{"id":3895,"date":"2019-09-17T16:07:45","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T16:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takingeverythoughtcaptivetoobeychrist.wordpress.com\/2019\/09\/17\/the-miracle-at-bethesda-john-51-9a\/"},"modified":"2019-09-17T16:07:45","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T16:07:45","slug":"the-miracle-at-bethesda-john-51-9a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-miracle-at-bethesda-john-51-9a\/","title":{"rendered":"The Miracle at Bethesda; John 5:1-9a"},"content":{"rendered":"

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem<\/span>. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In these lay a multitude of invalids\u2014blind, lame, and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>paralyzed.<\/span> One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201cDo you want to be healed?\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The sick man answered him, \u201cSir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Jesus said to him,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201cGet up, take up your bed, and walk.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Our three overarching themes in this text are: human impotency, divine potency, and sickness as mercy. As I\u2019ve tried to emphasize at points throughout John thus far, it\u2019s important for us to keep the flow of thought in our minds, and not break off each chapter or verse from the rest. There are certain comparisons and contrasts with our text today and last week\u2019s text of the healing of the official\u2019s son. I will mention a couple, but keep your eyes peeled for those connections as we go through this, and consider the significance that God is trying to teach us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before we get into those, there is one point concerning the text itself that we must be aware of. The translation you are using probably does not have verse 3b-4. Verse 4 in the King James Version reads like this, \u201cFor 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.\u201d<\/em> The reason that verse 4 is not in the ESV, or most translations, is because this verse only shows up in later manuscripts as a textual gloss, like a note written in the text, and it probably was passed down as the common belief about the pool there, at the time. The overwhelming evidence is that it is not the original text of Scripture. So exactly how these waters were stirred up and provided healing, we do not know for sure, and it is not a matter which will concern our time today.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Human Impotency<\/b><\/p>\n

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We are not told what this man\u2019s specific inability or inabilities were. We just see that at least he was not able to walk.<\/span><\/p>\n

We see as well that this man had been an invalid for 38 years. Whether he was born that way, or something happened to him, we do not know. At the very least, 38 years indicates to us the seriousness and thoroughness of this man\u2019s disabilities. So it is with our sin. We have a very serious sin problem that has thoroughly depraved us. This is not to say that we are all as bad as we possibly could be – it is to say that the totality of our being is ruined by sin – our mind, our heart, our will, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only was this man an invalid but he had no one to help him, and everyone took advantage of him. He was alone. He had no one to take him to the water. If he did find a way to get there, someone always trampled over him. Again, so it is with us in our sin – not only are we totally depraved, but we have no one to help us be righteous. There is no grandparent, parent, pastor, or friend, who can give us faith and grace to save our souls. We are certainly impotent in ourselves to do it alone. We have a serious and thorough impotency that cannot be cured by ourselves or another person. That is this man\u2019s condition, and it is our spiritual condition apart from Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

This pool called Bethesda had five roofed colonnades, verse 2 tells us. This could simply be a descriptive detail of the location of this event, or there could also be a spiritual intent. There are some commentators of the past who say that the five pillars represent the five books of the law. So the fact that you have all these invalids under these five colonnades symbolizes the fact that men who are under the law are as invalids, unable to fulfill the laws demands. Most modern commentators dismiss the notion that these colonnades are a symbol of the law. Nevertheless, the reality remains true that the scores of invalids here at Bethesda show us what life is like under the law. The law is unable to heal our spiritual maladies, and we can never live up to its demands. The law cannot give us legs to walk. It tells us to walk, and to walk in what way; but it doesn\u2019t give us the power to do it. Spiritually speaking, in our flesh, under the law, we are not able to walk in righteousness. We cannot please God on our own. We cannot earn our place into heaven. The law tells us what to do, it shows us what is right, but it cannot give us the power to do it, only showing us that we cannot, revealing to us that we are sinners, in need of mercy and power from without.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Divine Potency<\/b><\/p>\n

