John 5:1-16
The Impotent Man
Introduction
Sometime after Jesus healed the nobleman’s son, He headed back south to Jerusalem to observe another feast. The Bible doesn’t say what feast it was, nor does it say how much time had passed since John 4. I want us to read the first 16 verses of chapter 5, but before we do let me address those of you who aren’t using the King James or New King James Versions. If you have the NIV or some other similar version, look down at verse 3. Your Bible reads like this: “Here a great number of disabled people used to lie--the blind, the lame, the paralyzed,” then it stops and goes to verse 5, completely omitting the end of verse 3 and all of verse 4. It gives you a footnote showing those verses at the bottom of your page, explaining why they left them out. I wanted you to see that before I began reading, and I’ll speak to it more in a minute. Let’s start our reading in verse 1.
“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 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. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 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? 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. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the Sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered the, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 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. The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.”
Once He’s in Jerusalem, Jesus goes to the pool of Bethesda, which is beside a city gate called the sheep gate. For many years the site of this pool was lost, covered with the debris of the centuries, but in the late 1800’s it was discovered and even into the 1990’s it was being excavated. The pool is located to the north part of the Temple Mount, near what is now called St. Stephen’s Gate, which is, in fact, the site of the Sheep Gate mentioned here. In these porches, set at various levels around the pool, during our Lord’s time it was the habit of many to gather during feast days, hoping for a healing miracle.
Now, I mentioned how part of the text is omitted from some versions, and in the footnote your Bible says something like, “In some less important manuscripts.” Yours may make reference to the age of the manuscript. Evidently, at least in my opinion (and you can take that for what it’s worth), people had just as much trouble with what to do with this pool when they were copying manuscripts as they do today. Was there something magical about the pool? They believed in a rather superstitious way that from time to time when the water was troubled -- when it would rise rapidly and then sink again -- that this was caused by an angel who visited the pool, and the first man who got into it when it was so troubled would be healed. This is like what is 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, has thousands of crutches stacked along its walls where people have been healed in this special place where they thought they could receive a blessing from God.
The fact of the matter is that we don’t know. Maybe there were some healings there and maybe there weren’t. Maybe it was all just psychological. We don’t know, but here’s what I want you to see – it really doesn’t matter. This is one of those things like Jesus writing in the dirt. What difference does it make? Do you have to have a scientific explanation of the pool and how people were healed there to give validity to the account? Here’s what we do know – Jesus went to the pool and confronted our lame man. He was one of many who were there because in that day the pool at Bethesda had established a reputation as a place where people could be healed.
Something else you can think about in the text concerns the man’s infirmity. I used to think that this man at the pool at Bethesda had lain there for 38 years. But it does not say that; it says he had been ill for 38 years. We really don’t even know why. We usually think of him as a lame man, but the Bible doesn’t say that. He is weak, feeble, and unable to stand, and it could have been from any number of things, like some wasting disease -- perhaps cancer, tuberculosis, or multiple sclerosis. In any event his disease made him unable to walk for 38 years.
As we consider this encounter this morning, put yourselves in this man’s shoes; get into the account and make yourself be there, there in the presence of Jesus. Don’t keep yourself outside – you need to encounter Jesus this morning! During our time together, I want to show you four things that are true in every situation that involves and encounter with Christ.
Everyone Is Just As Hopeless As This Man
Listen to what the man says. Jesus walks up and says to a man who had been sick for 38 years (that’s longer than I’ve been alive) “Do you want to be healed?” Have you ever thought about that question? “What do you mean do I want to be healed?” The man doesn’t answer yes or no. Obviously the answer isn’t no. He wouldn’t have been at the pool – but he says, “Nobody will help me get into the water first. I’m helpless to help myself!”
Can you imagine what it would have been like to stand there with Jesus in that crowd of people? I imagine dozens, if not hundreds of people under all those porches waiting for the water to do it’s thing, blind, sick, lame, deaf, diseased…whatever, and they’re all helpless to help themselves. Imagine how helpless you would feel as they described to you their particular infirmity. You listen and hurt for them, but you’re powerless to help. Now you and I might stand and consider the man and think to ourselves, “What a terrible situation to be in!” but I want to tell you that we’d be wrong, because that’s just exactly where Jesus wanted him. The question Jesus asked was similar to the question God asked Adam in the Garden. “Adam, where are you?” God already knew – Adam needed to know. “Do you want to be healed?” Jesus already knew, but the man needed to see just how hopeless he was!
