SERMON BODY:
A place of sickness (vs 1-3):
A place of superstition (vs 4-7):
A place of self-pity (vs 5-7):
It was a place of salvation (vs 8-9a):
It was a place of solitude (vs 13-14)
SERMON OUTLINE:
ill:
• Because there was no evidence outside of John’s Gospel;
• For the existence of the pool of Bethesda;
• The critics of the Bible had a field day;
• They argued that the gospel was written much later than what we believe it to be.
• They also argued that the writer of this gospel;
• Was someone without first-hand knowledge of the city of Jerusalem.
• They argued that the ‘pool’ had only a metaphorical,
• Rather than a historical, significance
• Then in the year 1888 that some people decided to renovate a very ancient Church;
• In the north-east corner of the city of Jerusalem.
• As they were scrubbing the whitewash off one of the walls;
• They discovered a fading fresco or painting.
• It showed a pool of water and an angel standing in the water;
• And sick people scrambling into the pool.
• Those who discovered the fresco realised that this picture;
• Links up with the story in John’s gospel chapter 5.
• The discovery caused them to ask the question;
• Was the Pool of Bethesda (which no-one had seen for centuries);
• Was somewhere near this ancient Church
• So they began to excavate the Church yard.
• And they had to dig down 40 feet of rubble to discover it!
• But if you go there today, then you can gaze down a hole 40ft deep;
• And see the pool of Bethesda.
• They found it;
• And they found the five porches that John speaks about!
• It had been hidden for two thousand years but now it has been revealed.
• TRANSITION: Today it is a place of beautiful archaeological ruins;
• Two thousand years ago it was a place of disease and hopelessness.
There are five points that make up this story:
(1). A place of sickness (vs 1-3):
“Some time later...”
• John’s gospel is built around seven key events, seven signs, seven miracles;
• 12 months have passed between the second sign (healing the officials son) and this sign.
“Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie - the blind, the lame, the paralysed”.
As I have already mentioned - if you visit Jerusalem today:
• You can go to St Anne's Church in Jerusalem,
• There they will show you the deep excavation that has revealed the ancient Pool of Bethesda.
• The pool is situated near the northeast corner of the Old City, close to the Sheep Gate.
• It is one of the few achelogical sites that we can be absolutely certain of.
The Hebrew name Bethesda has been spelled various ways and given differing meanings:
• Some say it means "house of mercy" or "house of grace,"
• But others say it means "place of the two outpourings ".
• And there is much historical and archaeological evidence;
• To show that two adjacent pools of water served this area in ancient times.
The reason this pool is brought to our attention by John in his gospel:
• Is not the historic or archaeological beauty of the place;
• But rather because of what it was known for - it was a place of sickness.
• Both Jewish and also Pagans regarded it as a sacred site;
• At one stage it was dedicated to the healing god Asclepius (As-le-pi-us).
• So both Jewish & Gentiles came in great numbers hoping for some wonder cure.
• And notice there is not a doctor anywhere in sight.
Ill:
• That’s because most of these people were beyond medical help;
• They needed the miraculous – not the commonplace cures and remedies.
• Talking of doctors I came across a script of;
• ‘What Doctors Say and What They Mean’:
• What they say: “It could be one of several things.”
What they mean: “I haven’t the foggiest idea what’s wrong with you.”
• What they say: “I’d like to run that test again.”
What they mean: “We have lost your blood sample.”
• What they say: “These pills have very few side effects.”
What they mean: “You may experience sudden hair growth on the palms of your hands.”
• What they say: “There’s a lot of this going around.”
• What they mean: “We’ll give it a name as soon as we figure out what it is.”
• TRANSITION: Well this pool was filled with people full of all types of ailments:
• It must have been a depressing sight;
• Like an overcrowded, hospital ward.
• ill: Patients in corridors on trolleys.
• Only at this pool no-one ever got treated with medicines!
• And in a time with no disinfectant you can imagine the stench that filled the place!
(2). A place of superstition (vs 4-7):
Ill:
• Anxious frog who was worried he would never find a partner in life;
• Decided to go see a Fortune-teller,
• Gazing into his crystal ball, the fortune-teller said to the frog:
“You are going to meet a beautiful young woman.
From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you—you’ll fascinate her.”
• The Frog excitedly asked: “Where am I? At a singles club?”
• Fortune-teller: “No in a biology class!”
Note:
• Verse 4 is in most modern translations are in brackets;
• Some translations omit it altogether (i.e. they go from verse 3 to verse 5)
• The verse is not found in what the experts call the oldest or best manuscripts;
• It is believed it was added later as an explanation of what happened.
• Now don’t get side-tracked by that;
• I can explain in greater detail later if it is a problem to you.
“From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had….
7……..“Sir,” the invalid replied, “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.”
I believe this was a place of superstition:
• Perhaps something extraordinary did once happen here;
• And as a result it kept all these handicapped people at this pool, hoping for a cure.
