Lesson 4 - Jesus - The Father's Co-Worker

Whenever I read this passage, I am often taken back to when I was a little boy setting on the white board benches under the yellow lights of the open air tabernacle at Whiteside Missouri, when Brother Kenny Filsinger was the evangelist. He and his wife sang most of the camp and I remember them singing this song it seems like on several occasions,

For thirty eight years he laid by the pool, This man was crippled and lame And each time the angel had troubled the waters The story was always the same But this time was different Jesus was there

And when he took up his bed those around only stared

And marveled what manner of man

What manner of man is this who walks with the crippled

What manner of man is this who talks to the sinful

And when he says to winds peace be still

In only a moment it obeys his will

What wonder what power what glory

What manner of man.

John definitely portrays Jesus as more than a good teacher, more than a miracle worker, more than wonderful, more than amazing, He reveals Jesus as the Messiah. In this story we get yet another eye witness glimpse of Jesus the Messiah. We have seen him as

The Giver of Blessings - when he turned the water into wine The Giver of life - when he healed the Nobleman's son

And tonight we get another look at this Messiah, as he takes a cripple from birth and gives him new legs to stand on.

Jesus at a feast - I like how Jesus was involved in the life events of those around him, I want to be more like Jesus in that regard. We are not told which feast it was. Except that Jesus went to Jerusalem for this feast implying that it may have been a major feast.

John tells us about a pool in Jerusalem by the sheep market with five porches called Bethesda. All kinds of crippled and sick people would come and lay here as it was told that an angel would trouble or stir up the water and the first one who stepped into the pool would be made whole.

Here lies a man who has been crippled for thirty eight years - now just to put this in perspective a little bit - that is longer than I have been alive. During this time and with the average lifespan of that time this poor man would have been well past his prime. By human standards it was impossible that he would ever walk again.

"Jesus know all about our troubles" The songwriter of "No Not One" declares. I am glad this is true and we find an interesting phrase in verse 6

When Jesus saw him lie, AND KNEW HAT HE HAD BEEN NOW A LONG TIME IN THAT CASE…. I'm glad Jesus knows whatever our case is and how long it has been that case. I'm also glad he knows how to help us.

Jesus asks an interesting question to a man who seemingly couldn't move, "Wilt thou be made whole?"

Now lets understand the context - apparently this happened in the past judging by what the man says, in verse 7 - When the angel troubles the water, I can't get up and walk or scoot to the pool and I don't have anyone to help me in time and someone else always beats me to it

Jesus makes three interesting seemingly impossible requests - Jesus doesn't argue, he doesn't talk to him about whether or not an angel comes and stirs the water, he doesn't sympathize with him he simply tells him to do three things

Rise Take up thy bed Walk

Just one of these things would be according to human standards impossible to accomplish alone, and Jesus asks him to do three things

Again I want us to remember that "Impossible" is an expletive to God. We are told in scripture plainly in two different ways at least that "NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD"

Matthew 19:26b "With God all things are possible" and

Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible"

What is even more amazing is the very next words "AND IMMEDIATELY" It was preposterous to make the request to a cripple of thirty-eight years it was even more "unbelievable" to see this man who had apparently been unable to get up and walk for almost 40 years stand to his feet roll up his bed and begin to walk around.

Two important facts to remember - Jesus not Bethesda heals!!! Impossible is a "bad word" or almost like an expletive to God

Jesus healed the cripple on the Sabbath day

Sin is not always to blame for a sickness

This is not an accurate place to stop this passage but I am stopping here for time's sake and it helps give some context to what I want to get across

Verses 17-18 gets across what I want to deal with

Because the Father works Jesus works (I'm glad we serve a working God)

When Jesus made this statement he was saying he was coequal with the Father (with God)

Jesus was charged of two crimes

Breaking the Sabbath Blasphemy (making himself equal with God)