Are we any different? What does Jesus require before any man or woman can be saved? They have to see their hopelessness! They have to come to the place in their lives where they realize they can’t do anything! Jesus says to you today, “Do you want to go to heaven?” “Sir, I have no man…there’s no help or hope for me!” I’ve tried to be good, I’ve tried to live a good life…I’ve tried to do right…but I can’t!” Wonderful! What a wonderful position to be in! Listen, until you see just how hopeless you are you can’t be saved.
But not only can you not be saved, you can’t really depend on help from Christ for daily living as a believer until you recognize it too. You’re just a branch hooked to the vine! You can’t produce fruit – you need the vine. You’ve tried to heal your marriage, you’ve tried to clean up that language, you’ve tried to control your temper, you’ve tried and you’ve tried and you’ve tried, but so long as you’re operating in your own strength and power and wisdom then you don’t need Jesus!
That’s the whole story of the Bible! Where would Adam be today in his hopeless situation had he tried to work it out on his own? Imagine Noah and the animals trying to survive the flood on their own. Imagine Moses trying to feed all those people on his own. When did God decide to deliver Israel from Egypt? After He heard their cry. When did God deliver them in the book of Judges? After he heard their cry. Over and over in the Bible God shows you that you are completely hopeless without Him – and He delights in having you depend on Him! It brings Him great pleasure, great honor when you turn to Him and say, “Lord, I can’t do it!” “Great! That’s just where I want you to be!”
God delights in coming through for you and me. He takes great pleasure in being there for His people, but He’s going to make absolutely sure that you know that He’s the one that’s going to get credit for what He’s done. Has He heard your cry today? When will you grow weary from trying to solve your own problems and handle your life yourself? Place yourself at that pool this morning, no matter what your situation is, and lie there with the crowd, waiting, wanting, weeping over your helpless and hopeless condition. Then and only then will you find yourself in a position to receive divine healing from God.
Every Encounter With Jesus Is An Encounter Of Grace
One of the things that impress me most about this encounter is that it is all about Jesus. Who initiated the encounter? Who initiated the conversation? Who initiated the healing? It was Jesus! Jesus walks into this crowd and picks this one man from among the many and heals him. Now you know and I know that Jesus could have just spoken the word and healed them all, but He didn’t! He healed our man. We don’t find the guy shouting for help. He’s not out looking for Jesus, but Jesus comes to him anyway.
I’m reminded of John 1:11. It says,
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of he will of man, but of God.”
How were they made the children of God? Did they realize their helplessness and go seeking after a Savior? Were they born into God’s family? Were they seeking God’s family? No! They weren’t born of blood or of their own desires; the Bible says that “we’re all gone aside…” “There’s none righteous…there’s none that go seeking after God…” How does anyone receive any good thing from God? God in His sovereign grace chose them. God chose this man for some unknown reason and changed his life. Look at John 5:21,
“For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even to so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”
Who does He make alive? Whoever He wants to make alive! Check out John 6:44,
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Let me share something with you that maybe you haven’t thought about before or in a long time: Were it not for the sovereign grace of God, you’d still be lying there at that pool. You’d still be dead in your sins, still be waiting for someone to help you, but the problem is that there is no one! The only reason you’re saved is because of God’s grace. The only reason God keeps forgiving you when you sin is because of His grace. Look around you! How were you different from the multitudes that surround you? Are you saved today because you’re better than them? No! Look with me at the words of Scripture. Colossians 2:13 says,
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”
Ephesians 2:1-8 says,
“And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:”
How awesome is the grace of God! Folk, God is rich in His grace toward you today – there’s nothing in you that deserves what you’ve been given, nothing in you that was cause for special treatment – it’s just because God was so good to you!
What did Jesus do? He walks up, picks this man out of the crowd, gets him to see his hopelessness, then says, “Take up your bed and get out of here!” Did the man earn that healing? Did he impress Jesus with something? He didn’t even demonstrate faith! He just lay there and Jesus healed him! When Jesus does something in your life, let me tell you right now that it’s all because of His great grace.
When Jesus Changes Your Life, He Never Intends That You Go Back
I love this part – Jesus heals the man, tells him to get up and walk, and He says, “While you’re at it – take that bedroll with you!” What’s the point? Don’t come back! The man might have said to himself, “I’m healed, but I had better leave my bed here. I may need it tomorrow.”
