Bethesda

John 5:1–9 KJV 1900

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 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. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

Introduction

Explain: The pool of Bethesda

Explain: The situation of the man who had been sick 38 years and could not walk.

Explain: How Jesus came to the man and it appears the man did not know who He was but rather thought that Jesus might help him get to the pool.

Now when I think about this story I wonder why it was that this man could not in 38 years find someone who could put him into the pool in time.

His problem was that he didn’t have anyone to help him…but why?

Bethesda was in the middle of the capital city of Israel, the city of Jerusalem.

Where were the Levites?

Where were the priests?

Where was the average concerned citizen?

I seems strange that no one was there to help the man year after year especially considering that the pool was in the city.

However, the text offers what I believe to be a possible reason no one ever came to help the man.

V1. and there was a feast of the Jews.

It appears that the day that we angel touched the water consistently occured during this feast…which was the Passover feast.

The Passover feast was a very busy time.

It was a very religious time.

It was a very crazy time in Jerusalem.

It involved much preparation and time with friends and family and observance of religious ceremony.

All of which was a good thing…even something that God commanded to be celebrated.

It was a good thing, it was a wonderful thing…but it happened every year at the same time that this man needed someone to help him at Bethesda.

Why was there no one at Bethesda to help this man?

They were at the feast.

Today we can visit the pool of Bethesda, but its much different now. There is no angel that troubles the water anymore.

However, there are mission fields all around the world, where there are people that would be saved if someone were to go and take the gospel to them.

The reason these people are not saved is because they too have no man.

Thats the only reason.

And year after year they wait for someone to come and take them to the healing fountain (Jesus Christ) and yet year after year no one comes.

Example: Over a thousand cities in Colombia without a church. Has God forgotten those people? Or have they just not answered His call?

I also have observed that just like the Bethesda in John 5 was empty due to everyone being at the feast…the Bethesdas in our world today remain empty because most people refuse to leave some feasts we have today.

We have some very good reasons for not going to Bethesdas today....some feasts that we are attending…that have us preoccupied.

Like the Passover, these feasts are not bad things, they are very good things.

Let me just mention a few of these feasts in the time we have remaining...

The feast familiarity

Psalm 137:4 KJV 1900

4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song In a strange land?

Here we see the children of Israel in Babylon…a foreign country.

A strange land

And they are sad

They are depressed

They are experiencing culture shock

Because they its not their home…its not their language.

They are strangers in a strange land.

Statistically 50% of missionaries don’t last beyond one term and a huge part of that is culture shock.

They are in a strange land…and its not easy to be in a strange land and to speak a strange language and to be in a strange culture.

To look different…to sound different…to be the odd man out.

To miss your home.

Example: People come visit us on missions trips and every time they end a week on in Colombia and they are talking about how they can’t wait to get back to America and kiss the ground.

Example: Culture shock times in Colombia… not knowing what to buy in the grocery store.

Example: Explain how at first the new things and then they rub on you until one thing makes you have a panic attack.

Example: Them pulling the hair out of our girl.

We naturally want to be around what is familiar to us.

When I lived in NC I knew people that had never left the county.

Never left the state.

They loved their home…they were comfortable there because they were around what was familiar.

They were enjoying the feast of familiarity.

And thats not necessarily a bad thing.

There is nothing wrong with loving that which is familiar.

That is a natural part of human nature.

But…the fact remains, there is nobody down at Bethesda.

They have no man there to bring them the gospel.

And if we are going to help those people…if we are going to keep them from spending an eternity in hell by reaching them with the gospel...

Someone is going to have to push themselves away from the table at the feast of familiarity and go somewhere that is a strange land.

They will have to learn a strange language

Learn strange customs.

Because if we don’t .... they will sit there year after year without the gospel...

and then they will die and go to hell.

Because we didn’t want to leave what was familiar to us.

The feast of safety

Acts 15:26 KJV 1900

26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul and Barnabas were recognized as men that had hazarded their lives for the sake of the gospel.

It is often the case that the Bethesdas of the world are places that maybe are not the safest.

Colombia is often know for its drug cartels.

