John 5:1-18

The Second Sign

**In the 1730s and 1740s, a powerful series of revivals swept across Europe and the United States, led by preachers like Jonathan Edwards, John and Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield. Through their faithful preaching of the Word, large numbers of people were coming to Christ. God was using these men and their commitment to biblical preaching to grow His Church in remarkable ways.**

**However, as the effects of these revivals began to slow down, some individuals started to chase the fame and excitement of revivalism itself. They sought the power of God, but without God at the center. One such man was Charles Finney. Finney was determined to recreate the work of Edwards and Whitefield, but he relied more on the techniques they used than on the God who had empowered their ministries. As a result, a revivalist movement spread across the U.S., where evangelists attempted to reproduce the supernatural work of God through human methods rather than allowing God to work as He willed.**

**This same temptation exists for us today. When we see God working powerfully in another church or in someone else’s life, we may desire to see those same results in our own lives or communities. In doing so, we risk exchanging the biblical work of the Church for mere pragmatism. We might seek a result—like growth or excitement—rather than seeking God Himself to work in His own way and time.**

**This morning, we find a similar situation in our scripture passage. In today’s text, Jesus reveals His authority and power by healing a man on the Sabbath, showing that the work of God cannot be confined to human traditions or expectations.**

**Main Point (MP):** Jesus demonstrates His power and authority through healing the man on the Sabbath, reminding us to seek God’s presence, not just results.

The Sign (1-9)

Bethesda - a public bath for both men and women. Women on one side and men on the other.

Beggars would come because this was a place where there were a lot of people coming and going.

verse 4 in the KJV: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.

Text criticism:

What we hold in our hand is the word of God. What we have is copies of the manuscripts of this word.

As the scribes would copy the word they would sometimes write notes concerning the passage that we are reading.

the goal of textual critism is to look at all the manuscripts and determine which is closest like the originals.

to have hundreds of earlier manuscripts that omit verse 4, is why some translations such as the esv, niv, csb omit the passage.

it is highly though since this description or commentary of the pool shows up in later manuscripts that it was added by a scribe as such a commentary

this omition does not in any way change anything about Jesus or about God. therefore, we can understand that this is insight into the passage that we are studying.

It tells us that this man and others there were Searching for a supernatural healing

Irony: Jesus, the creator of the universe, was there in the superstitious place of healing, in the presence of all of this sick and ill people, walking around.

Is this us? Are we searching for a supernatural act of God in our church or in our homes outside of the work of God being active.

Are we trying to recreate a event in which God did work? Are we stuck on chasing an event or the God himself.

This man was waiting for an impersonal action of the God of Israel to act.

individual

we do this too, through the thinking of if I have enough faith god will act as we see here it wasn’t the man’s faith that caused god to act rather it was gods power and will that caused him to work

often times we seek god to work through a recrration of past events and a search for former feelings from previous experiences the reminder here is that god works outside of our plans and experiences to work and manifest his power in ways that give glory to himself

the only thing he requires of us day in and day out to experience his power is simply faith trusting that he’s active and working without the need and help of us recreating an event that we felt him formally at what god calls us to is faithfulness in our obedience we are called to seek him not just his power were not to seek god just for what he can do for us rather we worship out of who he is

I’ve got to clean myself up before I come to church or become a believer

3 fold command

The healing was not because of the mans belief but was because is a reflection of the one who made him well, the creater of the universe.

While waiting for the power of a pool, this man was confronted with the personal power of God through Jesus.

The Sabbath (10-16)

The God they claim to know and his power are seperated and not connected on a day of rest.

They believed that the God who issued the sabbath for man had to follow the same rules that God gave man.

The rules of their religion over whelmed the power of God in healing a man that was lame for over thirty years.

Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.

There are instances where sin results sickness. Sexual transmitted diseases are a result of having sex outside the confines of marriage. Drunkness results in a bad liver.

The effects of sin on this world cause it to be broken and we have sickness and pain.

Here. The sin that Jesus is refering to is unbelief. The worst that will happen to the man is on Judgement day. The man was not healed based upon his belief in Jesus. He was healed through the kindness of Jesus. Sin and repent Judgment is coming.

Left again with the Jews missing the beauty of what happened in place of the tradition set forth by man.

The Symmetry (17-18)

Jesus in calling God his Father is a confession of who he is: the Son

Jesus in calling God his father is a declaration of who he is: the Son

The Idea that God rested on the 7th day or the sabbath does not mean that God is active. Even on that seventh day God continued to sustain the universe. Breaking the sabbath is lawful and neccisary for God to do because in it he has the ability to sustain his creation.

Jesus stating that he is working as the father is working is equating his power with God’s and himself with God.

Jesus’s point: God could and does work on the sabbath, he is not violating the sabbath because he is doing the same thing that God can do on the sabbath because he is God.

Where and how is God working? He is working through the work initiated by Jesus which he himself will finish upon his return.

Lets make sure that we have not taken on a work that is not of God, that is , not rooted in and commanded by Jesus.