Let me point out something that God wants you to be very clear on: when you encounter Jesus and He brings healing in your life – when He brings change in your life, don’t make any provision to go back! So many people have fallen right here; they’re like the Israelites in the wilderness, never cutting their ties to their slavery. They got out there and got hungry, “Boy I wish Moses had left us in Egypt; we may have been in bondage, but at least we were fat.” They got out there and got thirsty, “Why did God deliver us again? I had all the water I wanted in Egypt.” Over and over and over they complained and wanted to go back! Why? They were so shortsighted. They had been in such terrible bondage that the whole nation was weeping and crying out to God for deliverance, but they had grown accustomed to it.
If you’ve watched the movie Shawshank Redemption, you’ll remember that it’s about prison life in the 50’s and 60’s. There’s a black man who’s been in prison for over 20 years, and at one point in the movie he’s talking to some of the other guys about being institutionalized. He talked about how when they first got to prison they hated those walls, then after a while they got used to them, and finally they grew dependent on them, needed them. Folk, if you’re not careful, your sin is like that. It’s a bondage that you hate at first. Every time you think about your infirmity you hate it and wish to God it could be different. Then you just get used to it. You don’t pray for deliverance any more. You’re not phased when you sin, when you talk about your brother or sister, when you have ill feelings toward someone. If you continue in it you finally grow dependent on it, and you’re hooked.
Listen, when God brings change to your life, He says to you, “Burn your bridges!” You run back to that thing, you throw out your bedroll and want to lay it down for a while – you’ve grown so dependent on your sin, on your sickness, but God wants you to depend on Him! Trust Him! Walk away and don’t come back! You know there’s nothing back there for you, just a bunch of sick folk, so walk away! What did Paul say in Romans 6? He said that old man was crucified with Christ! In other words, it was put to death! There’s nothing back there in Egypt – they’re all dead! Walk away!
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.”
Your Encounter With Jesus Is Just A Small Part Of The Bigger Picture
Time won’t permit us to reread our text, or the rest of the chapter, but I want you to go home and read all of chapter 5 for yourself, then I want you to notice this: Jesus didn’t just heal that man to do something good for him. The more I think about the chapter, the more I think Jesus healed that man just to provoke a response from the Jews. He heals this man, who goes walking away with his bedroll. Are the Jews elated that he is healed? Do they praise God for this great thing? Not at all! “You’re carrying a bedroll on the Sabbath!” Do you see what Jesus was doing? He was setting the stage to confront them about their dead and legalistic religion! They had exchanged the things that mattered for the unessentials! If they really knew God and loved Him and loved people they would have rejoiced with this man, but they couldn’t for their spiritual blindness.
When Jesus encounters you and works in your life, don’t forget that others are involved. Give God the glory for what He has done. It was a work of grace. Don’t turn back to your former lifestyle. Imagine what you do to someone else when you turn back, when you spurn the grace of God, when you live in dependence to some thing instead of yielding your life to God! People are watching – and God is working through you to get to them – so “get up, take up your bed and walk – and don’t come back!”
Conclusion
Let me ask you something this morning: Are you tired of lying there waiting for a miracle? Do you find yourself growing bitter and angry because things in your life aren’t turning out like you wanted them to? Every time it looks like things are going to work out for you something happens and you’re left there waiting and wanting all over again? You see the waters stirring and you get your hopes up and just when you think there’s help someone cuts you off. I know the feeling – it’s a helpless, hopeless feeling, and for all your trying and working and jockeying you’re just left to lie there with nothing.
If you can answer yes to any of that, then let me give you the good news: you’re exactly where Jesus wants you to be. He wants you to be helpless and hopeless, because He wants to come through for you in a big way, but you’ve got to get out of the way and quit trying to do something or help Him or be somebody for Jesus. So long as you’re in the way He’ll just patiently wait, wanting to know if you really want help or not. Get out of the way and let Him have His way.
Perhaps today you’ve never been saved and like never before you feel the weight of the sin in your life. That sin, sin you were born with and the choices you’ve made in life have offended God, and today in His presence you’re just like that man, lying there with nothing to offer, just a sick and helpless man. You’ve offended God, and in that condition you’re destined to spend eternity feeling the weight of your sin, and it won’t get any better. Don’t ignore what you’re feeling. Don’t turn away from Christ today. Jesus wants to revolutionize your life, but it begins with a simple confession that’s not always so easy to make. You can’t help yourself – you’re lost and without Christ and destined for a devil’s hell because of it. You need to come to Christ and experience the riches of His wonderful grace – won’t you come today? Won’t you admit your need of a Savior and trust Jesus and Jesus alone for salvation? “Do you want to be healed?” It won’t happen until you come to the place in your life that you see there’s no other way.
