In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines John 5:1-16 and Jesus’ healing of the sick man by the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath. John presents this sign-miracle so that you might be rescued from self-righteous religious tradition to believe in Jesus.
Auto Transcript
Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.
thank you thank you so much musicians and so good to sing with all of you let’s pray now as we look to hear from God Lord those things we sang are the things that we do desire in our hearts your kingdom come your will be done in this service Lord we want to behold the glory of the Lord we want these truths to Press On Us in their full reality for our joy for our sanctification but we also along with the prophet’s Lord to see your glory go across the Earth we want to see the Earth filled with the knowledge of the Lord and Lord we know one day that will be the case and yet we desire it now teach us Lord as we are your Witnesses in the meantime to the world teach us from your word help me to be able to explain your word in Jesus name amen while preparing for the sermon today I came across an article an article about one Jewish man’s Experience One Orthodox Jewish man’s experience of trying to keep the Sabbath in Brooklyn in the article the man describes a certain distressing challenge he encountered when he and his wife first moved into that City The Challenge was they could not lawfully bring their baby to synagogue the article goes on to explain why according to the religious tradition established by the ancient Jewish rabbis it is a violation of God’s law as expressed in the Torah that’s the five books of Moses for a Jew to carry anything from one place to another on the Sabbath cannot carry anything from one domain to another the rabbi said this represents the transport of goods which is work and God forbid the Jews to do any work on the Sabbath they are to keep the day holy and rest what this means is that Jews cannot carry a water bottle a copy of the Tanakh the Hebrew Bible or even their own child when walking from their homes to the synagogue on the Sabbath and by the way you can’t push a stroller either because that too is considered work this was very difficult for the Jewish man did God not want him and his wife to bring their baby to synagogue was the family or part of the family simply going to have to stay home until their child could walk can’t carry him well for a little while his solution the man’s solution was someone embarrassingly to have a gentile push the stroller for him on the Sabbath as he went back and forth from synagogue the father was very uncomfortable with this however so he was quite relieved when the rabbis the local rabbis established a new era of e-u-r-u or e-r-u-v in the section of Brooklyn in which the man lived what is an era of you ask the short answer is an Arif is a workaround for the rule about not carrying things on the Sabbath the rabbis say that you cannot take items from one domain to another on the Sabbath one area to another who carry items around your own home I mean that’s your home domain you’re not transporting goods if you’re just moving items around your home so what if one extended the boundaries of one’s home domain the domestic space extend it far enough to even encounter cover the place that you need to transport your item to or even your child who cannot walk extend the home boundary well this is what an Arab does an Arab is an area of extended domestic domain marked off by something tangible like translucent fishing line through which Jews May lawfully carry objects back and forth on the Sabbath and these eruvine that’s the plural they can be quite large the article mentioned that there were plans for an Arab to eventually Encompass all of Brooklyn all of that is going to be considered domestic space and you can carry items back and forth on the Sabbath and much to the relief of the Jews The Devout Jews who are otherwise very much restricted by the Sabbath rules now it’s worth asking in light of all that really what God had in mind when God commanded Israel to honor his Sabbath and to use it as a day of rest rather than work surely not rather don’t these rules and the workarounds the Jews must come up with just to keep the rules so they can still live life don’t they sound ridiculous you cannot even carry your baby on the Sabbath why why have the Jews imposed such a burden on themselves that God never commanded and God never meant for them to bear well the answer is the rabbinical commitment to fencing in God’s law fencing in God’s law see the ancient rabbis like the rabbis today they were committed to helping God’s people avoid sin breaking his law violating his commands and they wanted to do this at all costs less judgment fall upon the Jews and the Jews not enter into God’s Kingdom the rabbis realize though that it’s very easy to break God’s law even accidentally without intending to so they came up with extra rules extra rules to make sure that Jews never even got close to Disobedience we’re going to put these rules that keep you further out so that you’ll never violate God’s law for example to avoid accidental ceremonial uncleanness the rabbi’s prescribed in Jesus time extra ceremonial Washings before meals before you eat you have to wash your hands ceremonially it’s not in God’s law but it’s what they prescribed another example to avoid blaspheming God’s special name Yahweh God specifically said don’t blaspheme my name the rabbi is prescribed never saying or even reading God’s special name at all which is something they still avoid today and to avoid breaking the Sabbath the rabbis came up with 39 categories of work and then prescribed that the Jews never do any of these categories of work on the Sabbath even if the work is easier commonplace well you say it isn’t that going to make things more difficult for the Jews better safe than sorry that’s the thinking yes it’s more Hoops for us to jump through but if we keep all the rules if we keep all the extra rules then everyone will be safe from sin no one will violate God’s law and we Jews will be blessed of course though these extra rules which were originally