It has been previously stated in our study of John's gospel, the purpose for his writing.
We need not dig deep or postulate long on the matter because he tells us in John chapter 20, verse 30 and 31.
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book.
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
And that by believing you may have life in his name.
John wants his readers to behold the miracle-working Jesus in order to understand him to be God's anointed one.
The Savior of the world as we saw him called by the believers at Sychar a number of weeks ago.
That's the point of all these miracles. We're going to look at one together this morning.
As John labors to do this, to help us believe, he juxtaposes belief in Jesus with rejection of Jesus.
We see the very first clear instance of strong oppositional resistance to Jesus in today's text.
In broad terms, the Jews of Jesus' day did not want him on his terms, but on their own.
They understood the Messiah to be a military slash political figure.
One who was going to come and deliver them from the rule of Rome.
They did not anticipate Jesus' objection to their hypocritical religious systems and traditions.
And they would eventually kill him for it.
If we are to have Jesus, and there is no greater reality than this, to know God and to be known by him,
then we must have him on his terms.
On the back of your bulletin, the historic quotation this morning is from a man named William Bates,
who once said,
Many would depend on Christ's sacrifice, yet will not submit to his scepter.
They would have Christ to pacify their consciences and the world to please their affections.
They would have Christ to die for them, but not to live in them.
May it not be so of us this morning.
Let's pray before I read the text.
Father, help us this day as we take up your word together,
this blessed and precious thing, this authoritative, inerrant, sufficient word for us.
As we do this this morning, we want to do so carefully.
We want to rightly understand it this day, and we humbly recognize that we need your help to do so.
We know that it's written for your glory and for our good,
and so help us to believe its promises and obey its commands and have affection for you, its author.
We pray, Father, that we would see Christ as he is and accept him on his terms this morning.
And we pray this in his name.
Amen.
John chapter 5, beginning in verse 1, and I'll read through verse 18.
After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now, there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, an Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades or porches.
In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed.
One man was there who had been an invalid for 38 years.
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him,
Do you want to be healed?
The sick man answered him,
Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up,
and while I am going, another steps down before me.
Jesus said to him,
Get up, take up your bed, and walk.
And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
Now that day was the Sabbath.
So the Jews said to the man who had been healed,
It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.
But he answered them,
The man who healed me, the man that said to me,
Take up your bed and walk.
They asked him,
Who is the man who said to you,
Take up your bed and walk?
Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was,
For Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.
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.
The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus,
because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.
But Jesus answered them,
My father is working until now, and I am working.
This is 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.
Now before I share with you the outline for our study,
let's take a brief look at the setting for this text in verses 1-5.
Three things I want to note about it, these five verses.
First, just note the location, verses 1 and 2.
It's at the time of a feast, and it's not a designated feast.
We're not sure which feast this is exactly.
And John's not telling us a tight chronological story here,
so we're just not sure which it is.
But because it's a feast,
there would have been a lot of people gathered in Jerusalem.
He's gone up to Jerusalem.
It's up on a hill,
and he's at a place called Bethesda,
a pool near the Sheep Gate.
It's got these five roofs around it.
And in those places, these colonnades,
there are multitudes,
and we don't know exactly what that number means,
but we have to imagine a lot of invalids.
Blind, lame, paralyzed.
People who are there taking shelter under these porches,
around this pool,
looking for relief to be healed.
And we find amongst this multitude of invalids,
one man who had been an invalid for 38 years.
So this is the location of where this is happening.
Secondly, notice that there is a multitude.
I mentioned this already,
and we're going to see down in verse 13,
there's a man healed,
and he doesn't know who it is that healed him
because Jesus had withdrawn.
And John tells us the reason for that,
because there was a crowd in the place.
Jesus is often not a fan of the crowd.
He's awaiting his time
when crowds are going to cry for his crucifixion.
And so he escapes the mob.
He goes into places,
and he ministers to the individual,
and then he escapes out of it.
And the significance of this
will come up a bit later.
Third thing I want to note about the setting,
really just as we're looking at these first verses,
you may have noticed,
if you're being astute at all this morning,
that there is no verse 4 in the text that I read.
Some of your translations may have a verse 4,
a little bit at the end of verse 3,
and a verse 4.
But the ESV, which I read from this morning,
does not have a verse 4.
I kind of wish I'd show of hands.
How many of you noticed that?
The King James Version has a phrase
at the end of verse 3,
and then a verse 4.
