We'll be in John chapter 5. You'll also see the words on the screen.
We've been thinking about seven signs that John records in his gospel that point to who Jesus is and why he came.
So we come now to his fourth sign that he records.
So John chapter 5. Let's hear God's word together.
Sometime 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.
Here a great number of disabled people used to lie, the blind, the lame, the paralysed.
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 am 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.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath.
And so the Jewish leader 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.
Later, Jesus found him 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, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.
In his defence, Jesus said to them, My father is always at work to this very day and I too am working.
For this reason, they tried all the more to kill him.
Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father,
making himself equal with God.
So our fourth sign, a healing at the pool of Bethesda.
Whether you're listening today and you've been a Christian for a number of years, maybe even for decades,
or if this is your first time visiting an online church,
when we spend any time at all with Jesus in the Gospels,
it is almost certain that he will take us by surprise,
that sometimes he will perhaps even shock us.
When we read his teaching,
we discover here is someone with a great love for God and for people,
somebody who taught about love and demonstrated love,
but also someone who could talk equally clearly about the judgment of God.
So nobody spoke about hell more than Jesus and we think,
how do love and justice come together?
And that surprises us.
Maybe our surprise comes when we think about how he relates to other people.
We see his patience, his kindness towards his disciples,
even towards Judas who would betray him.
Think about the way he welcomed the outsiders when everyone else would have been scandalised
by spending time with some of the notorious people in Jesus' day.
Jesus welcomed them and shared the good news with them.
Perhaps our surprise and our shock comes when we think about the miracles of Jesus
and we see him working in his world.
Well, today in our story, Jesus says four things,
four sentences, each of which I suspect when we stop and reflect,
we might find it surprising and perhaps even shocking.
That was certainly true for the first people that heard Jesus speak.
So this is the fourth of seven signs and it takes us again to the heart of the signs
and John's purpose for them.
This sign will speak to the mission of Jesus.
Again, we will see him on a mission of mercy,
bringing good news of salvation.
But it will also clearly point to his identity.
Here is Jesus, the son of God,
who is God's chosen and sent saviour for the world.
And as we think about these surprising words of Jesus,
let's be careful not to make the mistake of the man in the story.
Thinking about how he relates to Jesus,
in a sense he might remind us of a child on their birthday,
grabbing for the gifts,
with no attention given to the giver at all,
just want the stuff.
And I hope we'll all realise
that we need more than simply a sign.
We need more than Jesus giving us temporary help for our trouble.
You and I need Jesus as our Lord and saviour,
whoever we are today.
So let's begin with the probing question that Jesus asks.
The first six verses give us the setting
and then we get Jesus' first word.
So the setting is this pool,
this pool of Bethesda.
And perhaps you know of hospices or hospitals
that go by the name of Bethesda,
named after our story.
Bethesda was a gathering place for sufferers.
Many sufferers were there.
It was a place that was sheltered from the hot sun.
And there was also a belief that the pool
had healing properties.
And so people would gather waiting for it to bubble up.
You might think of a leisure pool
and that sense of anticipation,
waiting for the wave machine to come on
and the excitement.
Well, imagine waiting for those bubbles
in the hope that you're suffering.
It might be over.
So we're told in our story,
there's this whole poolside of sufferers
and Jesus takes the initiative
to find out about one.
One man who has been an invalid for 38 years.
Now, if you know anything of Jesus,
if you've heard any of his stories,
you will expect to find in Jesus
mercy and compassion for suffering people.
And of course, it is true for us to remember
that the heart of Jesus doesn't change.
He still has mercy and compassion
for suffering people today.
But we come to his first words in verse six
and maybe we ask ourselves,
what kind of question is Jesus asking?
He goes to speak to this man
who's been an invalid for 38 years
and he asked him,
do you want to get well?
That seems blindingly obvious
that the man would want to get well.
So why does Jesus ask the question?
Well, when you read John's gospel,
we recognise that Jesus often speaks
on a higher, on a hidden level.
So in chapter three,
he speaks to a religious leader called Nicodemus
and he says to him,
you must be born again,
by which he means you need a work of God.
You need the spirit to come
and change you from the inside out.
But Nicodemus is thinking,
hold on a minute,
how can I go back into my mother's womb?
That just doesn't make any sense.