intended to be a help to God’s people in keeping the law not only did the rules go to be very burdensome afflicting to the Jewish people but they came to acquire an authority equal to and sometimes even Superior to what God Said in his word violating the tradition of the rabbis was soon itself considered sin and it could bring the harshest consequences in some cases even death the thought became that those who truly love God and are going to be in his kingdom they not only keep the laws expressed in the Tanakh but they keep the law according to the tradition of the rabbis that’s what a true Jew does but a true holy person does he follows the tradition of the rabbis but what did God think of these man-made religious traditions imposed upon his people well when the Son of God the Eternal Word became flesh entered the world dwelt Among Us he not only did not hold through the tradition of the rabbis but he went out of his way to expose the Ridiculousness of many of these holy traditions as well as reveal the way these Traditions function like a white-washed covering for hearts that were far from God and full of uncleanness and sin and our next passage in the Gospel of John this is exactly what we’re going to see Jesus do Jesus will visit the pool of Bethesda and heal a man in a way that clearly breaks religious tradition Breaks the rabbi’s Rules and in seeing how both the Jews and the healed man react to Jesus provocative healing we will discover the great danger of holding fast to man-made religious traditions while missing the Son of God himself please take your Bibles and open to John chapter 5.
John chapter 5 verses 1 to 16.
Verse 18 in the bulletin but I think we’ll just go to 16. the sermon title for today is Jesus provocative healing at Bethesda Jesus provocative healing at Bethesda John 5 1-16 that’s Pew Bible page 1063 if you’re using the Bibles that we have provided for you 1063.
we’re going to read the passage but just as a heads up I’m going to skip over part of verse 3 and verse 4.
and you’ll see why a little bit later John 5 1-16 after these things there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep gate a pool which is called in Hebrew Bethesda having five porticos Indies lay a multitude of those who are sick blind lame and withered a man was there who had been ill for 38 years when Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time or had already been a long time in that condition he said to him do you wish to get well 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 Jesus said to him get up pick up your palate and walk immediately The Man became well and picked up his palate and began to walk now it was the Sabbath on that day so the Jews were saying to the man who was cured it is the zabbith and it is not permissible for you to carry your palate but he answered them he who made me well was the one who said to me pick up your palate and walk they asked him who is the man who said to you pick up your palate and walk but the man who was healed did not know who it was but Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place afterwards Jesus found him in the temple and said to him behold you have become well do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who made him well for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath well like I said last week Jesus honeymoon period with the people of Israel is clearly over we aren’t in the presentation phase the presentation of the Son of God phase that we saw in John chapters one to four we’ve definitely moved into the opposition to the Son of God phase which will be which will run from John 5 all the way to the end of John 12.
where the stubborn refusal of the Jews to believe even after witnessing all the miraculous signs of Jesus ministry will become quite apparent here though is Jesus third sign third miraculous sign in this gospel a sign of healing though this sign is not so much concerned with the man who is healed I mean there is some concern for him but the focus is not so much on the man who was healed but on the Jews who incredibly become enraged after the healing and even want Jesus dead why why this new even murderous Anger from the Jews toward Jesus well it all has to do with man-made Jewish religious Traditions about what was and what was not allowed on the Sabbath but Jesus purposefully chose to heal on the Sabbath and John purposely chose to write about it so that we who are reading it now might learn a crucial lesson what is that lesson we can capture the main idea of the passage this way John presents the sign of Jesus healing a sick man on the Sabbath so that you might be rescued from self-righteous religious tradition to believe in Jesus it’s really going to be one or the other but John presents the sign of Jesus healing a sick man on the Sabbath State you might be rescued from self-righteous religious tradition to believe instead in Jesus we can divide our passage into three main parts so I’ll use three narrative headings as we make our way through the verses the first heading covers verses one to nine and it is number one Jesus heals the sick man on the Sabbath Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath look at verse 1.
after these things there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem notice that beginning phrase after these things after what things well after the events that we heard about in chapter four Jesus returned to Galilee and he healed the Royal official son of that man who or yeah of the the son of the man who met him in Cana I heard about that miracle well how long after those events are we now we don’t know this is just some time afterwards and what is Jesus doing now he’s going up to Jerusalem again to celebrate one of the three main Jewish feasts all adult Jewish males are commanded to do that in the Torah in the Books of Moses so Jesus is obediently fulfilling the law which Feast is it we don’t know could be the Passover but the author doesn’t tell us because it’s not important for what comes afterwards but what is important for us to know is something about a location that Jesus visits while in Jerusalem which is what we see in verses 2 in the beginning part of verse 3.
