It Depends On Who Is Asking- 4

John 5:1-15
January 24, 2010

When you look around at the people who attend church with you on Sunday, what do you see? Do you see impressive people dressed in fine clothes who have it all together? Or do you see hurting people in need of comfort; troubled people in need of peace; sick people who need healing?

Marshall Hayden wrote an article a few years ago entitled, "Would Every Non-Hurter Please Stand Up?" He pointed out that people come to church wearing their best clothes and their best smiles. Everybody looks happy, so we assume everything is okay. But he suggests that we need to look beyond the facade and realize that the pews are full of hurting people.

He wrote, "Over here is a family with an income of $550 a week and an outgo of $1,000. Over there is a family with two children who, according to their dad, are "failures." "You’re stupid. You never do anything right," he is constantly telling them. The lady over there just found a tumor that tested positive. The Smith’s little girl has a hole in her heart.

"Sam and Louise just had a nasty fight. Each is thinking of divorce. Last Monday, Jim learned that he was being laid off. Sarah has tried her best to cover the bruises her drunken husband inflicted when he came home Friday night. That teen over there feels like he is on the rack, pulled in both directions. Parents and church pull one way, peers and glands pull the other.

"Then there are those of us with lesser hurts, but they don’t seem so small to us: an unresponsive spouse, a boring job, a poor grade, a friend or parent who is unresponsive ...on and on the stories go. The lonely, the dying, the discouraged, the exhausted, they’re all here."

 In the face of that, the Word of God has good news! Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

This is not to say that He will heal every problem immediately if we just have enough faith. Jesus said clearly that we will have trouble in this world. But He can resolve life’s serious problems if we trust in Him.

Sir Isaac Newton’s “First Law of Motion” states “Everything continues in a state of rest unless it is compelled to change by forces impressed upon it!” I think we all recognize within ourselves the need for change. Yet we also recognized that the change we need is often hard to achieve.

In some cases, Jesus may resolve the problem immediately, even miraculously. In others, He grants the power to endure the difficulty and triumph over it.

There is a very important story about change recorded in John 5.  Jesus has gone up from Cana of Galilee to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the great religious feasts. It is worthy of note that He, as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world, would enter the city through the Sheep Gate, the entrance to the city through which the sheep for temple sacrifices were brought. Once inside the city, he comes to the pool of Bethesda.

Jesus moves into the midst of such a group but Jesus does not indiscriminately heal everyone at that the pool that day but as He moved among the blind and the lame, he is drawn to one particular man who had been infirmed for 38 years. The Bible does not say the nature of his disease other than it rendered him unable to walk, nor why among so many Jesus chose this man to heal. But from a careful study of this man and his condition we learn much about ourselves!
John 5:1-5— “After this 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 porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  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. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.”

Into this sea of desperate people Jesus came. Fittingly the name Bethesda means “house of mercy.”  It is interesting to consider that out of all these people Jesus chose to heal one man. It could have been because Jesus knew that the man had been lying there for 38 years, but there may have been other reasons for Jesus having compassion on him. One thing we do know from this scripture is that it was not because the man sought Jesus’ help. In fact, he did not even know who Jesus was. Jesus encountered him and asked him a strange question.

First, Jesus encouraged the man to identify what he wanted. Vs. 6 says, "When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, `Do you want to get well?’" That sounds like an absurd question. Of course this man wanted to get well! Would you ask a starving man, “Do you want food?”

Actually, it was a very valid question, for there are people who, if given an opportunity for healing, might actually choose to remain sick. Right now they’re free of some unpleasant responsibilities, and they get sympathy by complaining about their sickness. They can manipulate people by being sick, or punish themselves if they feel guilty.

 Dave Reavor, a disabled Viet Nam veteran, tells of a young man he met in the 1960s who didn’t want to be drafted. So he had all his teeth pulled out to make himself unfit for military duty.  But when he took his physical, he was declared unfit because of flat feet!

So when Jesus asked, "Do you want to get well?" He seems to be saying, "You have friends who bring you here, and you’ve developed friendships with others who come here regularly. If I heal you, your life will do a complete reversal. You’ll be expected to get a job and relate to people on a different basis. Are you ready for that change? Do you really want to get well?"

That’s a question we may need to answer, as well. What do you want? The first step to gaining something is to want it.

 Zig Ziglar said he looked into a mirror one day and realized he needed to lose a lot of weight. He really wanted to get in shape. As an incentive, he put a picture of a thin man on the refrigerator door.

There are all kinds of gimmicks offered as motivators to dieting. You can purchase sound tracks that laugh at you and call you "fatso" when you open the refrigerator door! But Ziglar wanted a positive reinforcement, so he put a picture of what he wanted to look like on the refrigerator. That constant reminder was the first step toward a healthier body for him.

