I thought we were close!

John 5:1–9 HCSB

After this, a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five colonnades. Within these lay a large number of the sick—blind, lame, and paralyzed [—waiting for the moving of the water, because an angel would go down into the pool from time to time and stir up the water. Then the first one who got in after the water was stirred up recovered from whatever ailment he had]. One man was there who had been sick for 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the sick man answered, “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.” “Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk!” Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk. Now that day was the Sabbath,

Intro:

Soren Kierkagard the danish theologian, was an existentialist thinker meaning he insisted that true thought must begin with the fact of a concrete person in a concrete situation.

He suggests that it is a betrayal of humanity, if thought does not help us to awnser the question “What ought I to do?”

It is this existentialist method he says, that we deal with God or people.

(pause)

Because in objective thought, we think coldly of objects seperate from ourselves. We are not vitally concerned with them in our whole being.

But it degrades both God and people to make them objects in nature.

And God can never be just an object of our thought; God is the living challenge who forces us to make a decision.

And when we think of others and ourselves as objects, we dehumanize people.

(pause)

And I believe it becomes dangerous when we see others, and even ourselves as objects in proximity versus individuals in our community.

Expound -

Because not only do we have a tendency to hurt ourselves and other people.......

.....we also have a very startling approach to the lives of others by leaving them in hurting positions!

(pause)

Look at it now....

John 5:1 KJV 1900

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

This feast experience is important......

......because the first expression of community in the text that we can’t afford to see as just another thing!

There are three types of Feasts that the text is possibly speaking of in this particular scripture..

The first of the types of feasts is The Tabernacle of feast is the shadow

......and the fulfillment of this feast is the birth of Jesus as Imanuel

(slight pause)

The second of the types of feasts is The Pentecost feast which is the shadow....

.....and the fulfilment of this feast is the Firstfruits of the Church.

(slight pause)

The third type of feasts is The Passover feast which is the shadow....

.......of the birth of Jesus as the Lamb of God

And so whenever these devout Jews would come together for any of these feasts, (and there are more than these, but these are the ones that are related to this text)..........these feasts are not just a THING

But instead they are coming together to celebrate what they have capacity to comprehend and remember what mysteriously could only take place supernaturally by God

And so they are not just coming together in Proximity......

.....but they are gathering together in Community

Expound:

And....

I believe that this is why there is such a decline in people attending and engaging in Church today......

....We are calling it a THING

.......because we don’t understand how God has designed us to experience God and each other in community.

And I don’t know about you, but this is not just a THING for me!

(pause and expound)

Look at it now....

John 5:2–4 NRSV

Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

John 5:2–3

By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five colonnades. Within these lay a large number of the sick—blind, lame, and paralyzed [—waiting for the moving of the water,

John 5:2 NRSV

Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes.

John 5.2

This is where we begin to see our biblical scene take shape.....

This is where we begin to see our biblical scene take shape.....

We begin to place ourselves closer into this biblical scenario of disjointed proximity situated amongst the possibilities of community.....

For it is here that we see the northeastern area of the Temple where the sheep were brought into Jerusalem for sacrifice in the region of Bethsaida.....

We picture the stairways in the corners of the room that permits people to step down into what John calls the pool......

......which is probably not a pool like we would imagine with a man made water source

because this pool in Bethsada is actually more than likely sitting on top of an intermittent spring that is underground...

(pause)

And then John’s Gospel shares with us the next opportunity to either VALUE or DeValue others.....

…because he says sitting at the top of these steps

.....and stretched out all along these porch areas

.....and even pinned over in the corner of some of the walkways

........are some people who have somce considerable problems

(pause)

He says there are some INVALIDS

…meaning to be in need, or to be weak

blind - unable to see, or incapable of comprehending

lame - crippled, or unable to walk properly

paralyzed - dry, or withered, or the complete loss of voluntary control of part of a persons body, such as one or more limbs.

These are the persons who are gathered together as a result of their weaknessess......

......and the reasons I took the time to define their weaknesses is because I could not take the chance of allowing us to devalue their presence in the text as a result of their problems!

Because sometimes we only agree to allow certain people to enter into our community that don’t have any problems!

(pause)

And the way we make this an easy process.......is by dehumanizing them to a THING

And so we have scenarios where people who may be SICK........or dealing with PROBLEMS

have trained themselves to stay home, or stay away until they get well......because they see themselves as just a THING......

But........

if we’re supposed to be close

.....when I hear your problem defined

.....instead of calling you something less than God created you to be

......I should be finding out a way to add value to the room!

Expound:

We’re too good at using our capacity to only define deficiencies.....................

........when we should be searching out how to discover deliverance

But it will only happen when our WHY.........

........is influencing our WHAT!

Because Action only listens to MOTIVATION!

(pause and expound)

Look at it now....

John 5:5 NRSV

One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.

John 5.

John 5:4 HCSB

because an angel would go down into the pool from time to time and stir up the water. Then the first one who got in after the water was stirred up recovered from whatever ailment he had].

The text says....

.....those who had a need were waiting on something!

“From time to time......

.....an angel would go down into the pool and stir up the water”

And so there were points in this type of a place where everybody in there were drawn to something because...