look there now the reason Jerusalem by the Sheep gate a pool which is called in Hebrew Bethesda having five porticos in these lay a multitude of those who were sick blind lame and withered okay here John gives some background to his Jewish readers regarding a certain pool the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem now why weren’t his audience of Jews Hellenistic Jews why weren’t they familiar with this pool well it’s possible that they had never visited Jerusalem so they never saw it ever knew about it but probably even more basically it’s because the pool no longer exists by the time John is writing Jerusalem is destroyed in 80 70.
the pool surely along with it but John likely writes this gospel around 80 90 towards the end of the first century you may notice though that verse 2 is in the present tense there is in Jerusalem a pool not there was in Jerusalem a pool does this verb indicate that John actually writes before Jerusalem’s destruction probably not this is likely a use of What’s called the historical present you write about the past as if it’s in the present in order to make it more Vivid for the readers the persons listening to your account this is a common technique in the storytelling John does at other places in his gospel we do it all the time too probably What’s Happening Here so pool doesn’t exist at John’s time but it was there and he wants his readers to know about it but uh what exactly is this pool well just outside the Northeast wall of Jerusalem in Jesus day on the other side of the sheep gate there was this double pool called the pool of Bethesda that name is an it says Hebrew but that’s Hebrew Aramaic this is an Aramaic name meaning either House of outpouring or House of Mercy pool has five porticos we’re told that is five Colonnades what’s a Colonnade well that’s just a double row of columns with a roof doesn’t have any walls a Colonnade or the stoa as it was called was a common outdoor structure in the Greco-Roman world this pool has a Colonnade on each one of its sides and one going right down the middle so what was one pool is divided into two half pools that’s why we have five porticos or Colonnades this fool by the way has been uncovered by archaeologists and is visible in Jerusalem actually in our study trip to Israel last year my wife and I got to visit the pool of Bethesda the ruins of it now what’s the purpose of this particular pool well as a freshwater Reservoir the pool could have fulfilled a number of functions but one of them apparently was bathing even ceremonial cleansing ceremonial washing and notice who according to verse 3 is particularly attracted to this pool and laying in its various Colonnades all kinds of sick people a multitude of sick why well the pool of Bethesda had gained a reputation as having special healing properties furthermore according to verse 7 this healing capability was popularly thought at the time to relate to an intermittent every once in a while disturbance or stirring of the waters in the pool the water gets agitated that’s somehow associated with the healing now the end of verse 3 and verse 4 provides a further explanation as to where the pool’s healing power came from but you may notice in your Bibles that these words are in Brackets or there’s a footnote for these verses in your Bible let’s read the end of verse 3 and verse 4 now these sick were waiting for the moving of the waters for an angel 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 why are these verses in Brackets why is it the footnote that’s because these verses are very likely not original to John’s gospel they’re not actually part of the Bible as God originally wrote it the reason why many Bible interpreters and translators make this conclusion about these words is because these words are not in the earliest and best manuscripts we have for the Book of John half of verse 3 and verse 4 it only appears in later manuscripts of the of the Book of John which means it was probably added later actually what happened most likely is that a copyist he’s looking at the verses it feels like there needs to be a further explanation as to why the sick people are gathered at the pool and so he includes as a footnote or maybe he puts it in the actual text but he’s trying to give an extra explanation as to why all these two people are gathering here and so he tells us there was this story there was this idea that people believe that an angel invisibly stirred up the waters from time to time and imbued the waters with magical power that would heal whoever went into the pool first after the stirring of the water now we don’t know if that’s true maybe the guy said that this is true and he added it into the Bible but we don’t know if that’s true if that is indeed what people thought well then their belief was based on false hope there wasn’t an angel actually stirring the waters this wasn’t a miracle that God was providing for this people because this sounds way more like Pagan Superstition than any kind of Miracle we see God do in the Bible are you kidding me healing by lottery for those who are quickest to get into the pool that’s that’s not the way God usually does things that sounds much more like a pagan idea so maybe that is what people thought but it certainly wasn’t based on truth certainly there was a stirring of the waters that is mentioned in verse 7 which perhaps could be explained as a unknown spring sometimes bubbling up from time to time to disturb the waters and people thought hey you know why is it bubbling all of a sudden there must be something Supernatural going on and so there’s this speculation about even Angelic healing perhaps but whatever the exact reason for the pool’s reputation I mean it is true that water does have a therapeutic quality many times certain baths certain pools so I’m sure that’s in there too but whatever the exact reason for the pool’s reputation we learned in verse three that all kinds of sick people are lying around it in these porticos hoping for a miracle vainly hoping for a miracle the text then introduces us to one of these sick people in verse 5.