Example: The man who rebuked me for taking my family to Colombia because of safety concerns.

Folks, God didn’t just tell us to take the gospel to safe places.

We were told to go into all the world.

Paul and Barnabas did not just go to places where there was no risk involved.

Example: The village I was in where the paramilitary took it over a month later. The villages that our church went to that I could not go with them.

Example: When a marine goes to a dangerous area we are thankful for his courage.

When a missionary goes into a dangerous area…many mock him as being reckless.

There are many Christian young men who would eagerly volunteer to go to Iraq to fight terrorists…but who would cower in fear at the thought of going to Iraq to preach the gospel.

Is not the cause of taking the gospel more important that that of fighting for your country?

Safety is wonderful…safety is a great thing.

But the fact remains…there is nobody down at Bethesda.

They are dying there without Christ.

Someone might need to push away from the table at the feast of safety in order to help them.

We can easily succeed at staying very safe…but also condemning the lost to hell because we didn’t go.

The feast of family

Mark 1:20 KJV 1900

20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

When Jesus called James and John to follow him, the Bible notes that they left their father behind in order to do so.

I wonder how Zebedee responded?

I wonder if he was thrilled that His two sons were going to be missionaries…or if he yelled at them to get back to work.

The family business was supposed to go to them.

They were his workers.

I feel like God has a special reward in heaven for parents whose children go to the mission field.

Many parents are not excited when God calls their kids to go to the mission field.

Many parents refuse to pray and ask God to call their children to the mission field because they couldn’t bare being that far from the grandkids.

I have people in my extended family that absolutely were against us going to the mission field and let us know it.

I love my family…my kids love their grandparents…but the fact remains...there is nobody down at Bethesda.

They have no man there.

If we are going to help those people, some of us need to push away from the table at the feast of family and go somewhere thousands of miles away.

Because if we don’t … we may have succeeded in celebrating every birthday with our family...

but they will die and go to hell when we could have reached them.

If we just wouldn’t have been so busy at the feast.

Would you be willing to pray that God would send one of your kids to the mission field? To a Bethesda?

Would you be willing to leave your family behind and go yourself to a place like that.

Matthew 10:37 KJV 1900

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

We may have to push away from the feast of family…in order to reach the Bethesdas of the world.

Im going to give you one more feast and we will finish...

The feast of fellowship

Psalm 133:1 KJV 1900

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!

Man I love being part of a good church

Hearing the singing

Hearing the good preaching

Having that potluck fellowship

Going out with a group of believers for some church event or evangelism.

Example: When I was a teenager I loved church above all other places. I would get there early and I didn’t want to leave.

I loved being part of the church.

But then God called me to a Bethesda…and when we got there … we were alone.

That is what missionaries sometimes do not realize they are leaving behind…a good church and the fellowship of the brethren.

When we arrived at Rionegro…we had no church.

We had to start from scratch.

And very quickly…things can get very lonely.

In fact, loneliness is one of the leading causes of missionaries leaving the field.

Not only are you in a strange land, but you are very often alone when you go to Bethesda.

And one of the things you miss the most is your church.

Its important for sending churches not to forget their missionaries…and when they come back to make them feel accepted and loved.

Yes, it is a tremendous blessing being part of a good church…enjoying that fellowship, and singing, and all of it.

But the fact remains, there is noone down at Bethesda.

Someone needs to push away from the table of fellowship.

Leave the feast and go down to Bethesda.

Because while we are enjoying the fellowship at our churches in America…they are dying and going to hell

Not because they can’t be saved, but because they have no man.

No one is there to help them.

Conclusion

Yes, that day in John 5 there was no man at Bethesda to help that man.

But wait, there was somebody there.

His name was Jesus Christ.

While everyone was busy with the feast…Jesus went to Bethesda.

Because those are the kinds of places that He likes to go.

And when you are sent by God to a Bethesda…folks…Jesus is going with you.

He is not here physically to go help the people at the Bethesdas of the world…and so He goes through us.

We are His messengers…we are His ambassadors.

We need to fund missions by giving generously

But what we really need more than anything…is laborers.

Matthew 9:38 KJV 1900

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Who will go to Bethesda?