious,
how he is full
of God's grace,
full of God's truth.
How do we see
that here?
Well, I think
the first
and most obvious
way that we see
Jesus' glory
is in the
miraculous power
which he
brings to bear
upon this man.
This is an amazing
healing.
I mean, think of this.
38 years
this man has been
unable to walk.
He's been lying
on his mat
or in the bed.
Think of what
needs to happen
in his legs
for him
to go from that,
38 years of not
using them,
to standing up
and walking
around.
If you've ever
had any kind
of surgery
on your knee
or your hip,
then you know
that it can take
weeks of physio
to regain
the strength
and the range
of motion
in order to be
able to walk.
Yet Jesus
takes him
from not being
able to walk,
not having used
his legs
for almost
40 years,
to instantly
being able
to walk
just in a moment.
It's amazing.
Jesus doesn't
lay his hands
on him.
Jesus doesn't
even utter
any kind
of formula
or pronunciation.
He simply
tells him
to get up
in some moment
in there
between Jesus
saying get up
and him
actually trying
to,
his body
is instantly
cured.
This is amazing.
This is something
that only God
can do.
And it's evidence
that Jesus
is the Son
of God.
The second way
that we see
the glory
of Jesus
here
pertains
to grace.
We see
that Jesus
is full of grace
in this account.
We see it
in the fact
that he heals
the man.
He gives him
a gracious
gift of God.
We see it
in the fact
that Jesus
initiates
all of this
in the first
place
with the man.
Especially
when we think
of last Sunday.
This man
didn't come
to Jesus.
He didn't
ask Jesus
to do anything
for him.
He didn't
even know
who Jesus
was.
And before
any of that
Jesus
heals him
on the spot.
Jesus
initiates
this whole
thing with
him.
Why?
We read
a little
bit in
verse 6
of why.
When Jesus
saw him
lying there
and knew
that he
had been
in this
condition
for a long
time,
he asked
him,
do you
want to
get well?
The sense
that we see
there is
that Jesus
was moved
with compassion.
The kindness
and love
in his heart
just welled
up inside
him as
he saw
the man
lying
there on
his mat
and knew
that he'd
been there
for a long
time in
that state,
in that
condition.
The grace
of God
is seen,
the grace
of Jesus
is seen
in how
he's the
one who
makes the
first move
in all
of this
and offers
this precious
gift to
the man.
we also
see kind
of the
other side
of grace,
the mercy
of Jesus
here.
Jesus
knows that
this man
has not
been living
a life
that pleases
God.
He says
as much
in verse
14,
see you
are well
again,
stop
sinning,
sin no
longer,
which implies
that he has
been living
a sinful
life.
Jesus
knows that.
Not only
that,
but I
think he
probably
knows too
that this
man leaves
and goes
to report
to the
religious
leaders
to tell
on him
in a
sense.
He seems
very much
ungrateful
for the
gift of
God that
he has
received.
And yet
knowing all
of that,
it didn't
stop Jesus
from
healing him
and from
giving him
this gracious
gift of
God.
It's a
good reminder
to us of
what grace
really means.
By definition,
grace is
unmerited
favor.
It's
kindness
or favor
from God
that is,
it doesn't
come because
it's earned.
It doesn't
come as an
obligation.
it's
something that
he offers
out of
his own
free will
and love
and kindness
and desire
to help,
to bless.
And we
certainly see
that with
this man.
Despite
his
character,
despite
his sin,
Jesus
shows
him
mercy.
He
gives
him
that
which
he
does
not
deserve,
which he
has done
nothing to
merit or
earn,
this amazing
gift of
healing.
We also
see that
Jesus is
full of
truth.
How do
we see
that here?
Well,
probably the
easiest place
to see that
is in
verse 14.
Jesus says
those choice
words to
him.
See,
you are
well again.
Stop
sinning
or something
worse may
happen to
you.
Now,
those words,
they don't
sound very
nice.
We'll just
put it that
way.
They're not
the kind
of words
that you
want to
hear from
anyone.
But these
words come
a little
differently
on the lips
of Jesus
because of
who he
is.
He's not
just some
self-righteous
religious
leader
passing
judgment
with this
comment.
No,
Jesus,
as John
has been
telling us,
is the
Son of
God.
He is
God
himself
who has
become
flesh
and is
now
walking
among
us.
And he
knows
what's
going on
inside
people.
He knew
it with
Nathanael,
he knew
it with
the Jews
that he
had
encountered
earlier
at the
Passover
in Jerusalem
last time
he was
here.
He knew
what was
going on
inside
Nicodemus.
He knew
the past
of the
Samaritan
woman.
He knew
the thoughts
and hearts
of the
crowd
that he
was talking
with last
Sunday
when the
royal official
came in
Cana.
He knows
what's going
on in
this man's
life
as only
God can
know.
And so
these words
take on a
whole new
level of
meaning.
