THE WATER IS TROUBLED

JOHN 5:1- 9

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. 

If you have been with us you have noticed

that the last few sermons have focused on

Jesus miracles of healing.

We preached from sermon topics such as

HE TOUCHED ME, from Matthew chapter

8. There Jesus touched a man with

leprosy and healed him. Then there was a

sermon entitled LORD TOUCH ME AGAIN,

from Mark chapter 8. There in Mark Jesus

gave a blind man a second touch. And last

week it was the sermon SPEAK THE WORD

, from Matthew chapter 8 where the

Roman centurion asked Jesus to speak

the Word and he his servant would be

healed.

So today let’s take a look at another

miracle healing of Jesus.

THE WATER IS TROUBLED

John 5:1  After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

John 5:2  Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 

John 5:3  In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 

We enter into chapter five after Jesus had

healed a nobleman’s son. And because of

that miracle the nobleman’s house whole

was saved. *

The feast that Jesus went to attend in

Jerusalem is not named in the first verse

but many believe it to be the Passover.

Perhaps John only intended to give the

reason why Jesus was in Jerusalem.

We read that there was a pool located

near the sheep gate or market. It had five

porches or covered areas where the sick

laid. The name Bethesda means house of

mercy. For in this place God would show

mercy to the sick and the lame. *

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? 

At a certain time of the year God would

dispatch an angel to stir the water with

healing virtue. Whoever could get into the

water first was healed of whatever

sickness or disease they had. *

But one man had been there 38 years and

had never been able to get into the water

first.

The scripture reads that Jesus saw him

laying down. This is an indication that the

man was crippled. He could not walk.

Being that Jesus is the son of God, he

knew how long the man had been there

waiting to get healed.

Then Jesus asked the man a question that

seamed obvious, Wilt thou be made

whole?  *

But the man didn’t answer Jesus with a

yes or a no, he began to give excuses as to

why he is not healed.

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. 

The Bible Knowledge Commentary (5:7)

The man’s reply indicates that he did

not lack the desire but the means to be

healed. Without strength and without

friends, he could not be helped when the

pool water was stirred. He had tried but

without success. *

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. 

The man is to rise and walk; a strange

command to be given to an impotent

man, that had been disabled for a long

time, but this divine word was to be the

vehicle of a divine power; it was a

command to the disease to be gone, to

the man to be strong, but it is expressed

as a command to him to stir himself. He

must rise and walk, that is, attempt to do

it, and in doing so he received the

strength to do it. This lame man

immediately got up and started walking.

This is proof of not only the man’s faith

but the healing power of God that rest in

Jesus.

Isaiah prophesied that when the Messiah

would come the lame would leap like a

deer in Isaiah 35:6. This miracle is a sure

and a public sign that the Messiah had

come. *

John makes a special note that this

miracle took place on the Sabbath. The

Sabbath was a central issue in the

conflicts between Jesus and His

opponents. The Mosaic Law required that

work cease on the sabbath day.

Additional laws were added latter by

Jewish religious authorities, which

became very complicated and

burdensome. These human traditions

often obscured the divine intention in

God’s Law. “The Sabbath was made for

man” (Mark 2:27) so that he could have

rest and a time for worship and joy. The

Jews’ rigid tradition (not the Old

Testament) taught that if anyone carried

anything from a public place to a private

place on the Sabbath intentionally, he

deserved death by stoning. In this case

the man who was healed was in danger of

losing his life.

Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 289.

Now when the Jewish authorities saw

that the man was healed they were more

concerned with who healed him and why

did he break the law by having him work

on the Sabbath day?

When you get your break through some

people will be more concerned with who

and how instead of joining you in giving

God the praise. *

THE WATER IS TROUBLED!!!

This man’s faith along with his obedience

got the water troubled right where he

was. If you have faith and obedience the

water is stirred right where you are!

Somebody you waited for a long time but

today you can say what the song writer

said, I was sinking deep in sin, far from the

peaceful shore, very deeply stained

within, sinking to rise no more. But the

Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,

from the waters lifted me. Now safe am I.

Love lifted me!

THE WATER IS TROUBLED!!!