John 5:1-16
Textual Introduction: It’s not clear what festival Jesus was
observing during this visit to Jerusalem.
Whatever the festival, it became an occasion for some bold claims.
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Strange question, wasn’t it? “Do you want to be well?” Of course, after thirty-eight years of
paralysis who wouldn’t want to be well?
Jesus may have been addressing a
somewhat surprising human trait.
Sometimes those who’ve long suffered from some condition aren’t as eager
for a change as we might think. Nor do
their families always welcome change.
For the alcoholic who throws away the bottle for the last time sobriety
brings both new opportunities and new challenges. He can no longer opt out of his
responsibilities. And, the recovered
alcoholic’s family has to adjust to her becoming part of the decision-making
process.
After almost four decades as an
invalid, healing would bring some powerful changes to this man’s life.
At the same time, Jesus may have
sensed a kind of fatalism in this man.
After almost four decades as an invalid, this man may have just about
given-up. Notice that his answer to
Jesus reveals his sense of isolation.
Unlike the man in Mark’s gospel, whose friends literally raised the roof
to help him get to Jesus, this man had no friends who were available to help
him.
So far
I haven’t said anything about this Pool of Bethesda. There seems to be no doubt that it existed
but it’s not clear just where it was in Jerusalem. But a pool found near the Church of St
Anne. This site has the remains of
foundations for five “porches” or platforms.
Still, not everyone agrees that this was the site of the Pool of
Bethesda.
But what’s most interesting about
this pool is not its location but its reputation for having water with healing
powers. That’s why so many sick people
gathered there. Apparently, many
believed an angel periodically descended to “trouble” the waters; the first sick person into the water after
that would be healed.
Let me offer a couple of observations.
--It was widely believed in the
ancient world that certain springs possessed healing powers. Baths such as those found in Britain and Gaul
(modern France) are still popular today.
Some of you may remember an American President who regularly went to hot
springs in Arkansas and Georgia, in part, to bathe in the supposedly healing
waters. The value of such baths is still
debated.
--That the first century Jews should
attribute this power to God shouldn’t surprise anyone. They believed God was the ultimate source of
all power in the world. But, remember,
as most of your translations will point out, the reference to an angel
troubling the water isn’t found in the best of the old manuscripts.
--The sick gathered at this spring
because of a local, albeit pious, superstition.
Nothing in the text actually suggests that anyone was healed in these
baths. Even Alfred Edersheim,
nineteenth-century convert from Judaism and expert on the life of Christ, believed
that any such healings were of “nervous” conditions, what we would probably
call psychosomatic illnesses.
In short, what this suggests is that
those poor sick people gathered there were basing their hope on a faulty
foundation. It also may suggest that
they had come to focus their energies and concerns only on their physical
condition.
Years ago Pat and I visited Hot
Springs, Arkansas, and toured the now unused hospitals there. As we walked through those white tiled rooms
we saw chains and pulleys suspended from the ceilings; this wasn’t part of some medieval torture
chamber but the strange machinery used to lower the powerless sufferers into
the mineral baths.
Pat, who is more sensitive to such
things than I am, told me that she could almost hear the cries and moans of
those desperate men, women, and children who were grasping at the promises of
those waters. Despite the opulence of
the clinics, this was a place sad people—both rich and poor—were facing life
and death issues.
The pool of Bethesda was such a
place. Then, one Sabbath (a fact which
will be important) Jesus visited this pool.
Edersheim offers this comment on Jesus’ visit.
With all reverence, we can
in some measure understand, what feelings must have stirred the heart of Jesus,
in view of this suffering, waiting 'great multitude.' Why, indeed, did He go
into those five porches, since He had neither disease to cure, nor cry for help
and come to Him from those who looked for relief to far other means? Not,
surely, from curiosity. But as one longs to escape from the stifling atmosphere
of a scene of worldly pomp, with its glitter and unreality, into the clearness
of the evening-air, so our Lord may have longed to pass from the glitter and
unreality of those who held rule in the Temple, or who occupied the seat of
Moses in their Academies, to what was the atmosphere of His Life on earth, His
real Work, among that suffering, ignorant multitude, which, in its sorrow,
raised a piteous, longing cry for help where it had been misdirected to seek
it.
It was in this place of suffering
that Jesus found a man who was the prime example of those whose hope had been
drained and were just going through the motions of trying to find relief.
It was to this man that Jesus asked
his strange question: Do you want to be
well?
The man’s answer shows that he still
thought his hope for wellness was in the waters which were close but still too
far. In truth, the way to wellness was
the avenue of obedient faith.
