Made Whole
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Will You be Made Whole?
Will You be Made Whole?
9:10 AM
This message uses examples from the Bible of types of healings.
However, the main focus is more on the hindrances or opposition to healing.
And, even more, the focus is on the thoughts, actions, and beliefs of the one that is healed.
Our theme verse today is 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?
We will read more of the context around this question that Jesus asks, “Will you be made whole?”
However, let me say right here at the beginning that there was a crowd of other sick people there and Jesus walked past them.
People are not healed because they are sick.
People are not healed because they need to be healed.
People are healed because they have an encounter with Jesus Christ.
Here, in John 5:6, “Jesus saw him” and somehow they connected.
and, Jesus “knew”, “that he had been now a long time in that case”
Only then did Jesus speak to him to ask him “Will you be made whole?”
This mans healing was contingent:
On the man having contact with Jesus.
On the mans response to what Jesus said to him.
But, why didn’t Jesus see other in the crowd?
Lets look at another healing event and then come back to the Pool of Bethesda.
The Healing of a Paralytic
The Healing of a Paralytic
This account is recorded in Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 5:17-26
Ernest DeWitt Burton, A Harmony of the Synoptic Gospels for Historical and Critical Study, (New York; Chicago; Boston: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1917), Lk 5:16.
We will read mainly from Luke 5:17-26 however, lets first look at Mark 2:1
1 And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
If we look back a bit for context, we find that Jesus had been in Capernaum before in Mark 1:21
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Jesus had been teaching in the synagogue there and in Mark 1:28
28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
After teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum it say in Mark 1:29
29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
Jesus healed “Simon’s wifes mother” and then in Mark 1:33–34
33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
“all the city was gathered at the door” of the house and Jesus healed many but he then went to preach across the region in Mark 1:39
39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
Now, we can understand Mark 2:1 that as he returned to Capernaum and came back to Simon’s house, the crowds came looking for him.
9:20 AM
The Crowds
The Crowds
The crowd of people included those that were sick and those that wanted to hear His teaching.
The crowd also included religious leaders as it says in Luke 5:17
17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
It seems that “Pharisees and doctors of the law” had headed to Capernaum and were waiting for Jesus to return.
Jesus then did what he had been doing everywhere and began teaching.
And, “as he was teaching”, Luke records this statement, “and the power of the Lord was present to heal them”.
The them here could certainly apply to everyone there, but more particularly it describes the “Pharisees and doctors of the law”.
However, the account here doesn’t record any of these “Pharisees and doctors of the law” getting healed
Instead, it shifts to a group of men in Luke 5:18–19
18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
In this case, the man “with a palsy” was not able to get to Jesus.
He depended on his friends to carry him to Jesus.
They might easily have stopped outside the house at the edge of the crowd and said in themselves, We can’t get in.
But no, they carried him through the crowd outside.
They carried him up to the roof and took off “the tiling” and lowered the man and his “couch” down right in front of Jesus.
Jesus responded to them in Luke 5:20
20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
Jesus responded “when he saw their faith”.
Certainly this was the faith of the mans friends that had so relentlessly carried him and found a way to get him to Jesus.
But the man on the couch also had to want to be carried, he endured all of the journey including the up and down necessary to get there.
Their “faith” is what caused Jesus to act on this man’s behalf.
It wasn’t the desperate situation the man was in.
It was that they all came “believing” that their friend would be healed and they persisted until they had an encounter with Jesus.
But Jesus response wasn’t “be healed”
Jesus responded, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee”.
It seems Jesus gave this response to address the religious leaders in the crowd in Luke 5:21–22
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?
The only way sin was dealt with for these Jewish leaders was through animal blood sacrifice.
And this was don e in a prescribed way as the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year.
Jesus knows what they are thinking and now asks them a question in Luke 5:23
23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
But Jesus doesn’t wait for them to answer.
He immediately gives them the answer in Luke 5:24
24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
The religious leaders were right, no man had the power to forgive sin until now!
Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man”.
Jesus says he has the power “upon earth to forgive sins”
This statement also connects sin and this mans disease, his palsy.
Jesus now says, “Arise, take up thy couch, and go to your house”.
The Healed Man
The Healed Man
This man who had not been able to get off his couch responds in Luke 5:25
25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
It says “he rose up before them”.
He rose up before the crowd.
He rose up before his friends.
He didn’t ask his friends to help him, he “took up” his bed “and departed”
The Response of the People
The Response of the People
The response of the people is recorded in Mark 2:12
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
We never saw this before!
and then in Luke 5:26
26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
They were “amazed”, they “glorified God”, “were filled with fear”
and they said “we have seen strange things to day”
Then also in Matthew 9:8
8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
the “multitudes”, remember the crowd so large they could not get into the house?
