Healed for Holiness

Introduction

The last time we looked at the book of John we spent some time looking at Jn. 5:1-9 where we saw Jesus heal a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years. Jesus was on a mission because he had a divine appointment to meet with this man who he would show mercy to be giving him the ability to do something that he had only dreamed of, rising to his feet and walking! One of the things that’s really interesting when you consider this account is the fact that Jesus went to a pool where there was a “great multitude” of people Jn. 5:3, all of whom were in a similar situation to this man, and in going there he chose to heal this one solitary person. Why? Well, we could speculate on that question for a really long time, and I suppose there are several correct answers to that question. Do you realize that Jesus could have simply walked down to the pool at Bethesda and said, “All of you are healed!”, and it would have happened. After all, he spoke the universe into existence (Gen. 1), and when he returns, he will destroy evil with the same voice (Rev. 19). That’s amazing to think about, and it certainly makes you want to make absolutely sure that you’re on the side of Jesus when he returns! It’s in his voice that you see this raw creative power that’s capable of both healing as well as judgement for in Jn. 5:7-9 you actually read of the lame man getting up to walk. Can’t you just imagine the celebration that happened at his home that night? There’s a knock at the door and standing there before you is this man, who, only hours before had been carried on a straw bed mat; now he’s standing there on two feet. Church, I think this is a foretaste of what we as believers are going to experience one day when Jesus returns, and if that doesn’t give you hope I don’t know what will. But in the meantime, we live in the period between the first and second comings, a period that is characterized as one of warfare between the forces of darkness and light, and sadly most people like the darkness more than the light because they love their sin. You actually see a little of that warfare in this text because of the fact that Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath. If you continue reading, you’ll find out that this put Jesus on a collision course with the Jewish authorities leading up to his crucifixion. That said, in retrospect we know that this was all part of God’s plan, a plan that brought, and is still bringing salvation to all those who will believe. We also know that for us as believers, this means that we are called to live a holy life even while realizing we will struggle often to do so until the Savior returns. That brings us to our text for today, Jn. 5:10-18. It’s in this text that the Apostle John continues the narrative centered on the healing of a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years, and his main point seems to be that this man is healed for a purpose, that being holiness. Let’s read the text. (I would like to read Jn. 5:1-18 to set the context for Jn. 5:10-18.)

John 5:1–18 NKJV

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, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” 11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ” 12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

Prayer

The Grandeur of Jesus

John 5:10–13 NKJV

10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” 11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ” 12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.

Let’s start out by looking at Jn. 5:10-13. It’s easy for me to understand why lots of people look at this portion of Scripture and focus a great deal of attention on the whole Sabbath issue, after all it is quite important in the big scheme of things, especially when you look at how John abruptly ends Jn. 5:9 by telling us that Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath. It really seems to beg the question, what’s up with this issue of Jesus and the Sabbath? However, for all of the questions that we might have concerning that subject, John’s focus seems to be on the glory and grandeur of Jesus. The whole Sabbath issue, while still important, seems to be in the background because it’s not mentioned again until Jn. 5:16. So, the question is, how does John focus our attention on the grandeur of Jesus? First, notice if you will, that in each of the following verses, Jn. 5:10, 11, 12, and 13, the healing is mentioned in some way focusing our attention on what Jesus is capable of doing. Second, there is a contrast that’s being set up from the outset here starting in Jn. 5:10. In this verse you read that “The Jews therefore said to him …” That word “Jews” is Ἰουδαῖοι and refers here specifically to the Jewish leadership. We know this from what’s said in Jn. 5:15, 16, and 18. At least part of the contrast that’s being setup is one that entails the corruption of the Jewish leadership pit against the truths that Jesus is speaking. You see these people who were in charge had been called to shepherd the people of God, but instead had placed the burden of the Law on their backs, while at the same time placing themselves in the back pockets of their Roman overlords. To say that the system was corrupt would have been a vast understatement! Now, enter into that situation Jesus, who heals a man that had been lame for thirty-eight years, and if that’s not enough, he does so on the Sabbath! The obvious focus of attention for anyone who came into contact with this man who had been healed would have been the question, “Who did this for you? Who made you well?” And that’s exactly what the establishment did because we read about it in Jn. 5:12, “Who is this man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk?” Even they, in asking this question, focused the attention back on Jesus and the glory and grandeur of who he is and what he’s capable of doing!

