The Gospel of John - part 12

preached Jan 6, 2019

The Healing at Bethesda

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, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight 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.

John 5:1-9a

John sets up the story with these first few verses. At this point, you may notice your Bible either has a verse 4, or it has a footnote where it mentions verse 4 is not in the earliest manuscripts. This particular passage is fraught with several textual issues which I will not dive into here, but I will give you the short version, so you know I did my homework:

1) The exact feast is unknown, but it is most likely a holy convocation (See Borchert John 1-11) associated with Passover, though not Passover.

2) “Bethesda” is the most probable name for the pool (or reservoir), but as John says, it is in “the language of the Hebrews” or Aramaic. Remember, religious services and scribes wrote in Hebrew, but the common language of the Middle East was Aramaic. Some later scribes did better in Hebrew class than others it seems from the manuscripts.

3) Last, and the more glaring question, ‘What happened to verse 4?’ The earliest manuscripts of John’s Gospel do not include verse 4. It appears at some point a scribe inserted the verse as a means of explaining why the people were there. The truth of the verse is attested elsewhere in history, so it may be that John assumed the phenomenon was popular enough that no explanation was needed. As history passed, scribes thought it was necessary to explain.

Now, before we move on, I would like to take a minute to explain why this last point is especially interesting. Jesus performs a miracle of healing without the need for the water or anything else. We do not even see a question of the man’s faith. Jesus simply asks if he wants to be healed, and then heals him.

Why is this important?

Because of the history given in verse 4. According to verse 4, the sick would lay near the pool, because from time to time, the waters would stir and the first in the pool would be healed. This phenomenon is attributed to an angel of the Lord. Outside of Israel, a similar phenomenon is found among the Greeks. They would build healing pools, called asclepieion, whose power was attributed to the healing Demi-god, Asclepius. Whereas the Greeks would hope to garner some healing power from a false god and the Jews would hope an angel would provide a prize to the first swimmer, Jesus establishes the superior power and grace of God. No tricks needed, no race to win—healing is available in the name of Jesus.

The healing at Bethesda demonstrates Christ’s superiority over other gods.

Much of the first few centuries apologetics centered on the superiority of Jesus over pagan religion and Jewish traditions. It is an important doctrine that we have mostly forgotten today. There is nothing greater than Christ. Health, wealth, knowledge and skill are all fine in their place. However, there are many religions and belief systems (including nonreligious systems) that Christians have been suckered into in hopes to gain one of these. The truth is all you need is Christ. He is the Lord of healing. Look to Him for your needs.

The healing at Bethesda demonstrates Christ heals based on grace not on merit.

The healing

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight 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.

John 5:5-9

This poor man has been crippled for thirty-eight years. At some point in his life, he made his way to this pool in hopes of getting healed by the water. However, being crippled presents a huge problem when the healing comes as a reward to a foot race.

How many of us have felt the same way?

We can see the solution (or at least what we think is the solution) to our problems, but it’s always just out of reach.

Church, you are not hopeless. Regardless of the circumstances you find yourself today, Christ is here. He will carry you through, and whether it happens this side of Heaven or the other side, you will be healed.

I don’t know why God does not heal every time. And, I don’t want to come across as too academic and uncaring. Some of you are dealing with real issues that you have prayed over for years. But here is what I can tell you:

The man was invalid for 38 years. That’s a long time to be patient. But it took that long for the Messiah to come on the scene and be glorified through his handicap.

When God does heal, it will be at the perfect time.

Similarly, God can use whatever ailment you are suffering under for His glory and yours. Paul had his thorn in the flesh. Today, there is an Australian preacher who has no arms or legs, but he still travels speaking and teaching about the love of God.

Our afflictions serve a purpose—to build us into better Christians and to glorify God.

The critics

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, that man 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.”

John 5:9b-14

Did you catch the sheer ignorance of the Jewish leaders? To be sure, the Greek word here translated ‘Jews’ refers specifically to the Jewish leadership and their minions. John is not being anti-semitic, he is generalizing the ruling class who would rather maintain the status quo and their power than follow Christ. It’s the worst kind of legalism.

“Hey there, buddy! We see you just experienced a miracle of God, but that doesn’t excuse you from following the rules.”

Jesus’ warning presents a truth not many seem to understand. There are degrees of judgment in this life. We understand this with kids—sometimes kids are not punished as harshly as they could be, because ‘they are just kids’. But once they become an adult, the book gets thrown at them. This man has already been an invalid for thirty-eight years—what could be worse? How about losing his soul? He has already demonstrated his faith in superstition and his own effort. Now, Jesus calls him to faith that points him away from sin. Jesus has demonstrated his power. The man knows Jesus is the one to follow. The question is whether the man will repent from his sin and follow.