I'm going to read it to you,
and we're going to talk a little bit,
it's a little bit of an aside,
why?
Why the exclusion of verse 4 in my reading?
So this is from the King James Version 1900,
the year 1900.
Verse 3,
And these lay a great multitude of impotent folk,
of blind halt withered,
and here's the addition,
waiting for the moving of the water.
And then verse 4,
For an angel went down at a certain season
into the pool,
and troubled the water,
whosoever then first,
after the troubling of the water,
stepped in,
was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
Now, I think it's probable,
upon your first reading of this,
that you even filled those details in.
I did,
when I read John chapter 5,
sat down this week to do it.
In my mind,
I knew the explanation for why
this healing was able to happen.
An angel stirred up the water.
That's where this comes from.
So we have a little bit of an issue
I think we should address.
It's important that we recognize
that there's some translations that include it,
there's some translations that don't.
And I hope,
in my briefest of explanations,
to give you greater confidence
in the word that we have before us.
So first,
the labor of looking at old manuscripts
and deciding what belongs in the scripture
is toiled over.
Very intelligent people across the ages,
still going on today,
do this very careful work.
We have an abundance,
an embarrassing amount,
of ancient manuscripts,
over 5,000 of them,
whole documents and fragments of documents,
more wealth of ancient manuscripts
than any other ancient writing at all.
If you have any confidence in any old writing,
you should have even more confidence
in this text.
The very words we have,
now you can decide whether or not
there's God's words to us,
but we have the words.
This is a reliable ancient document.
But,
sometimes,
there's some small discrepancies.
The earlier and most reliable
of these ancient manuscripts
do not include
the last little bit of verse 3
and verse 4.
Now you may have it as a footnote,
I do,
and my friends,
I look down,
I go,
hey, what happened to verse 4?
And you can look down at the bottom
and it tells you
what that
would have said.
And so the decision
for the ESV
was to exclude it altogether.
Sometimes you find it in brackets
with some footnoting
about how it may not have been
in earlier manuscripts.
But they're doing this
really careful work,
right,
of trying to sort out
what does
and what doesn't belong.
The very best guess
of how the end of verse 3
and verse 4
arrived
is that it was likely
a marginal note.
Somebody wrote off to the side
some explanation
like a study note
off to the side
and it's made its way
into subsequent copies.
We don't know for sure.
But
the thing that we should
gain our confidence
in these texts
is that they're doing
this very careful work,
right?
They're not renumbering it.
They're including the footnotes
down at the bottom.
And
no place,
of the few discrepancies
that there are,
no place that there is
a discrepancy
is any
doctrine
in conflict.
It doesn't change
all the things
that we need to believe
for life
and godliness.
We find
these things,
right,
these
explanations.
So,
if you
prefer to include
the end of verse 3
in chapter 4,
it opens up some
possibility here
that God has
provided
for the relief
of sufferers.
There's a,
this miraculous pool,
right,
that an angel comes down to
and stirs the water
and the first one in
is healed.
And perhaps
that's what's going
on here,
right?
If you take the end
of verse 3
and verse 4
as God's word,
then we must
come to that
conclusion.
If you don't,
which I wouldn't,
then we're just
really not sure.
Maybe that's what's
going on here.
Or,
perhaps,
some have said
that this pool
was fed
intermittently,
right,
by an intermittent
spring,
so some water
would have come
and rushed
into it.
There's some
old documents
that talk about
iron stains
within the pool,
so maybe it was
a mineral-rich pool,
and perhaps
some superstition
had surrounded
it.
But regardless,
John doesn't
work out the details
because they are
not the point
of what he's
saying.
There are
sufferers there,
clearly,
sufferers there,
and they're
looking for
relief
from their
suffering.
So,
now that we
have that
settling into
our minds,
I kind of
wonder how many
of you wouldn't
have even
noticed that
there wasn't
a verse
before.
An outline
for the rest
of our time
together.
We get to
gaze at
Jesus
in these
coming moments.
We get to
look at
the risen
Christ
before his
death
and following
resurrection.
In these
17 verses,
it's 1-18,
but there's
17 verses,
remember,
John is
trying to
help us
behold
Jesus
as the
Christ,
that we
would
believe in
him.
So,
first,
point number
one,
we're going
to see
Jesus as
the
sympathetic
healer,
and secondly
as the
rejected
Messiah.
So,
first,
the
sympathetic
healer.
