SERIES: The Gospel of John
Do You Want to Get Well?
SPEAKER: Brad Harper
Introduction: With the opening of chapter five of John’s Gospel, we enter a new phase in the ministry of Jesus. For the next few chapters John will focus on the growing opposition to Jesus and his work by a group of people he simply calls “the Jews.” Now this is not meant to be an ethnic slur, for John himself is a Jew. It is John’s term not for the Jewish race as a whole, but for that group of Jewish religious rulers, led by the legalistic Pharisees, who had their headquarters in Jerusalem. It would be these men who would now throw themselves into the task of silencing this renegade rabbi from Nazareth.
By way of historical background, there were a number of incidents in the relationship between Israel and Rome which contributed to the increase in opposition to Jesus by the religious rulers. First, the anti-Semitic Roman commander, Sejanus, working through the governor Pontius Pilate, had stripped the Jewish ruling body of its jurisdiction over capital crimes. This was done to give the Roman officials a free and quick hand in dealing with any situations of political rebellion. Second, there had been a rise in popularity of a militantly nationalistic group called the Zealots. They were the Jewish underground and guerrilla warriors of the day. The rise in their activity created growing hostility with Rome and the probability of increased persecution.
In light of these realities one can understand how the conservative Jewish leaders, anxious to protect their religious institutions, would be so opposed to such an anti-establishment character as Jesus. Especially is this true when he defended his opposition to their interpretations of the Law by identifying himself intimately with God the Father.
That is the religious/political climate when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for a feast. There were several major religious feasts celebrated in Jerusalem each year. All Jewish men were required to come to a specified number of these, no matter where in Israel they lived, and even foreign Jews were encouraged to attend when possible. Jesus had come down from Galilee to fulfill his religious obligations. The population of Jerusalem would swell dramatically during these feasts, and so did the population of the disabled as John tells us there were a “great number” of them around the pool of Bethesda. It is here, in the midst of this crowd of hurting people that Jesus has an amazing encounter with a lame man and with the Pharisees.
The centerpiece of the passage as we see it today, coming from the pen of a master theologian, the apostle John, is the simple question asked by Jesus, “Do you want to get well?” This simple question, which was not fully understood by the lame man, and completely missed by the Pharisees, is the question Jesus continues to pose to a dying world, and even to a hurting church. As each of us is faced with this question today, John would tell us through this passage that if you want to get well, four important requirements must be met:
The first requirement is that you must …
Recognize that you are not well. (1-3)
As John sets the scene for us, he tells us there are a great number of disabled persons in the crowd. The descriptive term he uses indicates that these people are without power; they are unable to help themselves. He goes on to enumerate the maladies of these people, saying they were blind, lame, and paralyzed.
As we study through the Gospel of John it is important to note that John is by far the most theological of the gospel writers. By that I mean he is much more likely than Matthew, Mark, or Luke to intend a broad theological lesson as he narrates the events in the life of Jesus. As such, I believe John’s focus here is not merely on the physical problems of these people. He is painting a picture of an entire world lost and powerless, crippled by the disease of sin. For John, blindness is also a spiritual malady, as noted by Jesus when he tells Nicodemus in chapter three that unless a person is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. The inability to walk is spiritualized when, in chapter six, Jesus says that no one can come to him unless God the Father draws him.
So, for John, the problem is not just a crowd of physically ailing people, but a whole world of diseased people desperately in need of help. It’s a picture of a world in need of salvation. But even beyond that, I believe it is a picture of Christians in need of spiritual healing. And it is that spiritual aspect of healing which we will concentrate on today in contrast to Pastor Mike’s message last week where he used this passage to talk about physical healing.
The first requirement is to admit one’s need. Now the man at the pool of Bethesda has no problem with that. He not only recognizes he is not well; he displays his sickness in front of everyone. Now this man had been lame for 38 years, so sitting out in public and asking for help was probably not that difficult for him. It appears that he was rather alone in the world, and so he had probably long before resigned himself to the fact that if he wanted food and shelter, much less healing, he needed to go and ask for it. But can you imagine how hard it must have been to go out there the first time and ask for help? It appears that this man was not lame from birth, but rather had been struck down by some disease or accident, perhaps as a young man. Imagine the humiliation of dragging himself for the first time out to the city square to display his need and ask for help.