Jesus said to the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Had most of us overheard those words spoken
to a paralyzed man we would have thought, “How cruel, how insensitive.” But something in the way those words were
said prompted this man to believe Jesus wasn’t speaking with heartless mockery
or well-meaning optimism.
The text says, “Immediately, the man
got well.” Without even waiting to get
the Stranger’s name, the man rolled up his mat and began walking around.
There it was, another miracle. No one ever gets accustomed to such events
but the disciples had seen Jesus perform numerous miracles. But John adds a comment which shows that this
miracle was merely the prelude to the big story he wants to tell. He says simply, “This happened on a Sabbath
day.”
John doesn’t tell us the crowd’s
reaction to this familiar figure walking away from the pool. If anyone noticed they were probably amazed
at what had happened. The only people we’re
certain noticed were a group of Jewish leaders who spotted him carrying that
bedroll, carrying a bedroll on the Sabbath.
In a sense, the rest of this account
revolves around two implied questions asked by the Jewish leaders:
They asked the former paralytic, “Just
what do you think you’re doing? It’s the Sabbath. You can’t carry your bedroll around. It’s against the rules.” Of course, he was violating their Sabbath
laws. In fact, at one point in Jewish
history someone wearing false teeth on the Sabbath would be violating the law
against carrying a burden.
The man responds, “The man who made
me well told me to do this.” There’s a
kind of logic to his response: If
someone can reverse thirty-eight years of paralysis, you ought to listen to
him.
So, the leaders said, “Made you
well? That is so exciting. We want to meet that man.” Well, actually what they said was, “Who told
you to pick up your bed and walk. That
man has some explaining to do.” You see,
these leaders were focused. They weren’t
about to be sidetracked by minor issues;
they had their priorities straight.
Never mind that a miracle had taken place, never mind that a man’s life
had been forever changed, the Sabbath rules had been broken. This stranger, whoever he was, had to answer
for his disregard of the rules.
The leaders
had no intention of listening to him. In
fact, once they do find out who he is they have a question for him: “Just who do you think you are?” Much of the remainder of the chapter reveals
Jesus’ answer to that question. But
you’ll find the essence of his answer and the leaders’ response to it und in
verses 16-18.
16. So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus
for breaking the Sabbath rules.
17. But
Jesus replied, "My Father never stops working, so why should I?"
18. So
the Jewish leaders tried all the more to kill him. In addition to disobeying
the Sabbath rules, he had spoken of God as his Father, thereby making himself
equal with God.
Jesus claimed equality with God and
that He—even as he was breaking the man-made Sabbath rules—doing God’s
work. In the subsequent debate with the
Jewish leaders he applies two titles which underscore these claims.
First, he will call himself, “Son of
God” (vs. 25). By
clearly applying this term to himself, Jesus was saying that he had a
relationship with God unlike that of any other person who ever lived.
Second, he calls himself “Son of Man”
(vs. 27). This term may seem strange to
us, would have been immediately recognized by the Jewish audience. This was one of the ancient titles for the
Messiah. In applying it to himself,
Jesus was saying he was God’s appointed messenger on a mission of redemption,
that he was the agent of salvation.
All of this gave Jesus the right to
make the implicit claim that the road to wellness, real wellness, is obedient
faith in him. Consider how this speaks
to us.
If you want to be well,
accept Jesus as the One who has the right to challenge our notions about religion.
Many people reduce religion to a
series of rules. By obeying these rules
we earn God’s favor. Those who live by
these rules often give the impression of being pious and deeply spiritual. But, often, these same people are deeply
aware of needs that their rule-keeping leaves untouched. Early in the sixteenth century Martin Luther
was a monk. By all accounts he kept the
rules of his order with scrupulous care, yet deep in his soul he was
spiritually uneasy. He knew his efforts
had not really dealt with his greatest need, the assurance of God’s acceptance.
He found that assurance, not because
of anything he had done, but because he accepted God’s Word for what God had
done for us through Jesus Christ. By
faith he accepted the fact that he was accepted. It was a profound discovery. Luther knew that he was, in fact, not
acceptable, yet he was accepted. It’s
what the Bible calls grace.
The religion Jesus brought is based
on that grace. We enter this
relationship by obedient faith, hearing and responding to God’s call to trust
him.
There was no external cause for the
paralytic man to believe he could actually pick up his bedroll and walk. There was no thunder and lightning as Jesus
spoke the words. The man simply heard
and believed, then acted on that belief.
Some people reject Jesus’ notion of
religion because it takes the spotlight off them and their own claims to
piety. Spiritually they are as paralyzed
as the man was for those thirty-eight years, yet they loudly proclaim
themselves to be marathon runners.