A few
things I
think that
are important
for us to
notice,
verses 6
down and
through
verse 9.
Jesus is
omniscient,
which means
he knows
everything.
Jesus is
compassionate
and Jesus
is
omnipotent.
his
sovereign
power.
So,
one at a
time.
First,
Jesus is
omniscient.
Notice in
verse 6,
Jesus
sees this
man,
Jesus saw
him
lying there
and knew
that he
had already
been there
a long
time.
Jesus
already knew
all the
details of
this man's
life.
I don't
think we
should assume
that Jesus
knew this
by
the
appearance
of the
man.
There was
some way
that he
gathered
some
context
clues
and knew
that he
had been
there
a long
time.
But
John
has a
fully
formed
understanding
of exactly
who
Jesus
is.
Embodied
deity.
He knows
who he
is and
therefore
exactly
what he's
capable
of.
He
means
for us
to see
a word
like
new
and all
of that
comes
to life
in our
minds.
It would
be easy
at this
point
to rush
on,
to give
brief
acknowledgement
to the
fact that
Jesus
is
God
and just
move on
past it.
Of course
he knew
because he's
God.
But we
will do
well to
slow down
for a
moment and
consider
the fact
that Jesus
knew.
Just to
let it
settle
into our
hearts.
Jesus
knows
you.
Singular
man amongst
a multitude
of people.
Jesus
knows that
this man
has suffered
long.
He's been
there looking
for relief,
the text tells
it, for
38 years.
In the
same way,
Jesus
knows
you.
He
understands
you far
better than
you understand
yourself.
I think I
understand myself
better than
anybody.
Jesus
knows me
way better
than I
know myself.
All of
the complications
and all of
the intricacies
of my
heart.
There is
no sin
committed
that he is
not aware
of.
There is
no mingling
of intention
that he is
not able
to sort
out.
There is
no complexity
of emotion
that he
can't
unravel.
Jesus
knows you.
He knows
you and
it is the
unsurpassed
privilege of
the Christian
to know
him.
Incredible
thing.
An
omniscient
Jesus.
Knows
everything
at all
times.
He knew
this man
compassion.
And he
knows you.
And because
of his
knowledge of
this man,
he is
moved to
compassion
for him.
He asks
him a
question.
A question
he already
knows the
answer to.
Do you
want to
be healed?
He sets
the stage
for a
response.
A response
here in
just a
moment.
He sets
the stage
up for
him.
A
compassionate
offer of
healing to
the man.
The author
of Hebrews
says in
Hebrews
chapter 4
verse 15,
we do
not have
a high
priest who
is unable
to sympathize
with our
weaknesses.
The difference
between sympathy
and empathy.
I hear this
taught wrong
all the time.
So here I
am.
I'm going to
set the
record straight.
If somebody
sympathizes
with you,
it's because
they have
experienced
the thing
that you've
experienced.
If they
empathize
with you,
you're
imagining,
you're trying
to put
yourself in
that person's
shoes.
Often as a
pastor, I
have to
empathize
with people.
I haven't
experienced
everything that
you guys have
experienced.
When you go
through particular
trials or
hurts, I
empathize.
I think, oh,
that must be
hard.
I have to
imagine what
it would be
like to
live in that
circumstance
and take you
to the text
with me to
show you what
it might say.
That's different
than sympathy.
It's different.
Me too.
I've also
experienced the
very same
thing.
Jesus is
able to
sympathize
with our
weaknesses.
He is one
who is in
every respect
tempted as
we are
trialed.
That word
can also
mean difficult
circumstance
laid upon us.
And then the
author of
Hebrews says,
yet without
sin.
Jesus
understands
this man's
suffering and
he understands
ours.
He's omniscient
and he is
compassionate.
So,
the man responds
to him and
we've seen this
pattern of
misunderstanding.
Jesus says
things to
people.
The response
you would hope
of the man
would be,
yes, I do
want to be
healed.
That's why
I'm here.
But he
addresses him,
sir, not
rabbi.
He doesn't
know who
Jesus is.
It's a simple
question.
Do you want
to be healed?
And his
response is,
I have no
one to put
me into the
pool when
the water
is stirred
up.
No one to
help me.
No one to
scoop me up
and put me
in there.
And so while
he's making
the effort
on his
own,
he says,
while I am
going,
another steps
down before
me.
That's where
we get this,
I think,
marginal explanation.
What's going
on there
in that
case?
Right?
I want to be
healed.
