Scripture reading – John 5
John 5
We find Jesus and His disciples returning to Jerusalem for the second Passover of His public ministry, as was their custom (John 5:1). Making His way to the Temple, the LORD passed through the sheep gate (notice the word “market” is in italics and was added by translators). The setting was a pool of water (John 5:2) located near the “sheep gate” (the same through which sheep were led into the city and to the Temple Mount to be sacrificed). The pool was called “Bethesda,” meaning “House of Mercy” (John 5:2), and was shaded by five porches. As He passed the pool, Jesus gazed upon “a great multitude of impotent folk [sick; feeble], of blind, halt [lame], withered [shrunken limb]” (John 5:3).
A Crowd of Suffering Souls at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-7)
John wrote that they were “waiting for the moving of the water. 4For 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” (John 5:4).
Amid this great crowd of needy souls was a man afflicted with an ailment for 38 years (John 5:5). He was described as having an “infirmity” and was suffering from a chronic, debilitating disease (perhaps a stroke). Remembering that the LORD knows all men and what lies within the hearts of men (John 2:24-25), He took pity on him and asked, Wilt thou be made whole [sound]?”
The man answered the LORD, saying, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me” (John 5:7). Thirty-eight years he had been afflicted, and I presume his family, loved ones, and friends had no hope of his recovery. No one waited to assist him to the healing waters when they were stirred. Those who shared similar afflictions showed him no mercy and did not defer their distress to prefer the man who had suffered so long.
The Cure of the Impotent Man (John 5:8-9)
Consider with me three divine attributes Jesus displayed on that Sabbath day. The first was His Omniscience, for He “saw” the man and knew not only how long he was afflicted but also the cause of his suffering (the LORD later warned, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee,” John 5:14).
Consider also the Grace of God that Jesus demonstrated for the man. When the LORD asked, “Wilt thou be made whole?” (John 5:6c), the man answered with a despairing grievance, “I have no man” (John 5:7). Yet, though many others suffered various ailments, the LORD had compassion for him. Though he was no more deserving than others, mercy, not merit, moved Jesus to heal him.
Thirdly, Jesus displayed Omnipotence and divine authority over sickness and disease. When He commanded the man, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” (John 5:8), “immediately [the man] was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked” (John 5:9). Thirty-eight years he had suffered, and with the power of Jesus’ spoken Word, he was made whole.
The Rise of a Controversy (John 5:9-16)
As the healed man passed through the Temple grounds and rejoiced, he was accosted by some Jews who said, “It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed” (John 5:10).
When he explained that the man who healed him said, “Take up thy bed, and walk” (John 5:11), rather than rejoicing with him, they demanded, “What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?” (John 5:12) I wonder how often those critics passed that same man when he lay at the pool of Bethesda, hoping for the waters to be stirred?
Adding to their hypocrisy, rather than rejoice with the man’s healing, they set their hearts to persecute Him when they learned it was Jesus who had healed him. Those same men “sought to slay” Jesus because He healed the man “on the Sabbath day” (John 5:16).
Closing thoughts –
Lest we misunderstand, Jesus did not break the Sabbath according to God’s law. Instead, He did what was lawful: He restored and healed. His violation was the tradition of the Pharisees.
There is much more to the story of events that Sabbath day (John 5:17-47). However, I conclude with a challenge for you to consider how tempting it is to overlook the sorrows and hurts of others in your daily routine.
How many hurting people do we pass in a day? Do we take time to show pity and compassion for others’ sorrows? Are we sensitive to the troubled hearts around us? Is there someone in your life who might say, “I have no man who cares for my soul?”
Copyright © 2024 – Travis D. Smith
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