a man was there who had been ill for 38 years ouch 38 years is a long time to be sick it’s actually more time than I’ve been alive this man’s been sick 38 years was he born with illness possibly though what we read in verse 14 suggests that the Man became sick sometime after his birth what was the sickness is he lame in his legs was he injured is he paralyzed unable to use his legs again possibly though the passage doesn’t use that word to describe the man doesn’t call him lame instead and repeatedly refers to him simply as someone who is sick so probably he has some disease that is so deeply Afflicted him that he can hardly move he’s so sick and this has been going on for 38 years probably got worse over time and now he’s just one of the many hoping for a healing at this pool is he ever going to find it well someone finds him first look at verse six when Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition he said to him do you wish to get well how curious amid whatever else Jesus is doing at the Jerusalem feast Jesus stops by this pool and finds this man out of all the others the verse says Jesus saw him and knew how long the man had been suffering how did Jesus know I suppose Jesus could have asked around but based on what we’ve seen so far in the Gospel of John we know that Jesus has Supernatural knowledge he probably knew this without asking anybody he knew all about this man the man if he wants to get better which at first may sound like a silly question Jesus he’s been sick for so long and now he’s lying in one of the spaces around the pool of Bethesda you think he doesn’t want to get well let’s remember Jesus always has his reasons for asking the questions that he does in the Bible now one of them here is no doubt to suggest to the man that Jesus can do something about the man’s condition Jesus can even make him well he wants to ask the man if he’s interested well that’s the other man responds in verse seven 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 an interesting response the man gives this response surely both to explain why he hasn’t gotten well yet and to suggest what Jesus could do to help him get well why hasn’t the man gotten well he can’t get to the pool fast enough when the water stirred up no one is helping him which means someone else always gets into the water before he does suggests that the water has been stirred whatever that means multiple times since the man has been there does this mean then that some people were actually healed that those quicker persons who got into the water before him actually experienced healing not necessarily I imagine some first ones who got into the water they experienced healing as a temporary placebo effect because they had such expectations such Supernatural expectations about being healed at this pool I mean the same thing happens today people who expect something to make them better even though it doesn’t do anything to make them better they obtain that thing whether it’s a medicine or experience and they suddenly feel better but usually only last for a little while so maybe that’s happening with some people in the pool a guy gets in first and he’s like I’m cured but it’s just a temporary thing or maybe there’s another explanation and this would be more pitiful maybe when somebody when the people notice the waters being stirred up everybody jumps in they’re trying to be the first one in but nobody can tell who’s first and everybody looks themselves and they’re like I’m not healed and I’m not healed I’m not healed must have been somebody else but the fact is nobody was healed maybe that’s the case but the sick man suggested Jesus that maybe if the sick man had help help to get into the water first then the man could get well you stranger maybe you could help me get into the water well even having a stranger’s help compassionate strangers help that’s no guarantee of healing right maybe they still won’t get to the water first but this is pretty much the man’s only hope future looks bleak for him just as Bleak as his past really people and the pool have failed him nobody’s helping him hasn’t been able to get well from the pool but he’s got nothing else to look to but then verses 8 and 9.
first part of verse 9.
but starting with verse eight Jesus said to him get up pick up your palate and walk immediately The Man became well and picked up his palate and began to walk without further conversation Jesus does for the man what other people and the pool could never do Jesus instantly and fully heals the man so that the man starts walking and notice how Jesus does the healing as before like we saw in John 4 Jesus doesn’t touch the man doesn’t do any sort of dazzling display he just speaks to the man where specifically he gives him three commands get up or we could translate that rise up pick up your palette that is roll up the straw man that you’ve been lying on and put it on your shoulder and then walk start your way home now these three commands they were previously impossible for the man to obey because of his sickness but the one giving the commands now is no mere man he is a man but he is also the son of God therefore in the very pronouncement of these words God put life and strength back into the man so that the man immediately does what Jesus commands him to do immediately verse 9 says the Man became well and this is characteristic of Jesus healings as long said him and his true Apostles apart from the supposed Faith healers in our day instantly well fully well and what is this not a sign of the clear Power Authority and Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ just from this we can say with confidence that Jesus is indeed the Son of God he is the Lord he is the Christ and that if you believe in him you will have eternal life he is the only one who can give it to you he proves everything he said about himself and salvation in this one miracle therefore the middle of verse 9 might seem like a Fine Place to end this story but actually the story is just getting started because we hear at the end of verse 9.
