Christ's Power to Restore & Recreate

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John 5:1–9 (ESV)

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

[waiting for the moving of the waters; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.]

5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 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?” 7 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.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now that day was the Sabbath.

Opening Prayer

Setting the Stage

We’re not told specifically what Feast this is...

But, it seems to make sense that this Feast is most likely Pentecost.

The next Feast after Passover & Unleavened Bread which is connected to Passover is Pentecost...

Which takes place seven weeks after Passover.

Jesus has been in Cana of Galilee.

He’s healed a Royal Official’s son.

We don’t know how long after the healing of the Official’s son this is...

John just says … after these things.

And, Pentecost was a Feast that was to be celebrated in the Temple.

So, it seems most appropriate to see this Feast as Pentecost.

A little bit about...

Pentecost

Was the Greek name for the Feast of Weeks/Harvest/Oaths...

It was the second of the three great Jewish Feasts.

It was an annual one day harvest festival.

It was a celebration of the grain harvest and the renewal of the covenant.

It celebrated the entrance into the Promised Land and the bounty of the Land.

The celebration included a covenant-renewal ceremony.

Included in this ceremony was the reading of the book of Ruth...

Remembering the harvest that provided for Ruth and Naomi...

And, Ruth’s acceptance into the community of God.

It was to be celebrated at the Temple, so it was a Pilgrimage Feast.

Again, seven weeks from the day after the sabbath...

Passover or 50 days after the seventh year Passover.

This festival included extensive sacrifice.

There were to be grain offerings, drink offerings, lambs sacrificed, bulls & rams sacrificed.

Goats sacrificed as sin offerings.

Year old lambs for peace offerings.

Lots of First-fruit offerings were to be given.

Rules about leaving the edge of the crop and the spill over on the ground for the poor and the sojourner.

Specific details about each in Leviticus 23.

Additionally, we are told...

John 5:2 (ESV)

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.

The Sheep Gate

This is the Sheep Gate that we are told about in Nehemiah 3 as the temple was rebuilt.

It’s located near the NE corner of the Temple wall.

And, it is a smaller gate for smaller animals to come through for their entrance into the Temple to be sacrificed.

Some see this as meaning Sheep market, and that makes sense...

Because there was a Sheep market outside the sheep gate for the purchasing of smaller animals, on occasion, such as sheep for sacrifice.

So, outside of the Sheep Gate there would have been a Sheep market on occasions such as Pentecost.

Now, very near to the Sheep Gate or the Sheep Market was a pool...

John 5:2 (ESV)

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.

The Pool Called Bethesda

Bethesda

Hebrew or Aramaic … Bayith Hesed= House of Mercy

Interesting note, later on in history and when textual criticism came along in popularity…18th & 19th centuries...

There was this spotlight put on the Bible as to whether or not it was reliable.

Lots of motivation to get rid of the Bible then and still now.

One of the passages under scrutiny was this passage...

Specifically, this pool of Bethesda.

Well, at that time in history, during this battle for the veracity of Scripture...

There was no pool of Bethesda.

And, so the critics stated that these pools were non-existent.

There was no historical data regarding these pools.

There was no knowledge of these pools ever existing.

I mean, at that time of the critics, the pools were no where to be found.

And, five porches in their mind meant a pentagon shaped pool.

Those didn’t exist in the days of Jesus.

And, so these critics stated...

The Bible is not trustworthy.

John didn’t write this gospel.

Someone else at a much later date wrote it.

Someone who knew nothing of the architecture in the days of Jesus.

But, something happened...

The reason it wasn’t around was due, most likely, to the sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans...

Not long after the days of Jesus.

Archaeology Once Again Shows the Reliability of the Bible

At a church that was built near these pools, St. Anne’s...

Some excavations occured.

And, what was discovered was the remains of an ancient church...

Seemingly, a church that was built to mark the spot of these pools.Was a pool.

And, upon further excavation, they discovered two pools.

They found that they were divided by a large ridge of rock to make two basins...

Or twin pools.

We read that this pool had five roofed colonnades.

That’s equivalent to what we would call porches.

A colonnade was a roof, supported by columns without walls.

We do not have a pentagon shaped pool...

Neither was John describing a pentagon shaped pool.

But, rather two pools that had a colonnade (or porch) between them as well...

Built upon the large and wide ridge of rock that separated the two pools.

So, a N, S, E, W and mid colonnade.

So, five porches and two pools.

Just an additional note...

In 1952, what is known as the Copper Scroll of Qumran was found...

It noted the historical site of this twin pool with five colonnades...

And, called it Bethesda or the place of twin pourings.

How amazing to see an area in which critics claimed to be a proof that you could not trust the Bible...

To be an event that has staggering proof and points to the absolute reliability of the Bible.

Now, we can see from the Sheep Gate and the Pool of Bethesda that the miracle in this passage was in close proximity to the Temple.

If, as it seems, this was Pentecost...

The crowds would have been much larger than normal.

There would have been not only people from Jerusalem at this pool Bethesda...

But, those from all over the region who had made the pilgrimage to the Feast...

Who had place their hope in the supposed healing power of the water.

Which brings us to...

The Cultural Belief of Bethesda

The footnote that is v.3b-v.4 in your Bible, if your Bible has it, is this...

john 5 3-4

John 5:3–4 (NASB95)

3 In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the waters;

4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.