I'm looking
to the pool
in order to
be healed,
but I don't
move quick
enough,
and so I
cannot be
healed.
And Jesus
simply responds
to him.
There's no
expression of
faith on this
man's part
at all.
In other
places,
you see
expressed
faith.
Right?
Prior,
we saw
an official
pleading
for his
son.
He knows
who Jesus
is.
He knows
Jesus is
performing
miracles,
and he
goes to
him,
and he
pleads,
and Jesus
heals
his son
of his
illness.
Here we
see none
of that.
A man
in a
crowd,
a man
amongst
many
who were
there for
relief.
The man
says,
I want to
be healed,
but I
can't be
healed,
I can't
move quick
enough,
and Jesus
simply says
to him,
get up,
take up
your bed,
and walk.
And John
is careful
here.
It's not
because the
man makes
some effort
to get up
and walk
that he's
healed.
Verse 9
says,
and at
once the
man was
healed.
This
compassionate
Christ,
this
omnipotent
Christ,
that was
that last
observation.
Right?
Jesus is
omnipotent.
Right?
He can
do whatever
he desires
to do
by the
word of
his
power.
At
once,
the man
was
healed.
In other
accounts,
people marvel
at the
healing of
lame people,
and he
does one
even
better.
He forgives
their sin.
He just
declares
it so.
He commands
the waves
and the
wind.
Jesus is
omnipotent,
and he
expresses that
here.
And we're
meant to
look at
this.
This man
is healed.
We're
meant to
see it
and go,
this is
the Christ.
And the
point is
not our
physical
healing.
That is
not the
thing that
Jesus came
to do.
He came
to preach
the gospel,
to live
the life
that we're
required to,
to die
the death
that we
deserve
because of
our failure
to do so,
to be
raised on
the third
day,
to be
seated at
the right
hand of
the Father,
to call
together the
church for
the glory
of God.
Luke 19,
10,
Jesus says
of himself,
the Son
of Man
came to
seek and
to save
the lost.
Observing
this miracle,
this sympathetic
healer,
is meant to
drive us to
think about
him as
the great
healer of
the greatest
ailment that
any of us
could ever
have.
the sickness,
the death
that our
sin brings.
Now,
if Jesus
is omniscient
and compassionate
and omnipotent,
if he is
the sympathetic
healer,
then why
not heal
everyone at
the pool?
Why not
just take care
of everybody
there?
Gather around
everybody?
He could
have just
said it.
They could
have all
gotten up
and moved.
But here
again,
our study
can be
helped
by the
literary
structure
of John's
gospel.
I hope
you don't
get tired
of hearing
about this.
We're going
to do it
the entire
time we're
in this
book.
The 17
verses
before us
are,
you guessed
it if you've
been around,
a chiasm.
They're all
over.
I will be
structuring our
study of this
following this
structure all
throughout it.
Not because I
think it's just
fun to do,
but it's
because of what
John intended
for us to
see.
We don't
think in
these terms.
If you're
unfamiliar with
what I'm
talking about,
chiasm comes
from the
Greek letter
X.
So the
idea here is
that ideas,
words,
phrases at
the beginning
of the text
correspond with
words,
phrases,
ideas at
the end of
the text,
and the
second one
to the
second to
last,
and so
on,
you can
imagine half
of an
X until
it arrives
at a
central point
of the
text.
The entire
book of
John is
structured this
way,
and it has
chiasms
within it.
And the
point,
as you bring
things to
the central
portion of
the passage,
it's not that
the central
thing is
always the
most important
thing,
but it's
meant to
help us,
it gives
us an
interpretive
lens to
use as
we look
at the
entirety
of the
chiasm.
So,
the central
portion of
this passage
is the
very end
of verse
9 and
verse 10,
which just
says,
now that
day was
the
Sabbath.
Now that
day was
the Sabbath,
and then
verse 10
says,
so,
the Jew
said to
the man
who had
been
healed,
it is
the
Sabbath,
and it
is not
lawful for
you to
take up
your bed.
So,
we take
that,
we take
that bit
of it,
that's the
way the
structure,
why did
John write
it this
way?
It begins
to answer
some
questions
for us.
It helps
us to
look at
what is
trying to
be
communicated
to us
in this
text.
Now I
do not
want to
make too
little of
the fact
that Jesus
is the
sympathetic
healer.
We should
note that,
we should
pause on
that,
right?