now it was the Sabbath on that day that seems like a random bit of information why is that included why mention the Sabbath now oh this is not random because what Jesus just commanded the man to do as part of the man’s healing it goes directly against what the rabbis what the Jewish Authority is what the Jewish people believed was lawful for the Sabbath and this is on purpose Jesus intends for this man’s healing to provoke a response from the Jews a response that will tellingly reveal where their hearts are with God and we see this Jewish response in verses 10 to 13.
so this is our second heading now number two the Jews confront the healed man for working the Jews confront the healed man for working look at verse 10.
so the Jews were saying to the man who was cured it is the Sabbath and it is not permissible for you to carry your palate take a moment think about this this man has just been healed from a debilitating 38th year sickness suddenly to walk in full strength the fact that he’s now carrying his mat on his shoulder is a testimony to the powerful mercy of God that has been Unleashed in his life yet the only thing the Jews can think to say to him in response is hey stop violating the Sabbath I think they’ve missed something here don’t you notice the phrase the Jews again undoubtedly John has in mind here specifically the Jewish leaders the scribes the Pharisees Jewish religious leaders but as is John’s custom in this book John doesn’t designate that these are the Pharisees or the religious leaders he just calls them the Jews and this again is to show us that what the leaders do and say ultimately represents the response of the Jewish people as a whole to Jesus they lead the people to take the same response toward Jesus that they do so John calls them simply the Jews notice the verb tends to the phrase in this verse notice the verb tense of the phrase we’re saying in this verse this is the imperfect tense which means that the Jews keep saying what they say to this healed man it’s ongoing hey you stop carrying your palate it’s the Sabbath hey stop what are you doing that’s not lawful and you know it they keep coming after him no why wasn’t it lawful for the man to carry his bed there’s nothing in the Torah that forbids this it’s not like this man was a straw mat salesman moving his inventory from one place to another or peddling his merchandise hey you want a straw mat give me 10 shekels no he’s just bringing his bed home but the rabbis had already defined at this time that carrying objects from one place to another is work doesn’t matter what the object is doesn’t matter how far away the the place is you’re going if it’s from the home domain or somewhere else or from somewhere else in the home domain hey that’s work and that’s forbidden on the Sabbath come on we got to make sure we don’t violate the law so follow the rules thus according to the religious tradition the accepted Jewish religious tradition this man is breaking the Sabbath and dishonoring God how sacrilegious and this is not a judgment without consequences these Jewish religious religious leaders could bring serious penalties upon this man for breaking the Sabbath so they’re coming after him how’s he going to respond verse 11 we find out but he answered them he who made me well was the one who said to me pick up your palate and walk well how does the man respond well he points back to the person who healed him the guy made me well the one who miraculously cured me he told me to do this is not going to argue with him no that is a true answer and one that should have got the accusing Jews thinking but is this basically an effort to pass the buck to avoid responsibility to lay the blame on the one who healed him and he told me to do it don’t blame me I’m not in your religious Jew but the guy who healed me he told me tell me to do this well the Jews come back again in verse 12.
they asked him who is the man who said to you pick up your Paladin walk notice what the Jews don’t include in their question they don’t say who is the one who actually healed you I don’t care about that only who’s the one who told you to break the Sabbath who’s the one who told you that you could pick up your mat keep carry your straw bed and break the Sabbath who did it give us the identity of this lawbreaker verse 13 then gives us a surprising bit of new information but the man who was healed did not know who it was for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place now what do you know the healed man isn’t able to identify the one who healed him and who told him to work on the Sabbath because the man doesn’t know the end of the verse tells us why before the man could ask or notice after being healed Jesus Slipped Away Slipped Away into the crowd no doubt there was much awe and excitement after this sudden healing I’m sure some of those sick people around the guy was being healed they’re like that’s the guy who was sick for 38 years he’s been here forever look at him there’s a bunch of excitement everybody crowds around him they’re asking him questions there’s a big commotion Jesus doesn’t stick around and try to draw any excitement to himself he just leaves Slips Away verse 13’s notable observation leads us to two other ones first since verse 13 is true that means that Jesus healed this man quite apart from any faith this man had in Jesus he didn’t even know who Jesus was you certainly didn’t have faith that Jesus would miraxly heal him he had no reason to expect that so though faith is involved in many Miracle accounts in the Bible it isn’t error to say that God requires Faith from people before they can be healed not always not with this man a second observation though Jesus clearly had the opportunity to heal other sick people at the pool maybe even all the sick people at the pool he didn’t choose to do so he just had mercy on one man just this man who didn’t even know who Jesus was and didn’t believe in Jesus why did God choose to do that why did Jesus choose to do that we don’t know except that it fit the father’s plan for Jesus it’s part of his Messianic mission and of course this is another example of that truth we see throughout the scriptures when it comes to God you will have mercy on whom you will have mercy and you will have compassion whom you will have compassion nobody can blame God for not healing them but this man hasn’t received an Incredible Gift he never deserved yet the Pharisees are foiled the Jews cannot identify the Sabbath breaking culprit responsible for all this mess or can’t they let’s look at the final heading covering verses 14 to 16.