• And over the years as stories were told;
• The pool got itself a reputation for being a place of healing.
Ill:
• We see that today with thermal pools giving similar hope of healing to sufferers;
• Lourdes in France, Guadalupe (gwad-a-lu-pa) in Mexico.
• Even in this country in the nineteenth century sick people;
• Were attracted to places with water;
• People used to make for Buxton, Matlock, Tunbridge Wells, Harrogate;
• Bath, Cheltenham, Leamington Spa, to take the waters.
• People have long believed that waters were a source for health.
• But notice that it was not a natural cure the people in this passage were looking for!
Notice what the text does and does not say:
• The apostle John did not say an angelic being visited the pool.
• Nor did Jesus.
• It was the disabled mans belief that something supernatural might happen.
• He and the other sick people are the source of the tale.
• It is also worth noting that when Jesus does actually heal him;
• Nothing is attributed to the inherent virtue of the pool,
• Or to any apparent angelic activity.
Verse 4: According to the ledged:
• Each day the waters of the pool were stirred;
• Perhaps the most likely explanation.
• Was that this was a n intermittent thermal spring;
• Which bubbled up from time to time.
• Such springs are not unusual;
• And in the ancient world water was always very symbolic with healing.
• ill: As mentioned already even in our own country in times past;
• People afflicted with various diseases would gather around mineral springs.
• ill: Leamington Spa;
• Brave enough or daft enough – you can still drink the health giving waters!
I believe this pool was a place of superstition:
• Perhaps something extraordinary did once happen here;
• And as a result it gave hope to the people gathered at this pool.
• And over the years as stories were told and embellished;
• The pool got itself a reputation for being a place of healing.
Notice: How John described these people as "disabled, blind, lame, paralysed"
• 700 years earlier Isaiah the prophet (chapter 35 verses 3-6);
• Had predicted that when the Messiah comes.
• He would heal people of these very medical conditions.
• Had the religious leaders known their own Scriptures,
• They would have recognized the signpost of the miracle.
• Pointing out Jesus as the Messiah they were looking for;
• But they were spiritually blind and paralysed by their own religious rules & traditions!
(3). A place of self-pity (vs 5-7):
Ill:
• In a "Peanuts" cartoon Lucy announces, "Boy, do I feel crabby!"
• Linus tries to help her feel better,
• And gives her his chair in front of the TV.
• He also fixes her a sandwich, some chocolate cookies, and a glass of milk.
• As he gives the sandwich to her, he asks,
• "Now, is there anything else I can get you? Is there anything I haven’t thought of?"
• To which Lucy replies, "Yes, there’s one thing that you haven’t thought of,"
• And with a sound that bowls him over, she yells, ’I DON T WANNA FEEL BETTER!"
As you read these verses you can almost feel self-pity ooze out of the verses:
“One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When 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?”
7“Sir,” the invalid replied, “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: The question Jesus asked the man in verse 6: “Do you want to get better”
• If it was anybody else other than Jesus you would say;
• “What a stupid question, of course the man wants to get healed!”
• But as you think about it;
• It is actually a very wise and insightful question.
Because for 38 years the man by the pool;
• Had developed a pattern and a rhythm of living that enabled him to cope.
• Although life was difficult;
• For 38 years he had managed to beg enough food to eat,
• He had other sick people around him who had become his friends;
• And I would suggest that he was at ease in his comfort zone!
Once he was healed everything would change;
• He would have to shoulder the responsibility for making a living.
• No more begging but he would be required to work for his food.
• He would have to now start a new relationship with his friends and associates.
• He would be forced by his new circumstances to make new acquaintances.
• In every sense of the word he would be starting life all over again;
• Jesus was asking him if he was prepared for that!
Notice: the man’s answer in verse 7:
7“Sir,” the invalid replied, “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.”
• I have titled my sermon; ‘The man Who Enjoyed Bad Health!’
• And I believe that to be true because of the man’s answer to Jesus’ question.
• The answer that should be written is a simple yes or no.
• After all after 38 years you would think he would say; “Yes!”
• But he doesn’t answer in the positive or the negative.
• The man just makes excuses for his condition;
• He does not answer the question but he blames his circumstances;
• He blames other people.
• But he does not say; “Yes, I want to be well!”
• He does not say; “Yes, I want health!”
• Instead the man just makes excuses for his condition;
• This man is still locked in to his own needs;
• And he is looking for a cure through suppositious means.
• Perhaps he was hoping this stranger would help him into the pool;
• If that is what he thought then he was in for a shock!
(4). It was a place of Salvation (vs 8-9a):
8Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
• I use the word salvation here in the context of ‘wholeness’;
• That is physical healing and not spiritual healing i.e. being saved.
Notice: when Jesus heals there are always 4 characteristics about his healing power:
(a). Jesus’ healing was instantaneous.
• It was never a gradual healing that took days, weeks or even months etc.
