John 5
A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda,[a] having five porches
Notice first that this was feasting time, many people would be in Jerusalem, more than that this was the Sabbath the holiest day of the feast, no-one would be at work today, (like bank holidays as a kid) except we are not stuck in the traffic trying to get to the coast, sunny honey (hunstanton).
These folks pilgrimaged for many miles, weary tired, but kept going on and on, Jerusalem we know is at he top the hill, difficult for us in the fens to understand what that is like
For some they had walked for miles perhaps as far as approximately from here to Wales 3-4 days walk at 5 mph then once there climbed the hill to Jerusalem perhaps came to this pool for healing, perhaps stopping for a rest, perhaps like this multitude there is a need to rest our weary souls, perhaps not for the same reason, perhaps we have suffered with stress.
John here lets us into a bit of background and culture it was called the sheep gate here we Jesus enter an area perhaps was like a cattle market.
It was also close to The Antonia Fortress was a military barracks built by Herod the Great in Jerusalem on the site of an earlier Hasmonean stronghold, named after Herod's patron Mark Antony. The fortress was built at the eastern end of the great wall of the city (the second wall), on the northeastern side of the city, near the temple. It is thought that the area where the Antonia Fortress was located possibly later became the site of the Praetorium. It is thought to be the place where Jesus was taken to stand before Pilate.
Later to be destroyed in 70 A.D. by Titus' army during the siege of Jerusalem.
As this was the market place, remember how we spoke to Jesus being our redeemer, Jesus at work in the market, the work place, here he is visiting the market, where people would sell sheep, this was their livileyhood, but not today, no sheep there just people a great multitude
John says
Bethesda means House of mercy / grace
The pool itself was covered with platforms or covered porches, 5 in total reminding people of the five books of the law the torah, coming into Jerusalem from the north you would have passed this way a profound reminder to be cleansed before going into the city.
Everyone coming to this feast would have been studying would have known the torah, the law, for a good Jew knowing the five books was something they would chant repeatedly to learn of by heart, the promise that God would write his law in our minds and our hearts would have meant more to the Jew, this would elevate you to almost rabbi status, knowing the law was the first qualification.
We must know God’s Word and Jesus! And by the Holy Spirit the interpretation of it. We must be passionate in our devotion to that word and Jesus example.
As we are filled with his Spirit, we must be obsessed with being like him as far as is humanly possible.
We must strive for relationships with others so they will observe us and seek to imitate our love and devotion to God and our Jesus-like lifestyle
Paul would say to those in Corinth Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ; and as we were baptized into Christ we put on Christ). By God’s grace, we become like him and influence the most pagan of cultures.... our own!
Jesus a rabbi was often tested on his knowledge of the law when asked “what is the greatest commandment” he answered “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
Duet 6 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one![b] 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
What is the essential thought pattern, what it is when you break it down the most essential part?
Jews would ask a rabbi this at anytime, we remember Jesus was talking to an audience that when he quoted duet these guys had this memorised.
Jesus however did not follow their pattern, he never studied under gamiel or whoever thoughts were the most relevant at that time, he spoke as one who had authority,
Jesus seems to be a type of rabbi believed to have the authority to make new interpretations. Most of the teachers were Torah teachers (teachers of the law) who could only teach accepted interpretations. Those with authority (ordination) could make new interpretations and pass legal judgments. Crowds were amazed because Jesus taught with authority (Hebrew simikhah, Greek exousia) not as their Torah teachers (Matt. 7:28.29).
He was rabbi yeshua, where we get our name Joshua meaning YAHWEH is salvation
The passage Jesus quoted according to the Talmud, the reading of the "Shema'" morning and evening fulfils the commandment "Thou shalt meditate therein day and night"
As soon as a child begins to speak his father is directed to teach him the verse "Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob" (and teach him to read the "Shema'". The reciting of the first verse of the "Shema'" is called the acceptance of the yoke of the kingship of God"
3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.
There were multitudes, Jesus would have seen them all.
John then gives us explaination
4 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.[b] 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.
38 years ago
Nixon made the news with his nuclear weapons, the Vietnam War protest in the us, first flight of concord, second Apollo mission lands on the moon; Paul McCartney marries Linda, Sir Matt Busby retires
This was a very long time to be sick.
Thirty-eight years is a long time to wait for anything, but it must have seemed like an eternity to this man.
How long is thirty-eight years?
Long enough that most people would stop believing.
In our text, Jesus comes to Jerusalem to celebrate a Jewish feast when he spotted this man lying by the pool of Bethesda.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
He laid there because people believed the water had healing power when it stirred. Was it an angel?
Some people would not believe that. They said it's just a wind that happens to hit a certain current, and blow it, and make it like that. If that's what they thought, that's what it was to them. But those who believed it was an Angel of God,
When Jesus saw him, he asked him a question, "Do you wish to get well?"
Is that a question that Jesus even needed to ask? Certainly the man wanted to be well, didn't he? He'd waited in the same place for thirty-eight years, why else would he be there?
Let me ask the question another way,
Do you wish to stop repeating the same mistakes and going through the same cycles in your relationships, or does it feel safer to blame others instead of dealing with your issues? Do you wish to get rid of your anger, or would you just as soon keep it?
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man
The desperation in his cry I have no one, perhaps this man was more desperate than others, did he have to blame others for his condition?
Those who focus on blame when things go wrong believe that we all have responsibility and things go wrong because someone is lazy or incompetent.
They thus make attributions about the internal characteristics and motivations of others.
Their values typically say 'The wicked should be punished' and finger-pointing and blame is a part of this punishment. They take the moral high ground, sitting as prosecutor, judge and jury, and pronounce guilt and sentence.
They may also be driven by a sense of guilt or fear, and blame others in order to distract or deflect attention from themselves.
What was it about this man that caught Jesus eye.
, 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.”
What would our reaction be?
Truthfully mine may have been let me help you into the water, I will wait with you, I like to see the surf, see the angel, then we could rush together to see God’s answers. I will stand in faith with you!
8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
He does not say let me help you up, he says you rise up,
Some of us have been low for so many years we forget what it means to walk, what it means to take up the bed, how long have we been lying in our own self pity, long enough I am sure! You rise out of it,
Jesus is testing obedience seeing if there is faith, can we have the faith to believe to be lifted out of our own circumstances, can we stop waiting for others to rescue us,
What about other people are we going to do something to reach the lost, or is our prayer that God would save them, praying for the lost has become all the evangelistic work we do!!!!
Jesus is saying to us you feed them, you heal them you forgive them, you clothe them, he is empowering his disciples to do what he does and he still does it today