Maybe you’re translation has a footnote without the words actually being there...

Maybe you’re translation has it in brackets.

Ultimately, what we most likely have is a parenthetical statement that gives us insight into what the cultural belief about Bethesda was at the time of this miracle.

That at certain times, there was a stirring of the water that could not be explained by the wind…told that it must be angels.

And, that if you were the first person in the water immediately after the stirring...you were healed.

Imagine, the amount of people jumping in, sliding in as soon as the water stirred.

It would be hard to even know who was the first person in the water.

These pools were fed by large reservoirs called Solomon’s pools.

And, could have been also fed intermittently by springs.

And, historically, it had been reported that the water was red in color...

And, popularly thought to be medicinal.

Well, springs that have high mineral content, like salt...

Have always been thought of to have therapeutic affects on people.

This is not only true then, but still today.

There are hundreds of spots around the world that people travel to for the medicinal effect they hope to find in the water.

We have quite a few in America.

People travel to the Dead Sea, not only for the medicinal effect of the high salt content, but also the mud at the Dead Sea.

It’s not hard to believe that the people that got in the water first...

Would be the ones most healthy...

And, the ones that needed, maybe healing of the skin...

Which we know minerals have the ability to affect or soothe.

The scene that Jesus enters...

John 5:3 (ESV)

3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

Imagine the crowds.

Imagine the people that are gathered.

I’ve seen pictures of current places with hundreds of people crowded around waiting to get into the waters.

A multitude of invalids are waiting, eagerly anticipating the movement of the water...

Nervously hoping that they can see it and react before anyone else.

But, Jesus went to one person out of the whole crowd...

John 5:5–6 (ESV)

5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 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 Invalid

This guy has been an invalid for 38 years.

The passage seems to show that he was paralyzed from waist down.

Just using his arms, he could move through the crowds fast enough to get to the water.

But we see his answer to Jesus’ question...

John 5:7 (ESV)

7 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.”

This paralyzed man’s response is...

Sir, I do, but I cannot do it on my own...

My paralysis slows me to such an extent that all people have to do is walk around me and they get there first.

There seems to be a tone of...

Would you help me get into the water first?

In this paralytic’s statement.

The Miracle

Muscular atrophy or Disuse Induced Muscle Wasting

Spinal injuries are the normal cause.

But, having an illness that causes someone to be bedridden for a long period of time causes it.

In all of our modern medicine and all of our technological advances.

The best news we have is it is a long journey of rehabilitation...

That may not ever be fully restored.

The process of muscular atrophy can begin in as little as 2-3 weeks.

Here, this man has been an invalid for 38 years.

Imagine the frail look of his frame.

The lack of any muscles whatsoever.

The lack of strength in his body.

In our best medical environment, once he was healed of whatever caused this paralysis and atrophy...

He would have years of physical therapy with no guarantee of ever being fully healed.

But God!

John 5:8–9 (ESV)

8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Not only the paralysis, the disease...

Not only instantly removed.

But the rehabilitation of the muscles instantly granted.

The mass of muscle, proteins…everything...

Immediately granted by the Lord Jesus...

So that this man could immediately stand up...

Roll up his mat, put the bed mat on his shoulder...

And, walk away like he’d never had anything wrong with him at all.

Can you imagine?

The power of God displayed in this instantaneous healing.

This miracle pointing to the Christ’s authority over Creation.

This miracle pointing to the Christ’s power to restore and recreate.

These signs were prophesied by the prophets as signals of the Messiah.

When JB questioned…Jesus said...

Matthew 11:4–5 (ESV)

4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them...”

We are told to look forward to the absolute fulfillment of such in all creation at the consummation...

When this restoration and recreation will include all things...

And, enjoyed fully by the sheep of the Shepherd.

Revelation 21:4 (ESV)

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

This man came to the water.

His hope was in this cultural belief that this water would heal his condition.

His hope was crushed every time, by people just going around him to get in the water.

The Son of Glory, the Messiah, the Christ...

—> Standing before this man and he knows Him not.

He says to Jesus, if I could get some help getting in the water my needs would be met.

I could be restored if I could only get into the water first.

I need desperately, above all things, to get into that water.

And, in a sobering, gripping way Jesus teaches this man...

I am the water.

Jesus is the healing.

Jesus is the restorer.

Jesus is saying...

You don’t need that physical water.

You need Me!

______________

v.9 closes with this statement...

Now that day was the Sabbath.

And, that’s for next week, but...

Let’s think about this...

How often do we go to Jesus asking for something as if that something is ultimately what we need?

How often do we ask Jesus to restore something in our life, some position, some relationship...

All the while ignoring and losing our joy in the ultimate restoration that we have in Jesus?

As if that temporal restoration is more important, more meaningful than what we have in Jesus.

Not that we requesting temporal things are wrong.

But, beloved, I see in my life repeatedly that often my requests for temporal things have become, to me...

More important to me than the ultimate thing that I already have...

And that is the person of Jesus.

Jesus, in Him, through Him, by Him is everything we need ultimately.

Isn’t that the reality of every circumstance?

Isn’t that the message of the Bible?

Your ultimate need is not temporal things.

Your ultimate need is not the temporal comforts and pleasure of this life.

Your ultimate need is Jesus.

—> And by faith in Jesus we are made secure...

Given peace...

Lifted up by joy...

Made new by His power.

Kept by His grip.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Closing Prayer