........what they were waiting on started happening

(pause)

And what I noticed was that there were at least two things that they had in common......

The first thing was their problems

The second thing was God’s presence

(pause)

And while their problems may have been greatly different from one another.........they all had one

And the reason all of them are sitting here waiting and watching for this water to move is because they all needed something that only God could do.....

....and whenever the angel of God would show up

.....they would all start moving closer to the water!

(pause)

Now watch this.....

.....because in my spiritual imagination

.....there aint but so many stairways to get down into the pool

......which means that as they are moving closer to the water, they must be also inching more closely together in terms of proximity...

[shoulder to shoulder............squeezing closer towards the water]

(slight pause)

And so.......

It looks like there is this awesome opportunity to watch this group of who John calls...

Invalids..

......coming together

Until.....

.....we get to this conversation that Jesus is getting ready to have with this certain man at the pool....

(pause)

Look at it now....

John 5:5 NRSV

One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.

John 5:5–6 NRSV

One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

John 5.5-

The bible says.....

At least one of the people there at the pool has a problem that is not temporary.....

And out of all of the people that are gathered postured with an individual problem......

.....John’s gospel chooses to Underline his Hopelessness

(pause)

And I believe that the reason the Johanine author picks this man out of the crowd

.........without calling his name is because

........while he is dealing with something specific, and filled with tragedy

he is general enough that we can identify with someone who is struggling with a problem that aint temporary!

And....

......its almost comforting to know that we’re not in this by ourselves

......but somebody has been in a situation that looks like ours!

(pause)

And not only that but,

if he leaves him unamed the reader does not have to wonder any longer if there problem(s) matters to God

Because the text says......

"Jesus saw him there.......

.....and knew he had been lying there for a long time”

Now......

Anytime the Gospel writers tell us that Jesus Sees something.....

.....its time to start looking for a MIRACLE to happen

(pause)

It’s almost like the author of the text is building Momentum to launch us into the climax of a supernatural action of God

And that’s good news because if everytime Jesus “sees” a problem it is followed by a miracle

.........if he can put his eyes on you and me

....something BIG is getting ready to happen!

(pause)

And watch this.....

....because not only does Jesus “See” the man..

....but the text says that

Jesus “Knew” how long he had been lying there..

(pause)

Meaning.....

Jesus looked at him so closely that he was able to understand everything about him!

.....we dont’ ever have to worry whether or not Jesus understands us!

(pause and expound)

And then he asked him a simple question...

Do you want to be made well?

(pause)

Look at it now.....

John 5:7 NRSV

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 making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.”

And in my spiritual imagination.....

this man’s voice almost rips my heart out of my chest.......

....because what I hear him saying to Jesus as he explains his community is very simply,

Jesus....

“I thought “WE” were close?”

(pause)

Becuase while the text never says exactly who he expects to help him....

.....He assumed that somebody

....what it does tell us is that regardless to how much weakness, and sickness was in his community

.......he expected Community to be greater than Proximity!

(pause)

And then he says....

“While I am making my way,

someone else steps down ahead of me.”

(pause)

And Church family we got to be careful that we don’t allow.......

Selfishness to promote proximity

(pause)

Because the quickest way to destroy a community is to replace “WE” with “I”

(slight pause)

But I wish I had somebody in here that could understand that struggling in proximity

.....looks different from struggling in community

(pause)

Because......

......instead of using our power to step over someone else

.......we use our power to interconnect with those who are next to us

And so.......

now that I have made you stronger, it has also made me stronger!

Now......

(pause)

.....we are able to add value to another person that reciprocates back into my life!

And this should be our expectation.......

Especially when......

(pause)

........I THOUGHT WE WERE CLOSE!

(CONCLUSION and CLOSING)

John 5:8 NRSV

Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.”

And in my spiritual imagination....

Jesus represents COMMUNITY......

and because of this he starts commanding POWER

.....to ESTABLISH ability in this man’s life

(pause)

Watch this......

......remember back in verse 6 the bible says that Jesus saw him lying there, and knew he had been there a long time.

(pause)

I read that and at first I wondered how does Jesus know this man so closely, and intimately

.....how is it that Jesus can read him so well

(pause)

And at first I thought that Jesus only knew him because of his problem......

.......but if that was the case

......then Jesus would only be seeing him as an object or a thing related to him

But the God I serve is too personal for that type of a relationship

The God I serve is too loving for that type of an understanding

So then I said God you got to help me see this......

Because.......

“I thought we were CLOSE!”

And then God said.....

Do you remember what I told Jeremiah?

And that’s when it hit me.......

Jeremiah 1:5 NRSV

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 29:11 NRSV

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

then it hit me.......

And whenever we get this close........

We start seeing ourselves the way God sees us!

...

And whenever we start seeing others the way God sees us

(pause)

We start looking like COMMUNITY......

And so instead of walking past our brother who can’t get to the pool

We start telling him to......

STAND UP

and WALK!

(pause)

And there’s almost nothing more beautiful than watching someone........

.....COME BACK that nobody else thought would be able to do it

......because everybody started coming together as COMMUNITY!!!