John included seven attesting miracles – 7 signs – that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; so that readers of his gospel would believe in Jesus and believing, would have eternal life!
“I have good news for you!”
How many times have you heard that statement? And I wonder, how many times did it turn out to be truly good news that you were happy to hear? Or, was it disappointing?
Perhaps we hear the statement so much that we have become cynical when it is used. After all, politicians, telemarketers, preachers, and so many others trying to sell or influence you, use it. Our resulting disbelief is a shame.
Because if there is one genuinely truthful way to introduce Jesus and the Gospel message to someone, it is with the phrase: “I have good news for you!”
The good news Christians have is that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah! What that means is that He has the authority, power, love and desire to positively impact your life. Even to impact it more positively than you ever could imagine!
But there is a catch.
Though Jesus may greatly impact your life, God may not give you what you think you most need; nor what you desire the greatest. When Jesus positively impacts your life, God does indeed meet your deepest and greatest needs!
Did you notice the difference? God does not give us what we think is best, but rather, what He knows is best. The hard thing for you and me to do is trust Him.
We must trust that God is doing what He must do to deal with and meet our deepest and greatest needs. Are you able to trust Him in this way? If you can, then you are able to sense, recognize and experience the awesome work of God in your life…and know first-hand the good news!
As John continues showing that Jesus is the Messiah by the signs (attesting miracles) that He did, we come to a passage that gives us an example of the impact of this good news in one man’s life.
POOL DESCRIBED1
Chapter five of John’s Gospel begins: After this, a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (John 5:1). The first phrase, “After this,” refers to the events at the end of chapter four. In that passage, John had related Jesus’ healing of a nobleman’s son while in Cana of Galilee (this was the second attesting miracle). John then tells us that Jesus went to Jerusalem and begins relating the next attesting miracle. Three interesting details begin the narrative.
(1) Celebration (John 5:1) – It was time for one of the feast of the Jews; they had several though-out the year. We are not told which feast this was, neither are we told that the feast was Jesus’ reason for going to Jerusalem. In fact, we shall discover His motives were quit different.
(2) Construction (John 5:2) – By the gate through which Jesus entered the city, there was a pool. John writes that this pool area had five colonnades (or, porticos); thus it was a large structure. Modern archeologists have unearthed such a structure exactly where John describes. Actually consisting of two pools, the northern one was dug first during the reign of King Solomon. The southern pool was added at the beginning of the 2nd century B.C. (during the Hellenistic period). The whole complex was called Bethesda (there are several alternate spellings), which means “house of grace/blessing.”
(3) Congregation (John 5:3-4)2 – John records that a multitude of the sick, lame, blind and withered lay around the pool. Why such people, and why around this pool? An angel would come and “stir up” the waters and the first person in afterwards would be healed!
Is this true? Was there a miracle pool?
Certainly something kept the infirmed sitting beside this pool. And, as in the case of the man Jesus is about to interact with, sitting by the pool for a long time.
Ponder this: the infirmed sat each day waiting for an angel. Yet on this day, the living Son of God walked through their midst; and only one ever knew!
PARALYTIC’S DILEMMA
Beginning in verse five, John introduces that one man. Notice…
A. His Condition. This man had been sick for a long, long time; for 38 years! As usual, Jesus’ interaction with the man at first surprises us. Jesus saw him and knew (as only God can) the years of suffering the man already had endured. Instead of oozing pity – “You poor man” – or approving the man’s self pity; Jesus confronts him with a simple, straightforward and rather strange question:
“Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6b)
Of course he did! That’s why he sat by that pool each day waiting for the angel to stir up the waters. Absolutely, he wanted to be well. At least, that is what you and I would think.
B. His Complaint. Notice the man did not answer Jesus’ question. Rather, he complained and made excuses: “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.” (John 5:7) Self-pity and blaming others, the two most common responses/excuses people give. Imagine responding to the Son of God this way!
In the man’s defense, his answers were factually accurate; and he did keep returning to the pool every day. Perhaps he was trying the best he could. How would you have responded if you were the man’s friend and heard this exchange? Or if you had been this man? Still, we are left wondering the answer to Jesus’ question. Did this man wish to be healed?
C. Jesus’ Command. As He had been direct with His question, so now Jesus was even more direct with His command. “Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your bedroll and walk!” (John 5:8). Three things Jesus commanded: (1) Get up; (2) Pick up – you will not need that bedroll here anymore; and (3) Walk – go home and live your life! In which of the three did the miracle occur?
The miracle was not in the walking, nor in the taking up of the bedroll. The miracle was is the first two words: Get up! There the healing took place. There the root issue was dealt with. And most importantly, in that moment the man’s greatest need was met.
What was his greatest need? For him, it was a change of focus; from focusing on circumstances and failure, to focusing on Christ and faith.
PARALYTIC’S DECISION
Jesus issued a command (with three parts). What would the man do? Remember, he had not been able to “get up” for years – 38 years! Would you have tried?
It is so easy that we often would rather remain and wallow in our self-pity and stay in our circumstances, rather than rise above them, leave them behind and go forward with Jesus! This man chose Jesus and he did so without hesitation:
Instantly the man got well, picked up his bedroll, and started to walk. (John 5:9)
There is never a good reason to wait when Jesus is present to meet your needs.
Almost as a footnote John adds that this miracle took place on a Sabbath. But this fact does explain the response of the Jews in the next verse. They were more upset that he was carrying his bedroll on the Sabbath (thus breaking the law) than rejoicing over an infirmed man of 38 years being healed!
There is a great deal of humor in the Bible and certainly John records some of it here in the man’s retort to the Jews: “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your bedroll and walk.’” (John 5:11). He could have added: “What else was I suppose to do?”
[Important Note: Although it is not discussed in this passage from John 5, it is this miracle and the fact is was done on a Sabbath, which begins the active and vicious scheming on the part of the Jewish religious leaders, against Jesus. Their scheming is what ultimate lead to His death on the cross. It began because of this compassionate miracle!]
PERSONAL DECISION
Wow! This third attesting miracle – this 3rd Sign of the Savior – provides us with an examination glass through which you may look at your heart and life. Here is the issue: Do you trust God? Are you willing to trust Him no matter what; even after 38 years of suffering or disappointments?
Look again at Jesus’ actions in this miracle. Matthew Henry writes of this event so well:
When Christ came up to Jerusalem He did not visit the palaces, but the [pool], an indication of His great purpose in coming into the world, which was to seek and to save the sick and wounded.3
Dear reader, that would be you and me!
Jesus came to save us. And He brings with Him the ability to impact our lives positively, just at the point where we most need His touch. It is His desire to do this for us.
Jesus comes alongside and asks: “Do you want to get well?”
To receive His love and healing touch, is a matter of TRUST. Be reminded again, we must trust that God is doing what He must do to deal with and meet our deepest and greatest need. If you can trust this statement is true; if you are to the place in your life where you believe it; then you can expect to experience Jesus’ presence and power in your life as He touches you and does a miracle!
Do you want to get well?
1 Much of the information in this section about the pool is from: Douglas, J.D. and Merrill C. Tenney, eds. The New International Dictionary of the Bible: Pictorial Edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987), pg. 140.
2 Some early manuscripts do not include the section of verse three and all of verse four which relate the account of the angel stirring the waters. For this reason, some translations put this section in brackets, and why some translations do not include these verses at all. Sufficient manuscript evidence exist however to suggest these verses were part of the original and should be included. This passage does help explain later events as told by John.
3 Church, Rev. Dr. Leslie F., ed. The NIV Matthew Henry Commentary: In One Volume (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), pg. 334.
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