In my years as a Christian and in Christian ministry, I have found a major roadblock to healing to be people’s inability to recognize and admit their need, especially in our affluent and self-reliant Western culture. Unbelievers are unwilling to admit that their secure lifestyle does nothing to meet their need for forgiveness of sin, which cripples them and eliminates the possibility of a relationship with God. And even believers, who have had to come to a place of admitting their own inadequacy before a holy God, seem so unable to share their hurts and struggles with the other believers.
Friends, this wonderful church is a family that has many hurts. There are marriages in this church that are coming apart at the seams. There are alcoholics in this church. There are families aching through the trauma of unemployment. There are parents in agony over the problems of their children. But for so many of us, especially men, we would rather have to pay the national debt by ourselves than to reveal our struggles to other believers and ask for help. And so it is that so many Christians go a lifetime without having the privilege of seeing the grace of God do a work of healing through authentic and transparent relationships with other believers.
A friend of mine at St. Louis University told me recently that he is convinced that twelve step programs are the spirituality of the 90’s in America. I’m not sure I agree with him, but one of the reasons some twelve step programs are more successful than a lot of home Bible studies is because they are filled with people who admit from the start that they have a problem and want to get help. They have taken off their masks and revealed their scars.
Now let me say that I am not advocating, nor does the Bible encourage, some kind of sickness syndrome. I am one of the most optimistic people I know. I hate depressing movies and love comedies. But when Scripture tells believers to confess our sins to one another, it is telling us that we simply need to be real with one another. Like it or not, God has sovereignly chosen to use the church, and by that I mean relationships with other believers, to enact his ongoing healing process in our lives. In light of that I would go so far as to say that if you are not in either a one-on-one or small group relationship where you can share the struggles of your life, as well as show compassion for the struggles of others, you are missing a major part of God’s will for your life.
The second requirement for healing is to recognize that …
Jesus is the ultimate source of all real healing. (5-13)
Look at the passage again and notice John’s emphasis on the compassion of Jesus. The original language here indicates that Jesus did not just glance at this man, but rather he observed him carefully, took the time to inquire about him, and found out about his 38 years of pain. Then Jesus walks up to him and asks him the question of the century. “Do you want to get well?” Are you kidding? What a question! I have always wondered why Jesus would ask such a silly question.
But maybe the question is more legitimate that we might first think. Perhaps this man, like others I have met, has spent so much energy developing a life that centers around his problems that getting over them is a scary proposition. Have you ever met someone who is so consumed with his or her problems that you almost want to ask, “Gee, do you want to get over all of this, or would it leave you with nothing to talk about?”
Perhaps this man really does want to get well. But as we listen to his response, two things emerge. He has been trying the same failed method for years, and he is blaming others for his problems. In regard to the first issue, we live in a world of failed cures for the problems of humanity. Whether its crime, immorality, violence, broken families, or even economic deprivation, the cures our society offers continue to fail miserably. The reason is because virtually none address the main problem, which is sin.
For most of my adult life I have been an ardent fan of film maker and writer Woody Allen. Through his twisted perspective of life comes again and again the desperate question of a brilliant man: “What is the meaning of life if there is no God?” He has accurately arrived at the basic dilemma of human existence, and he apparently has sought help. Woody Allen, by his own admission, has been in psychological therapy for most of his adult life. But as we have seen recently, decades of this failed method have neither solved his problem with the meaning of life, nor given him the ability to live it with integrity.
The world’s methods of solving human problems can be of some practical help. Psychological counseling, the United Nations, and civil government all help deal with some human problems. But ultimately, when the problem of human sin before a holy God is not addressed, all solutions are meaningless.
In regard to the second issue, this man is certainly not alone in blaming his problems on the failures of others or on his lot in life. Blaming something or someone else for our problems may be the most common human malady of all. In essence the man tells Jesus, “I can’t get well. There is no one with me. All my friends have deserted me and someone else always cuts in front of me and cheats me out of my place in line.”
I wonder if a good indicator of our spiritual health might be to keep a log of how often we use the phrase “If only …” in our lives. If only such and such would happen, then life would be good, and I would be fine. Robin and I have a standard one of those “if only’s” in our life as a young family. “If only we got a ten-thousand-dollar check in the mail today, our problems would be over.” Maybe some of you identify with that. If you do, I hope you also know what a foolish idea that really is. You are a generous congregation, and Robin and I are truly wealthy in the eyes of most of the world. And our real struggles have nothing to do with money.
