God Engages

Purpose of the Gospel of John

John 20:31 ESV

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John is writing a church that is starting to not believe

The Holiday Season is here & some may wonder is this real?

What is all this to do about Jesus

Today’s Text

John 5:1-17

Let’s take a look at our text, part of this is going to be review from that last time we were here in October.

John 5:1–17 ESV

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 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 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.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Quick Observations

The Feast

Feast of the Jews

This was a pilgrimage feast, where the Jews were forced by the Law and Tradition to travel to Jerusalem

Possibly Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) celebrating Spring grain

Possibly Feast of Tabernacles (Autumn) celebrating the harvest

Bethesda

Only time this place is mentioned

means “House of Compassion” or “House of Mercy”

Missing Text

(John 5:3b-4) [waiting for the moving of the waters;

(John 5:3b-4) [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.]

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

5:3b–4. The earliest manuscripts omit these words which appear to be a late insertion to explain why the pool water was “stirred” (v. 7). People believed that an angel came and stirred it. According to local tradition, the first one in the water would be healed. But the Bible nowhere teaches this kind of superstition, a situation which would be a most cruel contest for many ill people. No extant Greek manuscript before a.d. 400 contains these words.

Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 289). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Seems that this may be a picture of Spiritual situation of Israel at the time Jesus. The nation was in spiritual decline, waiting for a savior. When He shows up, He isn't recognized & has to ask, do they really want healing. I think there is further evidence because of the scene that follows.

John is good at painting using situations to teach spiritual truths

Samaritan Woman just needs to tell her story

Nicodemus to expand the vision of Israel/Church

Cleansing of the temple showing that Jesus removed all of the obstacles for us to get to God

Jesus Engages

John 5:5–9 ESV

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 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 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.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

John 5:

The Scene

The man went to where he heard there was healing

There is no statement of how long he had been there

No recognition of who approached him

There are correlations to Life Challenge here

Place of Healing & You can sit

The Rhetorical Question

Do You want to be healed?

Do you want to be normal?

The question was sort of rhetorical: Do you want to get well?

The Response

Yes, I am here

Yes, but, I have no one to help me

- Yes, but, I have no one to help me

Yes, I am here, but there is nothing else I can do or am willing to do

Feeling of attack

- Yes, I am here, but there is nothing else I can do or am willing to do

The Command

John 5:8 ESV

Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”

Get Up (Action)

Take Up Your Bed (Singular Action)

Walk (Continual Action)

Act, Get Rid of what keeps you active, Stay Active

The Outrage

English Standard Version Chapter 5

Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

The Sabbath

Exodus 20:8–11 ESV

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

The Critics

People had just traveled to honor God through a feast

This was the time for the Leaders of the Religious Sects to Shine

Healing on the Sabbath would’ve stolen their thunder

Notice that the leaders initially attacked the man that had been healed (V. 10)

Then there was confusion from the man

God wants us to be whole

God wants us to praise Him

God wants to get the glory

God wants us to represent Him well

God does not want us to sin to help others (stealing when hungry) (Pastor Nate illustration)

Once you have been saved, don’t go back (path next to cliff face)

Confession & Contempt

The man who was healed confessed Christ to the leaders

The Leaders in turn wanted to kill Jesus because of the Law

Jesus Response

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 5

16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.

17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

The Message Chapter 5

17  But Jesus defended himself. “My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I.”

Jesus acted like the Father, because He spent time with the Father.

The Father has compassion, the Son has compassion

The Father desires us to be whole, the Son makes it happen

We may not always understand what we are seeing God do, but we must trust in His sovereignty.

He is ALWAYS in control

He is Good

He loves us

God is continually working on our behalf, He is working on others. We must never get in the way of what God is doing.

When I see fruit of the Holy Spirit on People, I let it grow

English Standard Version Chapter 5

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law