this is number three the Jews begin persecuting Jesus for his healing the Jews begin persecuting Jesus for his healing verse 14.
afterward Jesus found him that is the sick man formerly sick man in the temple and said to him behold you have become well do nothing anymore so that nothing worse happens to you well here’s a fascinating development we see here that sometime later during the feast the healed man goes into the temple complex probably to offer worship and sacrifice based on his new healing his new health his even his ceremonial cleansing he can come back to worship now when he does so this man is probably still on cloud nine based on the wonderful change of circumstances in his life and then Jesus finds the man again and he directs him to a more urgent matter than his physical well-being behold you have become well Jesus says you can see for yourself that your healing is genuine this is no Placebo this is no temporary thing your healing is genuine you are well and I’m the one who did it for you but then Jesus says do not sin anymore or we could also justly translate that as stop sinning that’s an interesting command and exhortation because what does that imply that the man has been sinning that he is a sinner who must repent must turn from his sin and must turn from all that dishonors God to seek the Lord and Jesus adds a weighty reason for why the man must stop Jesus says so that nothing worse happens to you what exactly is Jesus saying is he saying that this man’s previous sickness was the result of sin and so now a refusal to repent may result in an even greater Affliction than the man has previously suffered even that 38-year debilitating illness you might have some worse chastening brought into your life from God perhaps that’s what Jesus is saying though not all sickness or trial is a result of sin don’t don’t just assume that you got sick you say I must have sinned don’t think that because we’re clearly going to see that that is not the case when we get to John 9. some trials some sickness it’s just there so that you can glorify God but in other cases trial even sickness is a result of sin and we can see this in the Bible in Acts chapter 5 when ananias and Sapphire First Corinthians 11 with the Corinthians who were violating the Lord’s Supper in James chapter 5.
the sick man who calls for the elders and confesses his sins so that he may be healed in some cases Affliction is the result of sin so how foolish would it be for this man now that he’s experienced physical healing to just move on with his life without ever dealing with the sin that brought the Affliction upon him he had known an ongoing sin in his life a positive change in circumstances is no excuse not to deal with that sin even if the man is healed temporarily something worse will come he needs to get right with God and the same is true for us if you’ve been Afflicted with something and all of a sudden you’re circumstances turn positive and yet you’re aware of ongoing sin in your life don’t just say oh well God obviously doesn’t care now because things are going well God is just being merciful to you you need to repent before something worse happens to you but whether the man had a particular sin for which God Afflicted him there is of course something worse something far worse in store for every sinner every unrepentant sinner than a debilitating 38-year illness and that is the forever conscious torment that awaits all unrepentant sinners in hell God is a holy God God is a good God and he said the wages of sin is death Eternal death my wrath must be satisfied for that which blasphemes me and the only way it can be satisfied satisfied is forever punishment and mercy then Jesus warns this man that the man must get his heart right with God and not merely offer sacrifices as thanks for a physical Deliverance if you don’t deal with a bigger problem and the full wave of God’s judgment which is building up it’s going to crash down upon you and you will suffer for all of eternity what good is a physical healing if a person’s soul was never saved of course that’s the truth that applies to us too isn’t it don’t stop with seeking God for physical Deliverance you need to get your soul right with him and that only it comes by repentance you must turn from your sin well how does the man respond because he heed Jesus exhortation does he repent and believe in Jesus well look at verse 15.