(Appeal) Let me pause right there and ask you, if your attention is focused on Jesus. Is he the center of your existence? Is he your Savior? If not, I would urge to make that so today.

Now, one of the things I find very interesting about these verses is the comment John makes in Jn. 5:13 when he tells us that when asked who healed him the man couldn’t give an answer because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd. The reason that I find this interesting is that this is one of those moments when you read the Bible and you want to jump and scream, why didn’t you heal them all Jesus, you’re certainly capable of doing it? I suppose at least part of the answer lies in the fact that only so much of the age to come would be revealed in the here and now prior to the consummation at the second coming. Also, I think Jesus knew that if healed more than this one solitary man there would have been an uproar that might well have ended up in a military coup. But you see that what they all would have expected and in it’s coming the kingdom didn’t come that way; it didn’t come as a military coup, but instead as a mustard seed. Still, however, even though it was only one person we are allowed to have just a glimpse at the majesty and grandeur of Jesus that will be fully revealed when he returns.

Healed for a Holy Life

John 5:14 NKJV

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

Let’s look now at Jn. 5:14 and how Jesus healed this man for a holy life. So, to set up the situation for you, all the hype and celebration has settled down somewhat and we’re told that Jesus searches out the man that he’s healed. When he finds him, he makes an interesting statement, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” Now that’s an interesting statement isn’t it. Can you imagine, you’ve just been healed from a thirty-eight plight of not being able to walk and then the man who did it comes and tells you not to sin anymore because if you do, something worse might well happen to you. The obvious question is, what does this mean? Does it mean that some illnesses are a direct result of specific sins, or is geared more towards consequences in that some things happen as a direct result of a given action? While I would like to tell you that the latter answer is the correct one, that’s not the case. Although it’s certainly true to say that actions have consequences, I think there’s more going on in the text here. Without going into a whole lot of detail this verse contains a Greek construction related to the word ἵνα (hina) which the KJV and NKJV both translate as “lest”, the ESV simply renders it as “that”. The NASB is more accurate in its translation which reads, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you” (NASB). In other words, this is a purpose clause. You see, the Bible does present instances where things happen, or people fall ill and even die due to sins they’ve committed. Some of those can be found in Acts 5:1-11 (the story of Ananias and Sapphira); 1 Cor. 11:30 (when Paul writes to the Corinthians concerning their taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner); and 1 Jn. 5:16 (where John mentions the sin that leads to death). Now, this doesn’t mean that everyone who commits one of these sins will die, but it does prove that this has and can happen. Here’s what this means in reference to the passage at hand, if this is the case and Jesus is telling this man that his condition is a direct result of a sin of some kind, and this is the most natural reading of Jn. 5:14, then it may well mean that this is the reason Jesus chose this particular man out of all the others, because his condition was directly related to a specific sin (Carson, 246). Accordingly, if this interpretation is correct, then Jesus is placing a great deal of stress and urgency on the fact that this man repent because the worst thing that could possibly happen to him is the horror of facing the judgment of God that will eventually fall (Carson, 246).

(Appeal) Now, what does this mean for me and for you? Well, for one, I think it means that we need take a great deal of stock in our lives and the way we’re living them. It means that if you call yourself a Christian and then live like a hypocrite you may well pay for it. At the very least I think it means that the face we wear in the pew on Sunday morning had better be the face we put on Monday through Saturday as well because God will not be mocked.