Or then in chapter four of John's gospel,
he's speaking to a woman by the well
and Jesus says that he can give living water
and the woman looks around and says,
hang on a minute,
you don't even have a bucket.
How can you possibly give me water?
Jesus speaks at a higher and a hidden level.
Well, here's this probing question,
not a surface question,
but a probing question to ask the man,
and as we reflect,
to ask ourselves to,
what is it that you really want?
Jesus is saying to the man,
is it just healing you want?
Or are you looking for something more?
Can you see that your need runs deeper
than simply the physical?
Because bear in mind who is speaking.
Bear in mind that it's Jesus who's asking the question.
There's this growing tension in John's gospel.
We've begun to see it with the signs.
There are some people who are following Jesus
only for the signs.
They're here for the show
or they're here because they're suffering
and they want to get better
or they want someone else to get better.
So you've got people coming just for the signs
while at the same time,
they're opposing and rejecting Jesus and his word.
Jesus wants the man
and he wants each one of us to recognise
Jesus is the son of God
and what matters is believing in him
and believing in his words
and ultimately believing in the work
that he came to do,
that his death on the cross was a death
for my sin,
to save me
and to give me eternal life.
To recognise
that Jesus can do far more for us
than we ever realise.
This physical healing that Jesus is about to do
stands for us as a signpost
for the still greater
spiritual
and eternal healing
that Jesus can do in our hearts.
And so that probing question
is designed to get the man to that point.
And what comes next?
The next words of Jesus
is a simple command.
But first we see how the invalid
replies to his question
and he's thinking on the lower level
as many people do
when they talk to Jesus.
I have no one to help me into the pool
while I'm trying to get in.
Someone else goes down ahead of me.
Jesus,
have you come to help me into the pool?
Have you come to lift me
and help me to beat the rush
so I can be front of the queue?
And what we discovered
is Jesus come to do
something far more remarkable
than that.
Here's the next words of Jesus.
Get up,
pick up your mat
and walk.
Now these are bold words.
This is Jesus either
incredibly heartless
asking a paralysed man
to do something he would love to do
but can't by himself
or
powerful words of healing
and transformation.
And of course we discover
in verse 9
that it's that second
that is true.
at once
the man was cured.
He picked up his mat
and walked.
Instant healing.
A 38 year disability
gone.
No need for the water.
Here's a clear signpost
that Jesus
and Jesus alone
is the source of help
and hope.
There are no secret words
uttered over him.
Nothing
is magical about it.
Jesus speaks
a simple command
and he's able
to get up and walk.
No doubt this man
had dreamed of recovering
his mobility
and had probably
after 38 years
given up
but Jesus
has enabled him.
Jesus has provided
the strength
for him
to obey.
Gives us an insight
into
the way faith
works.
The Bible
is really honest.
It says that
by ourselves
left to ourselves
unless God intervenes
we remain
opposed to God.
We turn our back
on God.
We are enemies
of God
spiritually dead
and incapable
of finding
eternal life.
So we need
God
to work
and God
by his grace
enables us
gives us
the gift
of faith
so that we are
able
to believe.
And we see
a glimpse
of that
in this
story.
But here
Jesus
issues
a simple
command
and the man
is called
to obey
and when he
obeys
there's healing.
There's a story
in the Old Testament
connecting water
and healing.
The story
of a man
called Naaman
a powerful
army commander
from Syria
who had it all
but who also
had leprosy.
And his king
sent him
to Israel
and eventually
to the prophet
Elisha
for healing
and Elisha's
servant
comes to Naaman
and gives him
a very simple
command
wash seven times
in the Jordan
and you will
be healed.
He can have
the thing
that he's looking
for but Naaman
rather than
being delighted
he's outraged.
He's outraged
because he's
being asked
to do something
that's far
too easy.
His servants
say to him
look
if you'd been
told to climb
a great mountain
fight a great battle
you would have
done it.
So why not
do the simple
thing
believe
and when he does
he's healed.
God's power
changes him.
When we read
our Bibles
now the Bible
is a big book
and it's a book
about the eternal
infinite
God.
So there are
some big
ideas that
stretch our mind
and in some ways
are beyond us
but Christianity
at heart
is a simple
message
calling
for a response.
We're told
that Jesus'
message
was repent
and believe
the good news.
Jesus is God's
King who's come
to bring in
God's Kingdom
there needs to be
a change of heart
and mind
from us
we need to put
our trust
in Jesus
and what he came
to do
on our behalf.