the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who made him well that is a strange development isn’t it we might have expected the man to confess his faith in Jesus and go home and tell his family about Jesus like the Royal official did whose son was healed that was just the previous chapter but this is not what we see the man instead goes back to those angry Jewish leaders the ones hunting for the Sabbath breaker and he tells them that the one they’re looking for is Jesus why on Earth does the man do this is this a mark of New Faith was he courageously going to give testimony to those hostile to Jesus saying Jesus proved his Messiah Ship by healing me I want you to know it’s Jesus significantly verse 15 does say that the man told the Jews that it was Jesus who made him well doesn’t say it was Jesus who told me to break the Sabbath it was Jesus who made me well so is this a mark of New Faith or is this a mark of naivete not picking up on the hostility of the Jewish leaders the man goes back like a simpleton to finally answer the question they gave him before oh oh now I know the name of the one you’re looking for it’s Jesus okay have a nice day is that what the man’s doing he’s just not quick on the uptake or is this really a mark of betrayal instead of showing gratitude to Jesus and heating Jesus warning and called to repentance the man tries to ingratiate himself with the Jewish leaders by tattling on Jesus after all such would secure the man’s continued access to the synagogue in the temple he wouldn’t be put out of Jewish Society or face any other kind of punishment which is the reason why does he tell the Jews that’s a difficult question to answer but I believe the answer one way or another is negative really I think the man is hedging his bets here he’s not explicitly betraying Jesus is grateful to Jesus but he also doesn’t want to run foul the Jewish leaders either doesn’t want to be ostracized so he gives up Jesus one of the reasons I take this view is because when we get to John 9 I’ve already mentioned that chapter we’re going to see another man healed on the Sabbath just like this man is and that other man just like this man at first doesn’t know the identity of who healed him but this other man in John 9 the man born blind he will defend Jesus before the Jews even without knowing who Jesus is he’ll say this man clearly is from God and when the man does the Jews will condemn him and put him out of the synagogue he’s excommunicated from Jewish Society proper Jewish Society and that’s when Jesus finds the man again reveals himself to him and the man believes in Jesus and he even falls down to worship Him all that is very different from what we see of the healed man here so I believe there’s a tragic note to this signed Miracle of John 5.
this healed man foolishly ungratefully chooses this world his present comfort the man-made system of religious tradition that he was raised in rather than the god of life and the merciful Son of God who had mercy on him what a foolish choice well whatever the man’s exact reasoning for telling the Jews about Jesus we see the effect in verse 16.
for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on the Sabbath notice the verb tends the phrase were persecuting it’s another imperfect indicating continual past action so in other words because of this healed man’s testimony about Jesus the Jewish leaders have switched from Mere observation and interrogation of Jesus to vicious persecution the Jews are now pursuing harassing Jesus for what Jesus says and does and then notice the additional explanation in the second half of the verse why are they doing this because he was doing these things on the Sabbath there’s another imperfect tense in the verb phrase was doing Jesus was doing these on the Sabbath what does that tell us that tells us that the miracle reported here isn’t the only time that Jesus works on the Sabbath he keeps doing it he keeps healing people on the Sabbath the Jewish leaders leaders of course regard as Jesus working and breaking the Sabbath rules therefore the Jewish leaders cannot stand Jesus he’s breaking the holy rules of our religious tradition he’s teaching others to do so we’ve got to stop this wicked man this evildoer this looser of the Sabbath of course there is a profound disconnect a great mental dissonance in this reaction to Jesus isn’t there the Jews conclude that Jesus sins and breaks the Sabbath by doing signs of miraculous healing something obviously wrong with that conclusion if breaking the Sabbath as Jesus does is so evil then how does Jesus continue to heal by the power of God not just once but Time After Time there’s a glaring contradiction now staring the Jews the specifically the Jewish leaders in the faith face Jesus violates your religious tradition but he heals by the power and approval of your God is then is not then the proper conclusion that Jesus is right and you and your religious tradition are wrong even your whole system of self-righteous externally focused works is wrong and it will not save you he needs to show you the way of salvation a way of Salvation that’s in him that’s the proper conclusion that’s the rational conclusion that’s proper logic and this is the realization that John wants his original audience of Hellenistic Jews and of course us today to see we must be rescued from entrapping religious tradition from man-made self-righteous religious tradition or else we will never be saved we will never turn to Jesus believe in Jesus to be saved we will end up if we don’t do this if we’re not rescued we will end up just as ridiculous and as eternally condemned as these Jews who are condemning Jesus now I’ve been talking a lot about the Jews and Jewish religious tradition but is this message really relevant for us tradition Christians today do we really have entrapping religious Traditions or potentially entrapping religious traditions of course we do and I’m not just talking about the traditions of Roman Catholicism or the traditions of Greek Orthodoxy yes there’s a lot of man-made Traditions that entrap people away from Jesus Christ and away from his word that’s certainly true but even we evangelicals we promise and evangelicals we can start adding helpful rules necessary rules to what God Said in