A Conflict Leading to Consummation

John 5:15–18 NKJV

15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

Lastly, I would like to look at Jn. 5:15-18 where you see the igniting of a conflict leading to consummation; a consummation that’s future even to us today. In Jn. 5:15 we’re told that after Jesus found the man he’d healed and spoke with him, that same man then went back to the authorities (the Jewish leadership) and told them who had healed him. Now, the question we need to ask is why; why would he do this after Jesus has healed an infirmity that troubled this man for thirty-eight years? The first comment that I would make is that it’s easy for us to look at this situation and say how on earth could this man do that? Does he not realize who he’s talking to, this is Jesus, the Son of God? My answer to that is this, we have something this man didn’t have, the completed canon of the NT. We live post cross and we have the benefit of looking back on what Jesus did in his death and resurrection; this man didn’t have that luxury. Doubtless, he might well have heard about Jesus due to local gossip around the city of Jerusalem, but we are not told that in the text. Therefore we must go with the information God has presented to us in his Word, and when I read what this text says and consider the information given elsewhere in Scripture related to the relationship between the people of Jesus’ day and the Jewish leadership, it leads me to the conclusion that this man was ingratiating himself to the Jewish leadership. In other words, he was trying to find favor with them for whatever reason by flattering them and letting them know that it was Jesus who had healed him. (Pause) Jn. 5:16 tells us of the consequences of his telling the leadership, that being the fact they sought to kill Jesus. Checkout Jesus’ answer to them in Jn. 5:17, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” This, in turn, infuriates them and in Jn. 5:18 we’re told that it made them try that much harder to kill Jesus. Why? Because by making this statement and doing things like healing this man on the Sabbath he was making himself equal with God, and the ensuing verses which we’ll look at later are going to show us how that was and is so. However, for this portion of text we’re looking at today, here’s what I think is going on. In the time before the coming of Jesus the Jewish leadership knew that there were certain signs that pointed to the coming of the Messiah. These signs were given in Scripture found in places like Isaiah 35 where the prophet wrote of how the Messiah would heal the infirmities of people among other things. It wasn’t like these people hadn’t heard about this, so I think they were on edge when Jesus began doing the things that he did. They were asking things like, “Could this really be him?” I went venture to say that there were many discussions around the dinner tables on many people during this time as to who this man Jesus of Nazareth might be. However, the kingdom that they expected, which frankly was a military coup, didn’t come the way they thought it should or would. This has led many in certain theological camps to say that the kingdom was out right rejected by the people and that it has to wait for a future period of time. The problem with this view is that it ignores the fact that the NT explicitly teaches that the kingdom is in some manner here now, and yet, it hasn’t been consummated. This is what’s known as the already – not yet. The terms Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God are not terms describing different realities; this has been proven through solid conservative biblical scholarship. This, in turn, means that using terminology like God has two peoples, an earthly people and a heavenly people simply is not correct. No! God has one people, those who believe, both Jew and Gentile who are in Christ, that’s the point of Paul saying there’s one Olive tree in Romans 11. You see, in texts like the one we’ve looked at today, and many others in the NT, you actually see the power of the kingdom breaking into the present with instances like Jesus healing a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years. It means that you get a brief glimpse of the age to come in the present. And with the inbreaking of the age to come a conflict has been ignited because of what Jesus does in the healings like this and the raising of people from the dead. In doing these things Jesus has put the powers of darkness on red alert that the King has come, and he will take back the nations that are rightfully his. And church, do you know what the amazing thing about this is? You and I who are believers are given the distinct privilege of being part of the army that goes out to conquer.

Conclusion

Did you know that you can be part of this army too? All you have to do is believe on the name of Jesus and be saved. When you do that you are healed of the spiritual death that you were once in slaved to. Church, you have been spiritually healed for a purpose and that purpose is a holy life that is the stepping stone to leading others you come in contact with to Christ through the sharing of the Good News, that is the Gospel. If that’s the healing that you want, then the alter is open to you.

Invitation

Prayer