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Let us consider that divine potency and mercy. Jesus here shows us that He has a power that the law does not. Jesus here shows us that He provides what the law demands. The law says \u201cwalk,\u201d the man can\u2019t. Christ says “walk,” the man gets up at once and walks. There is a short poem that is often attributed to John Bunyan that goes like this: \u201cRun , John Run, the law commands \/ But gives us neither feet nor hands. \/ Far better news the gospel brings; \/ it bids us fly and gives us wings.\u201d How does this happen? By imputation and new creation.<\/span><\/p>\n

In verse 2 it tells us that Bethesda was by the Sheep Gate. This is overwhelmingly believed to be the gate through which sacrificial lambs were brought to the temple, to be sacrificed. Here we have the Lamb of God healing the invalid at the Sheep Gate. Thus we are reminded that gospel life, only comes to us through the sacrifice of Christ, the pure and spotless Lamb of God for sins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Notice that Jesus was there among all the invalids. He went where most people probably would not want to go. I don\u2019t think you would catch a Pharisee at Bethesda helping invalids into the pool. Jesus went there among the outcasts of society. So often we wouldn\u2019t go to the people that Jesus sought ought. It\u2019s a failure to recognize that we are no better. That but for the grace of God, there go I. I am glad Jesus comes to us in our wretchedness. We are all outcasts of heaven and spiritual invalids, yet in mercy divine, Christ came where no angel would go but by the command of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider also, unlike the sick boy in chapter four, this man had no one to help him, no one to go get Jesus for him\u2026 but Jesus sought him out. Jesus is a Savior who is a seeking Savior. He isn\u2019t sitting and waiting for sinners to drag themselves up to Him, for none would ever come. He came down to sinful man. He seeks out His lost shop. He seeks out the lost and lonely. Those who would not, and could not ever come, Christ came for them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So often you hear the phrase today, \u201cGod helps those who help themselves.\u201d Or another one I saw this week, \u201cI do my best and God does the rest.\u201d That could not be more wrong! It\u2019s false! God helps the helpless. God helps those who can\u2019t help themselves. It\u2019s really not even helping, because they\u2019re not doing anything. God monergistically raises the dead to life! Your best is but filthy rags before a holy God. Jesus didn\u2019t just die to forgive us for our really bad sins and our worst days. He died for our best days. He died to forgive us of our good works too.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sickness as Mercy<\/b><\/p>\n

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Without the disease, the disabled man would not have been healed by Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Notice, the text tells us that this man had been an invalid for 38 years. This was also the amount of time that Israel wandered in the wilderness from the time of the rebellion at Kadesh until all the men of war died in the wilderness, unable to enter the promised land as God promised. Deuteronomy 2:12 specifically notes the 38 years. If you remember, the rebellion at Kadesh was when Moses sent the 12 spies to go spy out the land of Canaan, ten brought back a fearful report of the giants, and only Joshua and Caleb have faith that they can take them as God promised. So it was 38 years from that time till all the men of war died.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This man was diseased for 38 years – a long time. Sometimes the afflictions that are put on us by God are meant to be carried for a long time. There is not always quick relief or immediate deliverance. God has plans that are beyond our ways and above our wisdom. Sometimes that includes long-endured affliction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let us not think that the Lord cannot or will not remove our afflictions because we have had them forever, or so it seems. The length of time we are afflicted is no indicator of the unwillingness or impotency of God to heal. This is ever true with the salvation of souls. A sinner hardened in his sins for 90 years is not out of the saving reach of Christ so long as there is life in his body. Let us never give up hope or prayer for those we know who have lived long in rebellion. It is no difficulty for Christ to save one on his deathbed. Our flesh will often write someone off after just a few years of a brick wall conversation on spiritual things. But brick walls are paper thin to the Sword of the Spirit. God\u2019s saving mercy has been around a lot longer than their stony heart. Let us put our faith in the right place.<\/span><\/p>\n

38 years\u2026 There is purpose not only in the affliction, but also in the length of the affliction. It was not an arbitrary 38 years – it was the perfect amount of time to fill up the purpose of God in this man\u2019s affliction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes long seasons of affliction:<\/span><\/p>\n