God’s healing is to help us move away from sin.

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.

John 5:13-16

John explains the hostility of the Jews against Jesus. Jesus did not follow the same traditions as the Jews. This isn’t to say he was a bad Jew, just that He obeyed the Law as it had been given from God—not as it had been added to over the generations.

We must always remember that is an action against God, not against a tradition. The Jewish leaders had developed a system of rules in order to prevent them from breaking God’s law. Over time this system grew and most people did not know where God’s law ended and tradition began.

Take for example the law here. It is well established that God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest. “For six days shall you work, but on the seventh, do no work.” In order to make sure they didn’t work, rabbis put together some guidelines of what constitutes as ‘work’. Later rabbis made more guidelines to be sure they didn’t break the first guidelines. They succumbed to the error of ‘playing it safe’. See, some people believe it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission, but others are like the Jews who believed it was better to make a law to prevent breaking another law. (Over-regulation is not a new phenomenon.)

The Jewish leaders rejected Jesus because, He disrupted the status quo.

Jesus never broke God’s law, but he did on various occasions break the Rabbinical laws. Here, he breaks it for good reason. The man is healed. He has received a better Sabbath.

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 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 was 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.

John 5:1-18

Jesus’ explanation only exacerbates the Jews. Jesus again connects His identity to His divinity. As the Son of God, He is fulfilling his mission on earth. He is bringing healing as the Messiah is prophecies to do. The Jews reject his identity and thus reject His authority to usurp their hold on the people.

But Jesus’ response also has a loaded clause—“the Father has been working until now”. What work has the Father been doing? He has been ordering history to bring about the Messiah. Now the Messiah has come to join in the work. This man has been healed as a part of Jesus demonstrating His identity and power to the world.

He called himself equal with God.

Implications for the Church

We will continue this story next week, but today’s passage has already given us some food for thought.

First, what is your faith in?

I don’t just mean your religious affiliation. I mean when times of trouble show up, as they always do, what do you look to for help? Are you banking on your bank account to meet your needs? Are you looking for society or “the kindness of strangers”? Or perhaps you look to superstition like a healing pool? Maybe those crystals or some concoction found on Pinterest. As I said before, people have all kinds of things they believe help them. I once heard someone say he wasn’t worried about health insurance because all you need are vitamins and exercise.

Whatever the case, please understand, nothing compares to Christ. He is the Lord of healing because He is the Lord. He is our Creator and He can heal like no other. Whether He heals you in this life or when you are glorified in heaven, he will heal you. Place your trust in Him.

Second, sometimes it’s better to break a rule than to follow it.

Now, before the parents rush their kids out of here, listen carefully.

If the rule keeps you from sin, then it’s a valid rule. And most rules exist for a good reason, even they are annoying.

But every once in awhile, you might come across a rule that actually causes you to sin if you follow it. History is full of examples where the status quo and the rules existed to oppress, suppress, and just be generally evil to particular people. Likewise, churches tend to find themselves with a set of rules that may have served a purpose at one time, but they are impeding the Great Commission today. If the status quo prevents a church from reaching people for Christ, then it’s time to evaluate the status quo. I think it happens in families, too. I wonder how many families continue to deal with heartache and brokenness, because healing would require them to operate differently than what they’re used to.

This brings us to the third and last point:

Jesus’ question to the man is a question we must ask ourselves.

“Do you want to be healed?”

I have come to the conclusion that a lot of people just don’t want to be healed. Now, they want their symptoms removed, but they don’t want true healing.

It comes in many forms. Some people don’t put in the work to be financially free because that would ruin their gravy train. One commentator brought up this point. It was true then and it’s true today: you can make a good living off begging if you know what you’re doing.

Some people want the good health, but they’re unwilling to take care of themselves. I would love six pack abs...but I love a six pack of tacos more. Follow that with some cookies, that’s a good meal.

That’s why Jesus’ warning to the man is the same for us: sin no more so that nothing worse happens. We have to change our mindset—that’s what repent means—if we are to live as God designed us. We can’t just call ourselves a Christian, but live and think like a pagan. Being a Christian means following Christ and thinking as He thinks.

Today, put your faith in Christ, follow Him even when the world says you’re wrong, and most importantly, stop believing in the world’s nonsense and lies and start thinking like Jesus.