Do you want to get well? Part 2

Today we are continuing to look at John 5. Let’s start by reading the passage together. Last week we read it in the NIV. Today, we will read it together in the New Living Translation.

John 5:1–15 NLT

Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!” But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.

Setting

As we discussed last week, Jesus was in Jerusalem for one of the festivals of the Jews. It was a time when people were to be worshiping the Lord, and remembering their God who did so much for them.

Know and Remember

One command God gave to Israel that stands out over and over is that they were to know and remember.

Exodus 6:7 NIV

I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

Exodus 7:5 NIV

And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

Exodus 10:2 NIV

that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”

Exodus 16:6 NIV

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt,

Exodus 16:8 NIV

Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”

Exodus 16:12 NIV

“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

God wanted the people to KNOW Him, that He is the LORD their God. The miracles He did were done so they would know Him.

Deuteronomy 4:35 NIV

You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.

But after the miracles, God knows how forgetful we are, so He told the Israelites to Remember...

Deuteronomy 5:15 NIV

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

Deuteronomy 15:15 NIV

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.

And so many more.

God wanted His people to Know Him and Remember Him, so that they would worship Him, and Obey Him. He wanted them to remember so they would not sin.

But what to remember? What was it about God they needed to remember at these feasts?

Remember the God of Grace

Why did God save them out of Eqypt? Were they worshipping Him, and Him alone? Were they so good? No.

God did not save them because they were deserving. He did it because He made a covenant with their ancestors, and He is faithful.

Deuteronomy 7:7–9 NIV

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

God is Gracious and Faithful. That is why he saved Israel from Slavery.

They needed to remember the God of Grace.

They also needed to remember His Power.

Remember the God of Power

They were powerless to gain their freedom from the Eqyptians. But though they were weak, He was strong, and delivered them with a mighty hand.

The Jews then were commanded to celebrate festivals and worship the Lord together to remember the Almighty God who saved them when they were slaves, when they were powerless.

Exodus 13:14 NIV

“In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Is it any wonder then, that as we saw the story unfold last week, we saw Jesus going in grace to a man who was powerless to save himself, and Powerfully saving Him?

Jesus is the God of Grace

Out of all the people gathered, Jesus chose this lame man. A man who did not know Him. A man who was hopeless, and nothing to offer.

Jesus is the God of Power

This man was powerless to help himself, but then came Jesus. Jesus gave power to the powerless, and made him walk.

Just like God gave grace to Israel, something they were to remember during this festival, Jesus showed himself to be the God of Grace.

Just like God displayed his might power to bring Israel out of Egypt, to feed them, provide water for them, and keep them, so, too, Jesus displayed his mighty power in making a man who was lame for 38 years to walk! He fulfilled the scriptures and showed His power!

Jesus is the God of Grace, and Power.

Last week, that was our focus. Jesus the God of Grace and Power who came to this lame man, and asked, Do you want to get well?

When this man said, “I can’t,” Jesus said, “Get up!”

When we say, we can’t; we’ve tried and it won’t get any better, when we have lost hope, He comes and shows His grace and power to restore our hope.

He did it for this man, He will do it for us.

Now, Let’s dig into the story as it continues.

The key verse I focused on was John 5:14.

John 5:14 NIV

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.”

Big question: Why did Jesus say, “Stop sinning?”

As I read this passage over and over, I came to this question. Why did Jesus say, “Stop sinning?” If he said it, then the lame man must have been doing what? Sinning.

But what was the sin? Let’s look at the passage again, and look for how he was sinning. Let’s pick up in verse 8 where Jesus told the man to, “Get up!”

John 5:8–10 NIV

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. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

Failure to see God at work

These Jewish Leaders did not ask why he was carrying a mat. They just jumped on this guy condemning him.

What were they condemning him for? Breaking God’s law? What does the law say?

Exodus 20:8–10 NIV

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

Failure to see God at work

Was this man working? Did the law say to not carry your bed mat? No.

But the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, had some up with hundreds of laws of their own, their way of doing things so as to avoid breaking God’s law.

They were so worried about their laws, their priorities, their rules and ways of doing things that they did not even see God at work! They did not see a man who was lame for 38 years who had been healed by the grace and power of God because they were more worried about their way of doing things.

What is sinful about this? What should have happened? They should have worshiped the Lord, and rejoiced in His provision. But instead of worshipping the Lord, they were complaining.

Failure to see God at work, and worship Him is sin. It would be like the Israelites not knowing that He is God after all the miracles He did to bring them out of Egypt. It is not knowing, not recognizing God and His grace and power.

What about the Lame man? Did he do this too? We will see, but for now, let’s keep going in the passage.

John 5:11 NIV

But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

He knew he had been made well. But what is going on here?

Blame-shifiting

Notice, the Jewish leaders did not even ask why he was carrying his mat.

What could this man have said? He could have said, “I have been healed!! I was lame for 38 years, and I was healed! You are missing the point! I couldn’t carry this mat for 38 years, now I can! I am not working, I am showing off what God has done!! The Sabbath is for glorifying God, and let me tell you what He has done!

But instead of rejoicing in God, I believe the lame man failed to see God at work, and instead, blamed Jesus for his ‘breach’ of the Pharisaic rules. “The man who made me wall said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

Why would he say that? He didn’t want to be in trouble himself, so he put the blame on this other guy.

Is this sin? Yes. Even if he was doing something wrong, he should have owned up to it. “I am...” I was wrong. Even if someone tells you to do something wrong, if you do it, who is the one who sinned?