 Drs. Minirth and Meyer wrote a book about overcoming depression entitled "Happiness Is a Choice." They said, "As psychiatrists, we cringe whenever Christian patients use the words, `I can’t’ and `I’ve tried.’ Any good psychiatrist knows that `I can’t’ and `I’ve tried’ are merely lame excuses. We insist that our patients stop saying `can’t’ and say `won’t’ instead."

"They need to see what they are really doing, so we make them face up to it by saying, `I just won’t get along with my wife.’ `My husband and I won’t communicate.’ `I won’t discipline my kids the way I should.’ `I won’t find time to pray.’ `I won’t stop gossiping.’ When they change their "can’ts" to "won’ts" they stop avoiding the truth and start facing reality."

We need to determine what we really want, and as God’s people, learn to say with the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13— "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

A second prerequisite for this man’s healing was to quit blaming others for his problem.

Lying all around the pool are sick and paralyzed people. They are there because there is a legend that an angel would on occasion come and stir up the waters of the pool, and the first one to enter the pool after the angel stirred the water would be healed. It was of course merely a superstition, but it was the last hope for many of these people. It not unlike what is still found in many parts of the world today. Lourdes, in southern France, has a spa which many believe has healing capacities. The shrine of Guadalupe, in Mexico City, is another such place where thousands have gone hoping for a healing.

Many scholars believe the stirring of the water at Bethesda was from an underground spring that would occasionally experience extreme pressure. Whatever caused the disturbance, the people believed that when the waters of Bethesda bubbled up, the first one in the water would be cured.

So when Jesus asked, "Do you want to get well?" the man replied in John 5:7, "Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.  While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."  

Notice that he did not answer Jesus’ question. He does not say that he wants to be well. He dismisses Jesus’ question and merely complains about his condition. The lame man did not answer Jesus’ question directly but rather said, that he had no one to place him in the pool when it was disturbed.

He tells how unfortunate he is. He lists his troubles. To be sure, he has plenty to complain about. But he whines about life instead of answering Jesus’ question about whether he really wants to be well. In today’s language we would say that he sees himself as a “victim.”

When God asked Adam why he disobeyed, Adam explained, "The woman you gave me persuaded me to eat."  Victim.

When Moses asked his brother Aaron why he permitted the Israelites to worship a golden calf, Aaron said, "The people pressured me to do something since you were gone so long, Moses. They wanted gods like the Canaanites. I just threw their jewelry into the fire and out came the calf." Victim.

When Pilate was forced to make a decision about Jesus, he said, "I wash my hands of this matter. Jesus is yours, do with Him as you please. But I’m innocent of this whole matter."  Victim.

People do the same thing today. How often do we hear people say things like, "I’d stop drinking if my wife would quit nagging me!" "I’d work harder, but no one appreciates my effort." "I’d make better grades, but my teacher doesn’t like me."  Victim.  Victim.  Victim.

King William of Pottsdam once visited a prison in England. Every prisoner brought before him claimed to be innocent, and pleaded for a pardon except for one man who admitted his guilt. King William said to the warden, "Get this guilty man out of the prison before he corrupts all these innocent men!" And the man was set free.

We have such a difficult time saying, "I’m responsible." We blame heredity, environment, circumstances - everything except ourselves. Yet what the Lord wants is for us to accept responsibility for our own behavior.

Romans 14:12 says, "Each of us will give an account of himself to God." Heredity and environment play a part in influencing us, but we can rise above that if we want to. Some of the world’s best people had terrible pasts. Some of the most privileged people wind up being complete failures.

Dr. William Glasser is founder of “Reality Therapy,” and during one of his seminars his talk had one main theme; “Healthy people do not make excuses. He used as an example the tendency people have to make excuses when they are late for an appointment. They will say traffic was heavy, they got a last-second phone call, a crisis came up at the office and so on.”  Dr. Glasser argued that those kinds of excuses cover up the real issue. If you’re late, it is because you are incompetent to run your own life. He suggested that instead of making a lame excuse the next time you’re late, simply say, “I’m sorry. I guess I am incompetent to run my own life.”

 Bob Russell, minister of Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY, once said, "My father was the 17th of 18 children. His mother died when he was 4. His father had a drinking problem. He was juggled back and forth between his sister’s homes. I see some permanent scars in his life from that upbringing. He doesn’t have as much self-confidence as he should.

But my father is one of the most gentle, faithful, generous, compassionate people I know. I’ve never heard him blame his parents or appear bitter about his circumstances. He’s proof that you can rise above your past."

 Maybe it’s time to quit blaming mom and dad or an ex-spouse or a relative who abused you in some way, and say with the old spiritual, "It’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standin’ in the need of prayer. Not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me, O Lord, standin’ in the need of prayer."

