The Book of John - 28

Introduction - We are continuing with the first 17 verses of John chapter 5.

This section begins with the sign, the healing of the impotent man.

The rest of the chapter details for you and I the Lord’s response to His claim to deity.

We have already discussed:

A. The Healing at the Pool

The Timing of the event.

The Location of the event.

The People of the event.

The Reason of the event.

Notice with me, verse 5.

John 5:5 “5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.”

Let’s Pray.

After the introductory statements that set the scene for you and I, we see this informational statement concerning a certain man.

For this we see:

The Person of the event.

We looked at earlier the people of the event and made note that the Bible tells us there were a “…great multitude…” of people in a state of need.

From this we can also look around and realize that still today, there are multitudes of people that are in great need.

The needs of man have not changed.

Sin still takes its toll. Though these manifested broken bodies, we understand there were broken emotions, broken lives and broken hearts because of sin.

But here we see that the Holy Spirit focuses on this certain man.

As we have seen before, the Lord deals with the multitudes as well as the individual.

There is no case that escapes His attention.

We are told also the details of this man’s case.

Notice the Bible tells us that he had “…an infirmity thirty and eight years.” vs. 5

What a long time to deal with a sickness or disease!

There are some who deal with sickness all of their lives.

One thing we thank the Lord for often in our house is our health.

We are not told how old this man is, but 38 years is half of a lifetime (80 years - Psalm 90:10).

We are not told either how long he had been at this pool, but it seems that he had been here awhile based on his response to the Lord, which we will see in just a moment.

Some have seen in this number a parallel to the nation of Israel’s unbelief and their wilderness wanderings.

In Deuteronomy 2:14, we read this sad commentary, “14 And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the Lord sware unto them.”

Wandering in unbelief seems to be the point that they are making by this connection.

Regardless we can say this without a doubt, being in this condition of infirmity for 38 years is not good.

As we think about those many years, just imagine all of the lost time.

Surely, this man had family at one time and yet he had missed opportunities to be with them.

It seems by are text that both friend and family if he had any at all had abandoned him.

Perhaps this man financially was in a bad way because he could not work.

He had no way to provide for anyone much less himself because of his condition.

The condition of this man was truly hopeless.

Dr. Vernon McGee relayed this story about this passage as he remembered it, He stated, “I went up one year to speak the the Preventorium (A preventorium was an institution or building for patients infected with tuberculosis who did not yet have an active form of the disease), where little fellows and girls who had weak lungs or tuberculosis were cared for. They presented an Easter program. There was one little fellow there who quoted the entire fifth chapter of John, all forty-seven verses. He made only one error and I always felt it was not much of an error. In verse 3, he quoted it like this, “In these lay a great multitude of important folk…” Quite a few people smiled when he said that. If got to thinking about it, and realized he was correct.”

Certainly, these were important people—they were important to the Lord Jesus Christ…

I want you to understand that every soul is important to the Lord.

This man was important to the Lord Jesus Christ as were the multitudes.

And though friend and family may have abandoned him or marginalized him, the Lord Jesus Christ did not!

The Bible now introduces to us the conversation and healing that takes place.

Let’s look at verse 6 together.

John 5:6 “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?”

There is a couple of things that we notice in this statement.

First, we see the Lord looking upon the man.

Over and over again we are reminded of the Lord’s intimate involvement with us.

Here He sees the man lie in this state.

Not only does He see him, but the Bible tells us, “…he knew…”

This is a truth, that the Lord knows the condition of every man.

For the Christian that is a blessed comfort.

For the heathen that is a warning of future judgment.

For the hypocrite that is warning that you will be exposed.

Now this man outwardly and in an obvious way was impotent, but some are blinded to their own plight and disease.

This is why we shine the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God and Holy Spirit of God exposes man’s true condition.

One expositor made this comment, “I can run away from fire and water; but who can escape God?”

Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator: St. John, vol. 1 (London: James Nisbet & Co., n.d.), 422.