• “Get up! …..at once the man was cured”.
(b). It was complete.
• You would expect someone who hadn’t walked for 38 years;
• To have wobbly legs or to have to relearn to walk.
• But he picked up his mat (stretcher) & walked.
• Remember his mat had carried him for 38 years and now he was able to carry it!
• He was completely cured.
(c). Jesus’ miracles were undeniable.
• Sceptics couldn’t say, "Nothing miraculous has happened. It’s all psychosomatic."
• But the healings of Jesus were usually visible & undeniable.
• The were also often spontaneous and varied in type.
• And often numerous, the sheer volume of them defeats that argument!
(d). They were reliable:
• Although at times Jesus was selective in who he healed (only 1 person at the pool)
• Jesus never failed to heal anyone who came to him and asked Him for healing!
Verse 5: John noted that the man had been ill for thirty-eight years.
• So if you think the national health service is bad;
• You would not have wanted to be here!
• Perhaps Jesus chose to heal him out of all the sick people gathered;
• Because he had been there the longest time?
• We do not really know why him and not the person next to him.
A theme regarding Jesus’ power develops through the sign miracles in John’s gospels:
• In the first miracle (1st sign);
• We note Jesus power over creation (i.e. water into wine).
• In the second miracle (2nd sign);
• We note Jesus power over distance (i.e. healed 20 miles away).
• In this story we see Jesus power of time;
• i.e. 38 years of misery, shame, embarrassment and despair were gone in a split second!
• At the word of Jesus;
• New strength and vigour surged through this mans whole body.
(5). It was a place of solitude (vs 13-14)
ILL:
• A woman who had recently moved into a small village in Wiltshire,
• Was in the backyard hanging out the washing on the line.
• When an old, tired-looking dog wandered into the yard.
• She could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home.
• As she walked into the house, the dog followed her in,
• Sat down under the kitchen table and fell sound asleep.
• An hour later, he woke up;
• Went over to the door and she let him out.
• The next day he was back.
• He took up the same position under the kitchen table and slept for an hour.
• This continued for several weeks. Curious, she pinned a note to his collar:
• "Every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap."
• The next day the dog arrived with a different note pinned to his collar:
• "He lives in a home with 6 children - he’s trying to catch up on his sleep."
• Sometime it is good to escape and be alone!
“The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well”.
(a). Jesus Alone (vs 13).
• Interesting that despite the crowd of people;
• Jesus did not pause to heal anyone else;
• Instead, He "slipped away" (The Greek word means "to dodge.")
• Notice: there is no mention at all in this chapter of any of the disciples;
• It would seem Jesus came alone and left alone.
(B). The man Alone (vs 14).
• The man left the pool and headed straight for the temple:
• He no doubt went there to give thanks to God for his healing;
• And offer appropriate sacrifices.
• For 38 years he was unable to worship God in this way.
Notice: There is an anti-climax in this story:
• It seems strange to me that the man did not actively seek a closer relationship;
• With the one who healed him,
• In fact verse 13 tells us, he did not even know who it was that healed him;
• You would imagine that would be the first thing he asked – but no!
Quote:
“More than one person;
Has gratefully accepted the gift and ignored the Giver!”
Notice also:
(a).
• The man had NOT been healed because of his faith (ill: often happened);
• He is healed simply because Jesus had compassion on him.
• The Lord's words in verse 14 ‘stop sinning’;
• Suggest that the man was not a follower of Jesus or even a believer.
(b).
• No-where do we read that Jesus said that the man's sins had been forgiven!
• Often he does say this e.g. paralysed man lowered in through the roof.
(c).
• There is no evidence in the passage;
• That he believed on Christ and was converted,
• In fact later on in the passage as Jesus is interrogated by the religious leaders;
• He explains his actions (the sign) as evidence that they should believe in him.
• In fact he goes on to say, “You will see even greater miracles than this”:
• Which they did witness later on and yet still failed they failed to believe.
Perhaps the warning from this passage is this:
• It is possible to experience an exciting miracle or a spiritual high;
• And-still not be saved and go to heaven!
Ill:
• When NASA first started sending up astronauts,
• They quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in 0 gravity.
• To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade
• and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity,
• It also upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass;
• It will write at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 C.
• The Russians.............they just used a pencil.
• The point – keep it simple!
Now don’t get sidetracked when it comes to faith:
• Your biggest need is not to experience a miracle;
• Your biggest need is experience forgiveness of sins.
• This man in John 5 experienced a miracle – but we are not told he experienced forgiveness!
• Punch line: make sure you don’t miss out on what is truly important.
• May it never be said of you that you were “So close, yet so far away.”
• This morning – get right!
audio link:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=hvNXrwyojYzYJ9LGU9hZS6ADnmm0oirb&forceSave=The_Man_Who_Enjoyed_Bad_Health!_-_John_chapter_5_verses_1-15_-_sermon_by_Gordon_Curley.mp3