Jesus also motivated the lame man to stretch beyond himself. Vs. 8 says, "Then Jesus said to him, `Get up! Pick up your mat and walk. At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked."

Jesus frequently required a dedicated effort on the part of a person requesting healing. Not always, but often, He required a response of faith before He would heal.

He said to the 10 lepers, "Go show yourself to the priests," and as they went they were healed. He said to the man with a withered hand, "Stretch forth your hand." When the man made the effort, his hand was healed. Jesus put clay on the eyes of a blind man and said, "Go wash in the pool of Siloam." When he washed, he could see.

Jesus said to this man, "Pick up your mat and walk." This was not a test of his faith in Jesus because the lame man didn’t know who Jesus was. It was a test of his resolve, and of his willingness to make an effort to help himself. Jesus asked the man to attempt the one thing that he hadn’t done for 38 years. When the man made the effort, he was healed at once.

But notice, in order for this man to be healed, he had to stretch beyond himself. If we want to get well, there must be effort.

Tony Melendez plays the guitar with his toes! Born with no arms, Tony shares with audiences what Jesus Christ means to his life and then skillfully plays the guitar with his bare feet. He’s incredible! Can you imagine the tremendous amount of effort, frustration, and determination it took to develop that skill?

Do you want to get well? How badly do you want it? Do you want it so intensely that you’re willing to work long hours and endure pain? It may mean doing vigorous exercise and following a disciplined program. It may mean swallowing your pride.

It may mean getting up earlier to read the Bible or denying a golf game to attend a church function. It may mean that you quit wallowing in self-pity. It may mean saying "No" to pleasure or terminating a tempting relationship.

If we really want to get well, we must make the effort. Proverbs 10:4 says, "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth."

After he was healed, the man was motivated to give testimony that Jesus had healed him. Vs’s 9-13 tell us, "The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, `It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.’ But he replied, `The man who made me well said to me, `Pick up your mat and walk.’

"So they asked him, `Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?’ The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there."

Notice that when Jesus healed He didn’t make a big production of it. He didn’t put up banners to draw attention to Himself. He would say, "Don’t tell anyone about this," or He would slip away into the crowd. God doesn’t need a circus to heal. If He chooses to, it’s usually without fanfare.

But Jesus came back to reveal himself to this man. He wanted him to have more than just a healthy body. He wanted the former lame man to be healthy spiritually as well.

Vs 14 says, "Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, `See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." Notice he was well "again." There had been a time when he could walk.

I wonder if there had been some disobedience in his younger years that had caused his lameness? Whatever the cause, Jesus warned him that there was something worse than being physically impaired, and that was spending eternity apart from God.

Vs. 15 says, "The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well." This seems to be a positive testimony. He’s praising Jesus as the one responsible for his healing. When healing of some sort takes place in our lives, we ought to give God the glory. Psalm 72:18 says, "Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel who alone does marvelous deeds."

When things go right in life, we’re inclined to forget God’s blessings and take credit ourselves. We say things like, "I worked hard," "I invested well," "I take care of my body; I eat right and exercise," and on and on we go.

A woodpecker was pecking away at a huge tree. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the tree and split it from top to bottom. The woodpecker flew off in a flash. Minutes later he returned with several other woodpeckers. Pointing to the tree, he said proudly, "There it is. Look at what I did!"

We are so quick to take credit for what God is doing in our lives. But when we submit to Christ’s authority and give Him glory, He gives us special power to achieve.

Do you see how wonderful Jesus was to this man? He saw the whole man, not just a fragment. He saw his possibilities, not just his handicap. He was concerned about his soul, not just his body. Jesus made him completely whole.

We are all handicapped by sin. We can’t heal ourselves. All the suggested cures of this world are futile. But the blood-stained hands of Jesus reached out to us.  Isaiah 53:5— "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."

Tony Campolo tells a story about being in a church in Oregon where he was asked to pray for a man who had cancer. Campolo prayed boldly for the man’s healing. That next week he got a telephone call from the man’s wife. She said, "You prayed for my husband. He had cancer." Campolo thought when he heard her use the past tense verb that his cancer had been eradicated! But before he could think much about it she said, "He died." Compolo felt terrible.

But she continued, "Don’t feel bad. When he came into that church that Sunday he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn’t take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him. It was an awful thing to be in his presence.”

But the lady told Compolo, "After you prayed for him, a peace had come over him and a joy had come into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of our lives. We’ve sung. We’ve laughed. We’ve read Scripture. We prayed. Oh, they’ve been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and praying for healing."

And then she said something incredibly profound. She said, "He wasn’t cured, but he was healed." (Tony Campolo, "Year of Jubilee," Preaching Today Tape #212) (The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, Swanlake@jam.rr.com September 30, 2002)