Try to guilt man yourself and he will look at you and say you are just a man, just like me.

But when God exposes, man cannot say the same thing.

Not only did the Lord know, but, “he said…”

The beautiful thing about this incident, this sign recorded for us is we see our precious Savior initiating the relationship with this man.

Remember, we saw this multitude waiting on some miracle waters…while the Great Physician walked among them.

And here, even though this man hoped in some miracle waters, the true hope was among them. If in His divine prerogative He had chose to just walk by, this man would remain in the same condition.

What did the Lord say to this man?

Look again at verse 6 in the latter part, John 5:6 “… Wilt thou be made whole?”

This is always the question, is it not?

Against all reason, against all lack of hope, the Lord asks this question of all, Wilt thou be made whole?

This is the question of the gospel.

In another healing incident similar to this, Peter is asked the question, “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?”

In other words, this is beyond us, how is this possible? how could this be?

To which Peter answer, with the only answer that holds water to mans need, “If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.” (Acts 4:7,9-10)

It seems rather peculiar for the Lord to ask this question of a sick man.

The simple answer is of course this man would be made whole.

But this question was asked for a reason by the Lord.

To what purpose was this question asked,

To bring true hope into view for this man.

His hope had been in a pool of water. Perhaps it still was, but it was a hopeless hope. In other words, we might say it this way, it was no real hope at all, but a mirage…something that was impossible.

2. To turn this man’s attention from the hopeless water, to the Living Water, the Lord Himself.

3. To wake the man from His indifference perhaps to His state. (It goes something like this, well this is just the way it is…)

Merrill C Tenney stated this, “He had become resigned to his fate and had accepted the inevitable.”

Merrill C. Tenney, John: The Gospel of Belief, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 104.

All of His time at this pool His eyes were fixated on something that did not change His condition.

Dr. McGee stated this in His commentary, “Just think of the people waiting in our churches, waiting or some great, sweeping emotion to engulf them. Then there are those who are postponing making a decision for Christ. They are not willing to turn to Him because they are looking for something to happen.”

And so the Lord asks Him this question, Wilt thou be made whole?…

We might say it this way, Will you be made whole Not by any water…not by anything or anyone else but by the Lord Jesus Christ?

This is the question.

For every problem that man has, the Lord Jesus Christ is the answer.

The Bible records for us not only the question, but notice the response.

John 5:7 “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.”

This truly is the issue at hand…or so he thought. I have no man!

Do we realize that according to 1 John 5:19 “…the whole world lieth in wickedness.”

He thought if I just had a man to help me, I would be made whole.

But could that be… could it be that all we need is just another man?

Could it be that all we need is a pool with healing qualities… Or we might put it in language today…

Could it be that all we need is just some better human ingenuity?

Or perhaps better medicine? Or perhaps more technology to help us along?

What can cure that which sin has wrought?

Later in verse 14 we find this statement by the Lord to the healed man…“14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

This seems to indicate that there was a connection with this man sin and his sickness.

His answer thus affirmed proposed that the only reason he lay sick still was because of someone else’s indifference.

Now what is amazing to me is what the Lord says next.

One when dealing with another person might expect some reasoning to take place.

One might expect some back and forth convincing to take place.

We see a direct command, a challenge to this man’s hope, this man’s trust, this man’s belief.

John 5:8 “8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.”

I have no doubt that the eyes of this man—met the precious eyes of the Savior…

And what He saw was love…He saw mercy…He saw grace…He saw compassion…But He also saw utter truth…unfettered authority…strength like no other…perfect peace!

We see instantly that the Lord did not say, Well since you put it that way, let me get my disciples over here to put you in the water when they are troubled.

He did not say, Well you know what it is a fact that the reason you are not healed is because of everyone else.

This was a direct challenge to immediate personal action.

As we close with this lesson for today, I wonder what is it that the Lord is challenging you with?

Let’s pray