Blame-shifting is sin. This man was trying to deflect the blame for a supposed wrong onto someone else so he would not get in trouble with these men.

But who are these men? Why would he do that?

Fear of man

Is Fear of man sin? Is there a command being broken here?

Isaiah 8:13 NIV

The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.

Isaiah 51:7 NIV

“Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults.

Isaiah 51:12 NIV

“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass,

This man was more afraid of these men than the God who had just healed him! He didn’t respond in the words of the prophet. No, he feared what these men thought of him. He feared what they might do to him.

Truly breaking the Sabbath was a crime punishable by death. So, we might understand why he was fearful of man. However, the righteous should not fear. Rather, they should allow their righteousness shine like the noonday sun, as God shows Himself through them.

Psalm 37:5–6 NIV

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

He could have shown them God at work through His healing. Instead he feared man, and did not bring God glory.

This man was sinning by not Knowing God, seeing Him at work. He was sinning by shifting the blame for a supposed wrong. He was sinning by fearing man instead of Fearing God. Anything else?

Let’s keep going.

John 5:12–15 NIV

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. 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.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Rejecting Discipline

Jesus sought this man out at the temple, and warned him. He told him to stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.

Now this does not mean that the lameness he had was the result of sin. It could have been. However, a lot of physical ailments people have are simply because of sin in general, meaning we live in a world that has been corrupted by sin. Sickness and death are coming to all of us because this is a fallen world. But not every ailment you have is the result of a specific sin you did. As Jesus says later in John when asked about the blind man being blind because of sin,

John 9:1–3 NIV

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Physical ailments are not always the result of sin of the people who are suffering. Sometimes, God just allows it because it is a part of this world, and He is going to use it for His glory.

That being said, the scripture also tells us that some sickness, and even physical death is the result of sin.

1 Corinthians 11:28–30 NIV

Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

Throughout the scriptures we find people being afflicted with physical ailments because of their sin. God is trying to give them a wake-up-call.

So, what does Jesus mean when He says, “…or something worse may happen to you?”

I believe He is speaking of the discipline of the Lord. God does discipline, and sometimes He uses physical suffering for this discipline.

Why would he do this? Why does He discipline? Does He discipline out of vengeful anger? “You did this, and now I am going to make you suffer because you hurt and offended me!”

No. Hebrews tells us that God disciplines so that we may share in His Holiness.

Hebrews 12:10–11 NIV

They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Jesus desired for this man to stop sinning. He wanted him to stop failing to know God, to stop failing to recognizing God at work.

He wanted this man to stop blame-shifting.

He wanted this man to stop fearing man, and to start fearing the Lord. He wanted him to be holy, and to gain righteousness and peace that only come from recognizing Jesus as the God of Grace, and the God of Power who could not only rescue him from lameness, but from all his sin.

As you go on in this passage, you find that Jesus is warning them all that to receive Jesus as the God of grace and power, is to gain eternal life. But to reject Him will bring eternal condemnation. What could be worse that eternal condemnation?

Rejecting Discipline

Jesus disciplines this man by warning him to stop sinning, or there may be consequences in this life, and the life to come in eternity!

But how did this man respond to Jesus’ discipline? He went and told the Jewish Leaders it was Jesus who made him well and told him to carry the mat. Because of this, they went after Jesus all the more. We will go into that another week.

But for now, let’s consider...

What about me?

Homework:

Read John 5:1-15. Why did Jesus say, “Stop sinning?” What was this man’s sin. In church we talked about the Fear of Man, Blame-shifting, Failure to See God at work, and Rejecting Discipline. What do you see? Do you see any of these in your life? Take time to confess to the Lord, and know His forgiveness.

Read Matthew 10:28. Why do we fear what people think of us? We are not to live in fear of people. We need to take that off like an old shirt, and put on a new clean one. What is the clean one with which we replace ‘fear of man’? What can God do? What will God do for you?

Read Romans 14:12 and Matthew 12:36-37. Why do we blame-shift? Can you think of a time when you have done this? It isn’t anything new. It is exactly what Adam and Eve did when they first sinned. Why do it? Does God know what happened? What are the results of blame-shifting with God and with people (think of the one we blame)? What should we do instead of shifting the blame? How do these verses speak to blame-shifting?

Read Isaiah 61:10-11. The Lame man failed to see God at work. Do you? I know I do. Read this verse again. Consider Isaiah. He was a prophet to a people that were living in rebellion to the Lord. They did not want his message. He could have feared man, but he feared the Lord. He could have failed to see God at work as people did not receive his message, but instead He chose to see God at work. It is a choice isn’t it? It takes effort sometimes like in Isaiah’s day when destruction was coming. Make a list of what God is doing for you.

Read Hebrews 12:4-13. We tend to think of discipline as punishment. But is the goal punishment or training? What is God’s goal in disciplining us? (Hint: verse 10-11). Consider verses 12-13. Just like Jesus made the lame man walk, can He strengthen you so that you can walk through the discipline/training so that you will share in His holiness, righteousness and peace?

Walking Tall:

Israelites burdened and discouraged - Lev 26:13

God brought them out

God set us free Galatians 5:1

David Gelernter suffered permanent injuries when he opened an explosive package sent by the man known as the Unabomber. But he has refused to view himself as a helpless victim or to wallow in self-pity. Gelernter writes, “When you encourage a man to see himself as a victim of anything —crime, poverty, bigotry, bad luck—you are piling bricks on his chest.”