They “marvelled”, “glorified God” because he “had given such power unto men”
This miraculous healing happened because:
Jesus taught the people
This man and his friends had faith
Jesus brought the power to forgive sin to the earth
Healing is directly connected with forgiveness of sin.
9:30 AM
Lets go now back to the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:1.
The Pool of Bethesda
The Pool of Bethesda
Jesus returns to Jerusalem in John 5:1
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Jesus had often been to Jerusalem for these feasts as a child with his family
And now, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and fully in His time of ministry.
During this time, Jesus entered the city by the Sheep Gate in John 5:2–4
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 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.
When this temple was built, the Sheep Gate was the first gate to be restored.
It was rebuilt by the High Priest and his fellow priests and was the only gate that was consecrated (set apart as holy), as it was used for bringing in sacrifices for the temple.
It was called the Sheep Gate because it was the entrance for sheep entering into the Temple compound from the sheep markets (where lambs were sold for sacrifice in the Temple) and the sheep pool (later known as Pool of Bethesda), where sheep were washed for sacrificing.
It had become the place for the “impotent folk” to gather.
It was also a place where they could ask for alms as people entered the city going to the temple.
They believed an angel came to the water and then “first after the troubling of the water” “was made whole”.
While there was a “great multitude” waiting there in John 5:5
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
There was “a certain man” that had been there for “thirty-eight years”.
Now, Jesus was just walking by on his way to the temple as he had done many times before.
but, in 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?
Jesus saw this “certain man”.
Jesus knew “he had been a long time in that case”.
Then, Jesus asked, “Wilt thou be made whole?
If we read ahead a few verses, we find that this man didn’t know who Jesus was in John 5:13
13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
So the man responded to Jesus question by saying in 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 man did not have the strength to get there on his own and he didn’t have any friends to help him.
It is human nature to rationalize our situation and accept it as the best we can expect.
But Jesus said in John 5:8–9
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
When Jesus spoke, strength came into this man.
The man heard the words and “was made whole”.
The man “took up his bed, and walked”.
The Opposition
The Opposition
As the man went, “the Jews” saw him carrying his bed in John 5:10–13
10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
The man wasn’t carrying his bed toward his home where no one would see him.
It was “the sabbath day”, so he was going to the temple as they were all to do, but he had his bed with him.
The Jews complained “it is not lawful for you to carry thy bed”.
Rather than celebrate his healing and freedom from this debilitating disease, the Jews condemn him.
Jesus later finds the man in John 5:14
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.
Jesus doesn’t respond at all to the Jews and their complaints.
Jesus does though, tell the man “sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee”.
Whatever this mans infirmity was, it was caused by sin in his life.
Was this an addiction to alcohol or drugs? Was it some other lifestyle habit?
We don’t know what it was, just that the man did know exactly what Jesus meant.
The Jews reacted though, in John 5:18
18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
The Jews “sought to kill him” because:
“he not only had broken the sabbath”
but said “that God was his Father, making himself equal with God”
Jesus did one more thing and answered the Jews in John 5:19
19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Jesus only did what the Father showed him to do.
This is an important point for us.
We want to heal every person, but Jesus only spoke to this one man of the whole multitude at the Pool of Bethesda.
9:50 AM
Closing
Closing
The man with the palsy had an encounter with Jesus because his friend persisted against all opposition to get face to face with Jesus.
The whole crowd that was there in the house was in the presence of God and “the power of the Lord was present to heal them” but the healing of the man with the palsy is the only healing recorded.
At the Pool of Bethesda, the man with the infirmity didn’t even know that it was Jesus talking to him but he responded to what Jesus said and was healed.
In both cases, the people that had been bound by infirmity for years received strength in their bodies and rose up and took their beds with them.
In both cases, healing was linked to sin.
In the first, Jesus said your sins are forgiven, then rise
In the second case, Jesus said rise, and then said “sin no more”
There are cases where “sin” is not the issue, see John 9:1–7
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Jesus came to destroy the power of sin and death.
We are no longer under the curse of sin and death.
Jesus took the keys of death and hell in Revelation 1:18
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Prayer of Salvation
Prayer of Salvation
Pray: If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life, simply say this prayer with me.
"Dear God,
I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness.
I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life.
I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward.
Guide my life and help me to do your will.
I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
If you prayed with me, I want to seal that with a short prayer for you.
"Father,
I thank you for these that have accepted Jesus Christ today. Lead them by your Holy Spirit to a local Church where they can learn more about you and your plan for their life, In Jesus name, Amen
Commission Prayer for Christian
Commission Prayer for Christian
Pray: For those of you that are Christians, we have a commission to stand together, united in Christ, as one body.
Would you pray with me now.
"Father,
I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ.
Father, I know it is your desire that all would be saved and come to know the truth.
As Jesus prayed, let me take my rightful place in the body of Christ so the world will know that you sent Jesus Christ, not only for us, but also for them.
I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."