Let’s look at this picture again. Do you realize how incredible it is that this man is talking about abandoned friends and pools of water when the answer to his problem is standing right in front of him? He is so preoccupied with his problems he doesn’t even recognize the cure. Now we can’t really blame him for not recognizing Jesus at this point. But isn’t it amazing that even after Jesus heals him, he is at the temple going about his business and still doesn’t know who healed him. Friends, non-Christians and Christians alike are stumbling through this world trying failed methods, blaming others for our problems, and spending too little time turning to Jesus, the ultimate source of healing, and saying, “I want to get well.”
Let’s move on to the third requirement in the process of being healed. We must …
Repent of sin and turn to a godly lifestyle. (14-15)
Notice the next confrontation between Jesus and the no longer lame man beginning in vs. 14: “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.’” In this very brief encounter, we see some startling realities. First, why is it that Jesus would have to remind this man that he is no longer lame, that he has been healed? Surely the man has not forgotten. No, I believe the problem is that Jesus’ amazing act of compassion and miraculous healing has not affected a change in the man’s lifestyle. How can this be? Surely the man is Jewish and a believer in God. And surely for such a man the natural response to what he has just experienced would be to attribute the miracle to God and seek to honor him. But apparently no such thing has happened.
This conclusion is supported by the fact that Jesus then tells him to stop sinning. Whatever sinning ways this man has had, he has not abandoned them. Finally, even this confrontation doesn’t seem to have made a difference, for the man runs right off to tell the Pharisees that it was Jesus who healed him. I hope I am not slighting this man improperly, but it appears to me that he went to the Pharisees not to tell them of the glory of Jesus, but to tattle on Jesus. For he knew full well what their agenda was. These were the very men who couldn’t accept his miraculous healing for the fact that he was carrying his bed on the Sabbath. Surely, he knew what they would then do to Jesus.
The last thing Jesus says to this man is very interesting. “Something worse may happen to you.”From my study I think the “something worse” can mean nothing other than that this man may end up in Hell. And what may put this man there is his refusal to stop sinning. We evangelicals, with our emphasis on salvation by faith alone, have a difficult time with such sayings of Jesus. We choose to concentrate more on the statements about believing in Jesus in order to be saved. Interestingly, most of the belief-oriented statements are in the writings of the apostle Paul, while Jesus talks more consistently about a change of lifestyle. The message of Jesus in the gospels seems to be something like “repent of sin, follow me, and believe in me.” Belief is essential, but Jesus tells many people that if they are not willing to change their lives for him, they really are not willing to believe.
When we first moved to St. Louis, two of the first people we got to know in the church were Jack and Judy Kerls. They had us over to their house for dinner and I noticed right away that Judy made mention several times of eating “heart healthy.” There was no doubt that eating that way was a lifestyle for them. What I soon found out was that Jack had recently had heart bypass surgery and that if he didn’t eat right, he would be little more than a walking time-bomb. Surgery had healed him, but in order to stay healed he had to completely change his lifestyle.
If you are a Christian today, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, how has that reality affected the way you live your life? Let me remind you that in the Old Testament, the surest way for God to bring calamity upon his chosen people Israel was for them to persist in sinful ways or to ignore God’s standards in their lives. How committed are you to a godly lifestyle? Be assured that your lifestyle cannot save you; only Christ can do that. But Jesus was never more serious than when he told people that to believe in him meant that they must deny their own selfish ways and live life according to his pattern, whatever sacrifices that might mean. Some Christians are doing a lot of suffering and missing out on God’s healing and blessing in their lives simply because they are hanging on to selfish and sinful ways.
Finally, let’s look at the fourth requirement for being healed.