Sadly they hold on to their religion
rooted in struggle and self-effort. All
the while Jesus offers religion rooted in a relationship founded on grace.
If you want to be well, accept Jesus as the One who has the right to judge.
The Jewish leaders were judging Jesus
because he had shown disdain for their manmade Sabbath regulations. They were judging him as guilty of impiety
because he claimed equality with God. But
Jesus turned the tables. Jesus claimed
the right to judge them, a right given to Him by God, His Father. (John 5:19-23)
Jesus can rightly exercise this role
of Judge because of his unique relationship with God the Father. His knowledge is as great as that of the
Father; his wisdom is as great as that
of the Father; his insight is as great
as that of the Father. The implication
is clear, he will judge as God would judge because he is God.
The Father has given the Son the
right to judge, in part, so the Son will receive the honor which is rightly
his. Jesus underscores this claim by
making the remarkable statement that contempt for him is contempt for God. The Jewish leaders believed they were
honoring God be their contempt for Jesus.
In fact, they were dishonoring God.
Of course, Jesus role as Judge will
be seen in the last days, but he is a Judge today as well.
We honor Jesus as Judge when we
acknowledge his right to determine the priority of our needs.
Verse 14 tells of a second encounter
between Jesus and the formerly paralyzed man.
Jesus says to the man, “"Look!
You have become well. Do not go
on sinning, lest a worse thing befall you." A number of commentators use this to support
the notion that the man’s paralysis was the result of some specific sin. This could be true but I think we’re reading
too much into Jesus’ words if we insist that this must be the case. I think it’s as likely Jesus is issuing a
call to repentance. He is saying, in
effect, “You’re well, that’s good, but you need to give as much
attention to your spiritual condition as you used to give to your physical
attention. There are worse things than
being physically crippled. It’s living a
life estranged from God. The
consequences of that life are far worse than being paralyzed.”
Jesus wants us to
acknowledge his right to exercise that judgment in our lives as well. We may believe our greatest need is wealth,
power, beauty, acceptance, but Jesus knows our greatest needs are
spiritual. Our greatest need is a right
relationship with God.
Jesus offers that
relationship to all those who respond to him with obedient faith.
If you want to be well, accept
Jesus as the One who is the Source of life.
This was a day for
startling claims and Jesus adds one more when he says he is the source of life.
(5:24-26) The religious leaders would
have quickly acknowledged that God was the Source of life, but here they were
listening as Jesus of Nazareth, a carpenter’s son, made the claim for himself.
Roger Fredrikson explains the impact those
words would have had on the listeners that day.
Every devout Jew knew that God was the Source of all
life—not only in the act of creation, but even in raising the dead. They accepted the accounts of life being
given to the dead in the Old Testament records, but for this itinerant preacher to claim that gift
of life was an affront to their rigid orthodoxy.
Still, they couldn’t deny that the
dead limbs of the paralytic man had been given new life. Before Jesus ended his public ministry, they
would one more confirmation of his claim, the resurrection of Lazarus.
Jesus linked his claim to an even
more spectacular event in the distant future, the resurrection of the
dead. There he will play the role of
Judge. But now he will to play the role
of Savior.
Jesus gives saving life now to those
who respond to him in obedient faith.
Those who do so join the ranks of the believers. Most of Jesus’ audience would have thought of
eternal life as belonging to the age to come, Jesus introduces the idea that
eternal life is a quality of life which may be experienced in the here and
now. To Nicodemus and to the woman at
the well, Jesus had promised new life.
Now he again says he can give that life.
Any who would reject Jesus reject the
“testimonies” on his behalf. Jesus lists
those which would have been of particular significance to his audience. He mentions John the Baptist, the promises of
the prophets, the evidence of his miracles, and even the words of Moses.
Still, most of the religious leaders
would continue to reject him. That
rejection demonstrated that, despite their protests, they really possessed no
love for God. They loved their idea of
God but not the God of grace, not the God who would offer salvation to all
races, not the God who would value an individual over their highly prized religious
rules and rituals.
We have all the “testimonies” or
evidence they had. And we also have the
evidence of Jesus’ Resurrection. But,
there are still those who refuse to believe.
These men and women hear Jesus’ question, “Do you want to be well?” and
answer, “No.”’
Some believe they are already well
and have no need of healing.
Some believe they can heal
themselves.
Some believe one of the many false
promises of healing.
Some cannot, or will not, accept that
the solution to their gravest spiritual problem is simple, obedient faith in
Jesus.
Have you?