Later on
in the New Testament
a question is asked
what must I do
to be saved
and the answer
believe in the Lord
Jesus
and you will be saved.
That's not
complicated
to understand.
That the good news
of God's love
and God's grace
and God's forgiveness
that comes to us
through faith
in Jesus
trusting in him
it's not hard
to understand.
As John Newton
the hymn writer
and preacher
from a previous
generation
summarised it
I am a great
sinner
and Jesus
is a great
saviour
and given
those
important
truths
we are then
called
to
obey
to
receive
the good news
to receive
Jesus
as our
saviour.
Now moving
from that
simple
command
Jesus
next words
stand
as a loving
warning.
So from
verse 9
onwards
we begin
to see
a controversy
opposition
because of
understandings
of the
Sabbath
and we'll get
there in a few
minutes
but
important for us
to notice
that the picture
that's being
built up
of our
invalid
here
is not
very flattering.
You look at
verse 7
he misses
Jesus'
higher
meaning
about the
healing that
he offers
which is
spiritual
not just
physical.
In verse 11
to his
escape
the criticism
of the
religious leaders
he points
the finger
of blame
at Jesus
it was
Jesus
that's making
him pick up
his mat
and walk
in verse 13
we discover
that he
didn't even
ask Jesus'
name.
He had no
idea who
Jesus was
again to
think about
our child
with no
manners.
Who's that
present from?
I don't know.
I'm just
tearing open
the wrapping.
And then in
verse 15
when he does
discover
that it was
Jesus who
healed him
what does
he do?
He reports
Jesus to
the authority.
So this is
not a very
flattering
picture
of our
invalid
and there's
one last
really important
piece of
information
to consider
and again
it goes to
the fact that
Jesus' words
can surprise
and some
things shock
us.
In verse 14
Jesus found
the man at
the temple
and said
to him
see
you are
well again
stop sinning
or something
worse
may happen
to you.
Now there's
two implications
one of
which
is that
Jesus in
some way
is saying
that the
man's
condition
for 38
years
his
suffering
was in
some way
connected
to sin
in his
life.
Now we're
not told
what that
sin was
and why
there was
the consequence
but we do
know this
is not
normal.
The Bible
is not
saying
if you
suffer
it's
because
of sin.
The religious
leaders in
Jesus'
day they
actually
believed
that.
There was
a man
who was
blind
from birth
and they
asked
the question
well they
presumed
that either
the man
had sinned
or his
parents had
sinned and
Jesus said
no no
neither
of that
is true.
And in
the Bible
we see
that
people who
are gods
who are
not guilty
have said
they suffer
we live in
a broken
and a fallen
world and
suffering
happens.
Someone like
Job in
the Old
Testament
described
as a
righteous
man
but he
suffers.
Think about
Jesus himself
the one
sinlessly
perfect
man
who
ever
lived
and he
suffered
the
greatest
injustice
he
suffered
he was
the
suffering
servant
the
son of
God
rejected
abused
beaten
and nailed
to a
cross
sin.
So we
can't
and we
shouldn't
always draw
a straight
line between
suffering
and sin
but yet
Jesus
with his
knowledge
says in
some way
this man's
suffering and
sin are
connected.
But there's
another pressing
implication for
us to
consider
and we're
on much
more solid
ground with
this one.
Jesus in
effect is
saying to
the man
look I
fixed your
physical
problem.
but you
still have
a deeper
problem.
You have
a spiritual
problem.
If a
past sin
has led
to 38
years of
disability
Jesus
issues a
loving
warning
that the
sin of
rejecting
Jesus
will lead
to something
worse
will lead
to
eternal
judgment
judgment.
Now Jesus
is the
most loving
man who
ever lived
but here
he issues
a very
obvious
warning
about
judgment.
Judgment
is a
reality
and Jesus
because of
love
sounds
that
warning.
But what
we see
in the
man's
life
stands
in a
sense
as a
warning
sign
to us.
Here is
a person
who appears
content
to take
the
sign
where
Jesus
heals
him
physically
but he
leaves,
he rejects
the
saviour
that the
sign
points
to.
So long
as his
body is
better
that's
all he's
after.
Now let's
make this
personal.
Think about
your
suffering,
your
trouble,
your
trials
right now.
What
dominates
your
horizon?
what is
the
suffering
that you
experience?