You must release God from your personal requirements for the healing process. (16-18)
This principle comes from the response of the Pharisees. The first clue to their response comes in their angry command to the formerly lame man to stop carrying his bed on the Sabbath. To explain what it was that caused them to freak out, let me read a passage from William Hendriksen’s commentary on this passage:
“The Pharisees had superimposed upon the Law of God their own hair-splitting distinctions and rabbinical restrictions. This was particularly true with reference to the Sabbath…. Instead of looking upon it as a day of special consecration unto works of gratitude for the salvation which God had given, they viewed it as a day of cessation from all (common) work with a view to the salvation which man must merit.” [i]
The fact is, that the Old Testament did forbid heavy work and burden bearing on the Sabbath. But these restrictions applied to work for profit, not to a man being healed and carrying his bed.
To illustrate the incredible nature of their response, let me suggest a hypothetical event. All of us who have known the Schumacher family over the past years have rejoiced as Richard has regained enough health to return to work and family after a near fatal relapse of Hodgkin’s Disease. What would have happened if while lying in a coma near death, Richard had been miraculously healed, gotten dressed, drove to church, and run down the aisle in the middle of the sermon and begun dancing on the stage. Could you imagine Pastor Mike stopping and saying, “Please Richard, I’m in the middle of my main point! And besides, we don’t dance in this church.”
Can you now understand why Jesus told Nicodemus, a Pharisee, that unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God? These Pharisees had become so preoccupied and protective of their personal legalistic religious requirements that they could no longer see the work of God right in front of them. And their preoccupation with themselves had left them bitter and angry men. Notice verse 16. They finally find this heretic who had the gall to heal someone on the Sabbath, and they persecute him and plan to kill him.
Can you imagine the conversation between them and Jesus? “Hey, you healed a man on the Sabbath and then told him to carry his bed!” “Yes.” “You can’t do that. That’s not the way you’re supposed to heal someone. And it’s against our law.” Now pardon me if I go a bit far with this, but this exchange is so unbelievable I can almost hear Jesus saying, “Well, EXCUSE ME!!! Would you like me to make him crippled again?” What he actually said was that God never stops working, but their legalism and bitterness would not allow them to see that.
Bitterness and anger. They are two of the most crippling diseases in the world. And as a Christian, one of the surest ways to fill your life with them is to internally demand that God direct His world according to your requirements. And one of the surest realities of the Christian life is that God absolutely will not do that. God is in the process of doing a long-term healing in the lives of believers. We know that from the words of Paul who says that “He who has begun a good work in you will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ.” It’s a lifelong process. And just as physical healing is often filled with painful therapy, so the healing of our lives by God is purposely filled with painful therapy.
James tells us that God puts painful trials in our way to stretch us and make our faith stronger. The problem is that too often we don’t see these trials as therapy, but as unfair circumstances that we don’t deserve. Too often we don’t find in these trials an opportunity to rest in God’s care, but rather a reason for becoming obsessed with our problems, criticizing others, and even God himself. What a pitiful life we can create if we want to.
Conclusion: So, what can we take home from this little event in the life of our Lord? If I could just tell you about the spiritual realities this passage has brought to the forefront of my mind, maybe it will help you apply it to your life.
I believe I am a basically healthy person. I had some real personal challenges to overcome in my family growing up, but God has done a marvelous healing work in my life simply by helping me to see how much he loves me in Jesus’ sacrifice for me. But the healing is a process and I know I am not completely well. I am a sinner, and I have a fantastic wife and wonderful children, but they’re sinners too. And when we all get together, we can do some real sinning!
We have problems, so I thank God for a small group of people I meet with every week who have made it safe for us to share our problems. And I thank God that they pray for us, for though Robin and I use many human methods to solve some of the problems in our lives, there isn’t a single situation that gets resolved that isn’t followed by a new problem that slaps us in the face. In light of that we are realizing that true healing only ultimately comes through our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Regarding allowing God to work his healing process in our lives according to his plan and not ours, it was only this past week that we were dealing with a very frustrating problem in our lives. We discussed it on the phone and decided that we would just have to accept the problem and allow God to show us a way through it. Within a half hour of that conversation, we had a wonderful answer to the problem. It doesn’t always happen that way, but allowing God to work through trials is a lot better than getting bitter about them.
Do you want to get well? Take a look at God’s requirements for his healing process. Notice the barriers that can be set up to keep God from being able to do a healing work in your life. Make sure the barriers are out of the way so that you can be touched by his healing grace and so that he can make something beautiful of your life.
DATE: December 13, 1992
Tags:
Healing
Pharisaism
[i] William Hendriksen, The Gospel of John, 193.