So it's a
significant
thing that
happens here
in the life
of this
man,
and we're
meant to
see Jesus
in this
way,
but that's
not the
driving point
of this
passage.
It's not
the one
thing that
we should
take away
from it.
John develops
the setting
of this
story in
the first
four verses,
but omits
this important
detail.
Now that
day was
the
Sabbath,
right?
He could
have said
that at the
very beginning,
but he
holds it
back.
He holds
it back
until we're
amazed at
the healing.
We're reading
and we're
going,
look at
the mercy
of this
God
to this
man,
and then
he drops
a bomb
at the
very center
of the
text.
Now that
day was
the
Sabbath.
Not
incredibly
significant to
us,
more than
likely,
but if you
understand in
any measure
the culture
of his
day,
you would
see the
significance,
and I'm
going to
try to
help you
do that
here in
just a
moment for
our second
point.
We need to
take up
this
interpretive
lens,
the
rejected
Messiah.
So we have
the sympathetic
healer and we
also have the
rejected
Messiah.
Sabbath
keeping
was a
major
deal
for the
Jewish
people.
Still is
among some
Jewish
communities
today.
Now they
were right
to have
some concern
for keeping
the fourth
of the
Ten
Commandments.
This one
especially
was an
outward
invisible
thing.
You could
tell whether
or not
somebody was
keeping the
Sabbath
or not,
but they
had just
entirely
misunderstood
its purpose.
You know,
back in my
days when I
wrote papers,
a long time
ago when I
wrote papers,
sometimes I
would read
something that
was just so
perfectly
worded that
I just
wanted to
copy and
paste it,
but I'm
not a
plagiarist,
so I
wouldn't.
I learned
about block
quoting,
which changed
my life in
writing papers.
That's
essentially what
I get to do
in sermons
for you.
So this
is so
succinct and
so well
said,
by John
MacArthur
in his
commentary
on this.
I'm just
going to
read you
two short
paragraphs
that helps
make this
point so
very,
very clearly.
So I'm
block
quoting
John
MacArthur,
a dear
saint that
we lost
not long
ago.
He's
talking about
the
Sabbath
here.
The
Old
Testament
prohibited
working
on the
Sabbath.
Exodus
chapter 31
and chapter
35,
but did
not specify
exactly what
kind of
work was
forbidden.
It seems,
however,
that one's
customary
employment
was in
view.
So the
thing you
did for
a living
was what
was in
view.
You worked
six days
and then
you rested
on a
seventh.
The
Israelites
were not
to participate
in their
normal week-long
occupations
on the
Sabbath day.
But
rabbinic
tradition
went far
beyond that,
listing
39 forbidden
categories
of work,
including
carrying
goods.
So what
they were
doing in
an effort,
I think a
well-intentioned
effort,
to keep
the fourth
commandment,
the Sabbath
keeping
commandment,
they added
on commandments
beyond it.
Right?
They were
often called
hedge laws.
Right?
They put
extra stuff
around it.
Let's just
be really
sure we
don't break
it by
piling up
extra
laws.
Go back
to the
quote.
The
rabbinic
prohibitions
against
carrying
loads
on the
Sabbath
was
ostensibly
based on
such passages
as
Nehemiah
chapter 13
verse 15
through 18
and Jeremiah
17
verse 21
through 22.
Those passages,
however,
were aimed
at individuals
who conducted
their ordinary
business,
their livelihood
or occupation
on the
Sabbath.
Thus,
they did
not apply
to the
healed man
since he
did not
make his
living
by carrying
his mat.
End quote.
The point
being,
they had
added up
a bunch
of extra
stuff
in order
to be
so careful.
And they
were just
missing
the point
altogether
of what
the
Sabbath
was
for.
So,
recall,
the center
of the
chiasm,
the interpretive
lens that
we need
to employ
for these
verses,
centers on
this issue
of Sabbath
keeping.
The Sabbath
is understood
to be
instituted
by God
in the
creation
of the
world,
and this
is recorded
for us
in Genesis
chapter 2,
verses 1
through 3.
He creates,
he speaks
into existence
in six
days,
and then he
rests
on the
seventh.
He did
not do
so because
he had
exhausted
his creative
energy,
and he
needed a
breather.
So,
it would
be a
gross
misunderstanding
of God's
nature,
omnipotent.
He does
not run
out of
steam and
have to
build it
back up
again.
So,
why?
What's it
communicating
to us?