Now perhaps
that's
loneliness.
Loneliness
because of
lost
relationships
or
relationships
you'd
love to
have
but don't
have.
Perhaps
it's
your
health.
Perhaps
it's
connected
to your
career.
Things
aren't
panning
out the
way that
you
hope.
There is
great
uncertainty.
You
feel
unsatisfied.
Now
here's
a
question.
If you
could get
relief
from that
suffering
or trial
that comes
into your
mind
but you
could have
it without
relationship
with Jesus
would you
take that
deal?
If you
had the
relationship,
if you
had the
health,
if you
had the
job but
without
Jesus,
would you
take it?
If Jesus
could sort
out your
life but
you'd
still be
left in
your
sin,
would you
be okay
with that?
Jesus
wants us
to think
deeper and
to think
more
eternally.
This
man seems
to be
happy with
the
surface
to take
the
sign but
not the
saviour.
God
is
the
word of
Jesus
that we
have
in our
section
for today
is the
striking
claim
that he
makes.
In
John
chapters
5-7 we
see a
growing
controversy
between
Jesus
and the
religious
leaders
in
particular
but the
Jews
in
general
and one
issue
that keeps
coming up
in Jesus
ministry is
understanding
of the
Sabbath.
What is
work?
The Old
Testament,
the Ten
Commandments,
one of the
commands was
to remember
the Sabbath
day,
to have a
day that
you took
off from
your normal
work,
a day set
aside for
God and
to worship
him.
But the
Jewish
leaders had
established
all kinds
of activities
that they
also classed
as work
and they
said you
cannot do
these things
and one
of them
was that
you couldn't
pick up a
mat and
walk and
so they
accused the
man of
Sabbath
breaking,
they accused
Jesus of
Sabbath
breaking.
Now here's
where things
get really
interesting.
We're told
in verse
16 that
because Jesus
was doing
these things
on the
Sabbath he's
beginning to
be persecuted
now.
What does
he offer
as his
defence?
Not
let's sit
down and
let's look
at the Old
Testament and
let's see how
you misunderstand
what the
Bible teaches
about Sabbath.
No, he
says you
misunderstand
me.
You have
failed to
see that I
am Lord
of the
Sabbath.
Jesus said
to them my
father is
always at
work to
this very
day and
I too
am working.
God the
father works.
He is
constantly
sustaining the
universe and
he's not
Sabbath breaking
when he does
that and
Jesus says
just like my
father I
too am
always working.
I'm doing
God's work
of restoring
and redeeming
of bringing
mercy and
love and
life and
their response
to that.
Verse 18
for this
reason they
tried all
the more
to kill
him because
they understand
here Jesus
is claiming
equality with
God as
his father
and they
hate him
for that.
And Jesus
comes and
he says
you now
have to
understand
what it
means that
there's only
one God
in a new
way because
you need
to understand
God by
reference to
Jesus who's
come as the
full and
complete revelation
of God
in the flesh
and they are
unwilling to
consider that.
Now let's
put all this
together.
Here we have
Jesus who is
equal with
God and
who is on
a mission
of mercy
and he
comes sounding
both a
promise and
a warning
that this
sign, this
healing says
I can provide
true and
lasting healing,
I can provide
the forgiveness
that leads to
eternal life but
here's the
warning, you
need to see
your deepest
need.
Maybe during
lockdown, I
know this has
been lots of
people's experience,
praying, you've
been praying
more than you
ever have.
Maybe for the
first time in
your life you
find yourself
praying because
you are aware
of your need
for personal
recovery and
we're all really
aware of the
need for national
recovery.
But you know
this sign says
to us go
deeper still,
don't just
settle for a
return to
normal,
Jesus is
inviting us to
come to him
for personal
salvation, to
pray for
national
spiritual
transformation.
Jesus has
come to do
his work, to
do his
father's work
which will
take him to
the cross to
die for
sinners so
that if we
put our
trust in
him, we
won't face
judgment but
we'll have
eternal life,
that we'll get
to know and
enjoy Jesus
and God
the father
now with
the hope of
enjoying him
and his
presence for
all eternity.
That's the
true healing
we're to
pursue and
if we want
that healing,
the healing of
a restored
relationship of
peace with
God, of
freedom from
guilt and
fear, we
need to get
up and we
need to go
to Jesus.