his word and then trust in our rule keeping trust in our own righteousness as we keep these external rules these extra righteous rules so we can even look down on those who do not keep them let me give you a few quick examples do you believe that Christians should pray before every meal that is not a bad custom but did you know that nothing in the Bible says You must do that in fact Jesus only did it once as part of his Miracle of multiplying the Loaves and Fishes does he looked to heaven and bless the food from what I remember from what I’ve studied I don’t see Jesus praying before he eats amen I’m guilty of judgment over this myself being with a Christian they don’t pray for the eat and I’m like what are they afraid of I don’t want to stand up for Jesus but this isn’t required from the Bible the Bible merely prescribes a thankful heart and a clean conscience to make food acceptable or do you believe that Christians should celebrate Christmas and that we must fight to keep Christ in Christmas for our culture well the Bible does not command this the Bible does not command Christians to celebrate any holidays in fact the early Christians notably did not celebrate Christmas it’s not until the end of the fourth Century that we hear about Christians celebrating Christmas as for the Puritans laid 1500s into the 1600s did you know that they tried to Outlaw Christmas because they consider the holiday too worldly now before any one of you says amen it cancels Christmas recognize that the counter argument is also true the Bible does not forbid you from celebrating Christmas you can engage in that holiday in such a way that you glorify God it’s not required do you believe that extra rules need to be enforced when it comes to dating when it comes especially to Christian young people so that they will avoid fornication young ladies must wear or must not wear certain pieces of clothing we need measuring sticks to enforce skirt length and necklines and we need chaperones around our young Brethren never leave them alone with someone of the opposite gender gotta follow these rules we’re also going to sin well the Bible does not give us specific commands like these to enforce rather God only gives us certain wise principles for the pursuit of Chase living the very principle is that we are to instruct our younger brethren in now as individual convictions or as family guidance yes we can set rules we can have rules even for the issues I mentioned and similar issues and don’t mishear me religious Traditions are not themselves automatically bad some are helpful can be helpful but we must be aware we must be aware of enforcing extra biblical convictions on others to burden them or to judge them if you’re a true Christian you’ll do this I know it’s not in the Bible but if you love God you’ll do this we must be aware of taking that stance and furthermore we must be aware of looking to our own rule keeping for our righteousness because you know what all the rules I just mention as examples what do all these rules fundamentally fundamentally neglect the heart the most important part you can pray before every meal you can cancel Christmas you can wear a burlap sack to make sure nobody lusts after you but if your heart is not right With God all that means nothing and you will die in your sins this is the great error of the Jews in Jesus day it’s the Trap they fell into and it’s the Trap they’re still stuck in we must not fall into the same soul trap do not settle for man-made self-righteous religious tradition believe in Jesus the son of God and you will have eternal life he’s the only one he can give it to you well how did Jesus respond to this new hostility from the Jews does he back off does he avoid saying anything else that might upsets these powerful Jewish religious leaders far from rather as we’ll start to see next time Jesus uses the generated controversy of his Sabbath healings to put forward an even more provocative and even more infuriating claim before the self-righteous Jews namely Jesus Will declare that the reason why he does what he does on the Sabbath is because Jesus is God come back next time to hear all about that let’s close in prayer Lord how Wicked is the human heart I apart from your regeneration how Wicked is the flesh that still attaches to those even that you have made into New Creations for we will afflict ourselves with rule after rule after rule we would rather do this than change our hearts so it is with all the false religions of the world so it is for us when we slip back into that legalistic mindset trusting in our external works for our righteousness God these things mean nothing to you they are an offense to you they only make us look ridiculous they only make the condemnation on us more obviously Justified so God we turn from this we turn from putting forth rules on others as if they were your rules we turn from trusting in our own righteousness trusting in all these strict things that we may impose on ourselves what we know it is not bad to have convictions and to be holy we must have self-discipline yet that is not where our hope lies we can never be good enough for you no matter how many rules we impose ourselves the only one who can make us right the only one who can save us is the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus we glory in you you are our righteousness we have nothing to plead before the Gates of Heaven except the blood of Jesus the life and death of Jesus so thank you Lord Jesus thank you for being our god thank you for your incredible Mercy towards us you are merciful to the man in this account and you have shown us Mercy as well the Lord I pray that we would not trample on your mercy as this man appears to do even in a polite way eschew your mercy but let us embrace it and if it means that we are ostracized if it means that we are judged by others who are still caught in their self-righteousness then so be it because we want you we want the God who is life joy and peace in himself there is no eternal life anywhere else except in you Lord Jesus so we will cling to you we will glory in you help us Lord God to live out salvation Worthy or live a life worthy of the Salvation that we have received for your name as a testimony to the people of the world in Jesus name amen