What it's
communicating
is that he
had completed
the place
where he
was to
dwell
with his
image
bearers.
I heard it
called his
cosmic
temple,
that he
was going
to fill
with his
presence
and be
with his
people.
His
work
was to
lead to
eternal
enjoyment,
life with
him.
But Adam
and Eve
introduced
death
onto the
stage.
The very
good thing
that God
had created
became
marred
by their
sin.
And a
curse,
a curse
of death
began to
reign in
his
created
world.
The
command
to keep
the
Sabbath
was
meant
to
leave
its
observers
looking
backward
to
man's
banishment
from
God's
presence
and
forward
to
an
anticipated
restoration
of
God's
presence.
Looking
towards
that
great
day
when
there
will
be
a
new
heaven
and
a
new
earth,
a
garden
remade
where
God's
people
will
dwell
with
him.
The
Sabbath
then
properly
understood
and
emptied
all of
the
challenges
that
they
found
used
as
an
interpretive
lens
employed
in
this
way
should
lead
us
to
see
that
this
man's
ailment
is
the
result
of
the
curse
of
the
garden.
You
see how
the
central
point
helps
you
to
go
oh
how
is
John
recording
this
for
us
to
see
this
man
who
is
not
whole
right?
He's
not
whole
because
of
the
curse.
We'll
talk a
bit
whether
it's
his
sin
or
sin
in
general
in
just
a
little
while.
Why?
Why is
this
man
ill?
Why is
he not
doing
well?
It's
because
sin
is
in
the
world.
If you
understand
the
Sabbath
rightly
and
then
you
use
it
as
that
lens
you'll
see
what
John
is
doing
for
us
here.
Jesus'
healing
of
this
man
is
meant
to
picture
for
us
the
great
healing
he
does
in
the
hearts
of
men
as
he
brings
them
from
death
to
life
to
place
their
faith
in
him.
To
have
God's
presence
to know
him
and to
be
known
by
him.
If
we
understand
it
this
way
we'll
see
that
this
is
what
Jesus'
healing
is
driving
us
to
it's
so
much
more
than
just
talking
about
temporal
relief
and
praise
God
he
does
bring
us
temporal
relief
but
that's
not
the
point
it's
not
our
greatest
need
what
he
does
is
directing
us
it's
directing
us
toward
him
as
the
fulfillment
of
that
rest
restoration
and
it's
also
directing
us
to
the
confrontation
to
the
Jewish
hypocritical
religious
systems
and
traditions
so
we
see
them
the
central
part
of
this
saying
to
the
man
it's
the
Sabbath
they're
not
rejoicing
in the
fact
that
he's
been
restored
at
all
how
dare
you
get
up
take
your
mat
and
walk
around
with
it
missing
the
point
missing
it
all
together
and he
simply
responds
to them
well
the
man
who
healed
me
that
man
said
to
me
take
your
bed
up
and
walk
and
so
I
did
it
is
what
he's
saying
there
and
then
they
go
on
the
hunt
for
Jesus
verse
12
who
is
the
man
who
said
to
you
take
up
your
bed
and
walk
the
healed
man
doesn't
know
right
again
withdrawn
there's
a
crowd
in
that
place
Jesus
finds
him
in
verse
14
and
says
to
him
in
the
temple
see
you
are
well
sin
no
more
that
nothing
worse
may
happen
to
you
now
we
are
told
in
John's
gospel
that
temporal
sickness
and
death
are
not
the
immediate
result
of
personal
sin
in
one
place
John
chapter
9
verse
1
through
3
as
Jesus
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
whose fault
is it
that the man
is blind
and Jesus
says
it was not
that this
man sinned
or his
parents
but
that the
works of
God
might be
displayed
in him
a man
who's
healed
from his
blindness
why was this
man blind
it wasn't
it wasn't a
result of a
sin
but
sin in
general
right
the world
made
a
mess
because
of its
brokenness
and the
curse
that
followed
we're
also
told
in the
bible
that
temporal
sickness
and death
can be
the result
of personal
sin
1st
Corinthians
chapter 11
Paul's
talking about
misuse
and abuse
of taking
the Lord's
supper
!