When he
looks this
man in
the eye
and says
stop
sinning.
Sin no
longer.
I know
how you've
been living.
And you
need to
turn away
from those
sinful
attitudes and
behaviors.
You've been
made well.
Now don't
take that
gift of
God and
use it
to do
more sin.
or something
worse may
happen to
you.
He says
I don't
think this
is a
self-righteous
threat.
I think
this is
a gracious
warning.
Jesus is
full of
truth and
he brings
the truth
not that
this man
probably
wants to
hear but
the truth
that he
needs to
hear.
Don't
think that
you can
play games
with God.
don't
think that
you can
now take
God's
grace and
go and
live however
you want
and who
cares about
him and
what he
has said,
what he
has commanded,
what he
says is
right and
wrong.
Jesus
doesn't
treat this
man as
just a
helpless
victim of
his
circumstances
who because
of all
that he's
been through
has these
ways that
he's acting
out in
these
behaviors but
he's not
really guilty.
He's had a
tough past.
No,
Jesus
basically
treats it.
You're
responsible for
your own
actions,
for how
you're
living and
you must
turn away
from sin.
You must
stop sinning
or else
something worse
may happen
to you.
I think
we should
hear in
that not
an empty
threat but
a serious
word of
warning from
God.
It's
here that
I think
this passage
there's more
than one
place but
especially
speaks to
us today.
I felt
challenged by
this myself.
Do I
take God's
grace for
granted?
Am I
happy to
accept the
good gifts
of God
God?
But not
so eager
or excited
to obey
the commands
that he
has given
to do
what he
has told
me is
right and
to not
do what
he has
told me
is wrong?
Do we
take God's
grace for
granted?
We'll see
this throughout
the gospel
of John.
God's
grace and
his truth
come to
us together.
When Jesus
speaks both
are there
grace and
truth.
Wonderful
words of
life but
also words
that bring
conviction
of sin.
And it's
easy to
want the
one.
But we
are to
accept God's
gift of
grace by
faith by
believing in
his son and
also accept
his words of
warning and
his words which
bring conviction
of sin.
Jesus is not
just here to
tell us the
good news of
what God
has done
for us and
what he
will do
for us.
He is
also here
to recalibrate
our hearts
and our
thinking back
to a
proper reverence
and fear
of God as
we should
have.
I'm reminded
of those words
spoken through
the prophet
Isaiah about
Jesus.
A shoot will
come up from
the stump of
Jesse.
From his
roots a
branch will
bear fruit.
The spirit of
the Lord will
rest on him
and it
goes on and
then it
comes down
and says in
verse 3 and
he will
delight in
the fear
of the
Lord.
Oh we see
that here.
We see
that Jesus
is saying
something which
should strike
fear into
the heart
of this
man.
A good,
a right,
a proper
fear.
Stop
sinning.
you've
been made
well.
Stop
sinning
or something
worse may
happen to
you.
Grace
and truth.
And so I
just want to
leave us with
that question
and encourage
us to
reflect
and to
ask the
Lord,
what are
those places
in my life,
ways,
behaviors,
habits,
patterns,
attitudes,
perhaps where
I've been
taking your
grace for
granted,
where I've
been thinking
of those
things,
those that
I know
are sin
or wrong
as,
oh they're
no big
deal.
I'm good,
I'm a
Christian,
I believe
in Jesus,
I'll have
your favor,
but don't
tell me
that I
need to
change.
Of course
it's only
the Lord
who can
really show
each one
of us
in our
hearts,
in our
lives,
what those
things are,
but I'd
encourage you
this week
to take
time to
pray about
that,
to think
about that.
Do we
realize
just who
Jesus is?
Do you
know that
Jesus has
come,
not just
to fix
your immediate
problems,
but to make
you well
in the
ultimate
sense,
to give
you life,
to bring
you back
into a
right and
proper,
good kind
of fear,
love
relationship
with God,
the God
who made
you,
and who
loves you?
Do you
believe that
he is the
son of
God?
I hope
you do,
and I
hope that
you will
hear his
words and
respond to
them in
whatever ways
he leads
you to
today and
in the
week ahead.
Let's pray.
Father in
heaven,
thank you so
much for
these words.
They are
serious words,
but they
are words
of life.
They are
words of
grace,
and we
need them.
Lord, we
ask that
you would
convict us
of our
sin
again.
Remind us
of those
ways where
we have
blown it.
But even
as we pray
that, we
thank you
that you
sent your
son to
be the
atoning
sacrifice,
the lamb
that we
needed so
that we
could be
forgiven and
cleansed of
all of our
sins against
you once
and for
all.
And so
it's with
joy that
we ask you
to do your
good work
of cleansing,
of searching,
of exposing
in our
hearts.
And we
thank you
that one
day we
will be
made
perfect.
And we
will receive
the gift
of life,
those of
us who
believe in
your name.
We say
all this
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.