together
way
that
the
church
was
not
loving
one
another
and he
says
in
verse
30
that
is
why
many
of you
are
weak
and ill
and some
have died
because of
this particular
sinfulness
so
both
sin or
because of
the curse
that began
by Adam's
sin
it's
not clear
but Jesus
warning
should be
sobering
he's been
made
whole
temporally
healed
unrepentant
sin
unrepentant
sin
will lead
to a fate
much worse
than being
an invalid
for 38
years
unrepentant
sin
leads to
eternal
death
a much
much
greater
consequence
death
suffering
separation
from
God
forever
unfortunately
it would
seem
the man
just
doesn't
quite
get it
why
would I
think
this
because
the man
goes
away
and he
tells the
Jews
that it
was
Jesus
who
had
healed
him
I'm
speculating
a bit
at that
point
but
it
would
seem
that
he
would
want
to
protect
the
Christ
from
these
people
looking
to
persecute
him
I
think
this
because
right after
that
John
says
in
verse
16
and
this
was
why
the
Jews
were
persecuting
Jesus
because
he was
doing
these
things
these
miraculous
things
these
wonderful
restorative
things
he was
doing
these
things
on
the
Sabbath
they
elevated
their
tradition
above
Jesus
himself
they didn't
seek to
understand
him
they didn't
seek to
know
what it
was
he
was
teaching
he
was
infringing
upon
their
system
and
they
had
to
stop
him
we
see
this
first
opportunity
of that
right
here
in
John
chapter
5
and
so
we
don't
see
the
confrontation
we
can
see
it
in
some
of
the
other
synoptic
gospels
but
here
verse
17
we
just
see
a
response
to
them
Jesus
says
my
father
is
working
until
now
and
I
am
working
God
has not
ceased
working
he's
continuing
to be
merciful
in this
world
and
Jesus
says
and
me
too
I
am
the
son
I
am
the
Christ
I
am
the
anointed
one
and
both
of
us
are
at
work
he's
the
lord
of
the
sabbath
he's
not
breaking
the
sabbath
in
their
terms
doing
it
on
his
own
and
this
is
why
the
Jews
were
seeking
all
the
more
to
kill
him
Jesus
makes
astounding
claims
about
himself
he's
going
to
continue
to
do
that
as
we
press
on
in
our
study
of
John's
gospel
we
have
to
consider
this
Jesus
on
his
terms
the
Scottish
pastor
John
Duncan
early
19th
century
pastor
once
said
Christ
either
deceived
mankind
by
conscious
fraud
or
he
was
himself
deluded
and
self
deceived
or
he
was
divine
there
is
no
getting
out
of
this
trilemma
that's
why
I
pulled
this
particular
quote
I
like
that
word
there's
no
getting
out
of
this
trilemma
it
is
inexorable
unescapable
some
of you
may have
heard
this
framed
probably
in
C.S.
Lewis's
book
mere
Christianity
as the
liar
lunatic
or
lord
question
who
is
this
Jesus
he's
either
just
deceiving
mankind
the
purpose
it's
what
he's
up
to
declaring
himself
to be
God
or
he
was
actually
crazy
or
he
was
true
and
what
he
said
should
be
understood
as
such
brief
application
and then
we'll
close
number
one
understand
your
helplessness
whether
you are
in
Christ
or
not
this
morning
like
all
of
us
need
his
mercy
and
grace
like
the
man
at
Bethesda
we
are
powerless
to
fix
our
sin
38
years
of
trying
won't
make
us
whole
our
only
hope
is
to
repent
of
our
sin
turn
from
it
and
place
our
trust
in
the
completed
work
of
Christ
secondly
be
aware
of
our
tendency
toward
empty
religion
be
aware
of
our
tendency
toward
it
with
good
intention
to
obey
the
Bible
we
are
so
apt
to
pile
on
extras
to
say
my
obedience
to
scripture
should
look
exactly
like
your
obedience
to
scripture
and
then
the
call
down
and
be
judgmental
of
others
the
Bible
clearly
says
some
things
and
I'm
not
talking
about
those
things
I'm
talking
about
the
things
we
add
on
around
it
is
possible
to
know
scripture
keep
traditions
and to
miss
Jesus
entirely
seek
the
Lord
of the
Sabbath
who
gives
to
us
true
rest
and
lastly
and I've
said this
recently
but I'll
just say
it again
bow
before
the
Son
of
God
Jesus
is not
just a
healer
of
bodies
he is
the
eternal
Son
equal
with the
Father
who
gives
life
to
the
dead
neutrality
is
impossible
you
must
answer
the
question
who
is
Jesus
I hope
you have
already
or will
for the
first
time
call
him
Lord
let's
pray
together