John 05(01–18)

Introduction

Last week we were thinking about the time when the Lord healed the royal official’s son. The Lord was in Cana of Galilee, where he had once changed water into wine. And the royal official, whose son was desperately ill, came to Cana from Capernaum, where he lived, in order to ask the Lord to come and heal his son. Instead of going to Capernaum with the man, the Lord told the man to go home, saying that his son will live. The man believed the Lord’s word and went home. And he discovered that his son was well and that his condition had improved at the exact time that the Lord had said he will live.

God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son to meet this man in Cana to save him from his misery by healing his son. And God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son to meet us in the preaching of his word and to save us from our misery by giving us the hope of the resurrection. Just as the Lord raised this man’s son from his sick bed, so he will raise us from death to live with God for ever and for ever in the glory to come. And he does this for us, not because we have done anything to deserve it or to earn it, but he does this for us because he is love and his love overflows to us in Christ Jesus. Because he loves us, he gave us our life in his world. And because he loves us, he gives us the hope of everlasting life in the new and better world to come.

John concluded his account of the healing by saying it was the second miraculous sign which the Lord performed, having come from Judea to Galilee. That is to say, it was the second sign he performed in Cana. The first was changing water into wine and the second was this healing. And those words marked the end of a major section in John’s gospel which began in chapter 2 and finished at the end of chapter 4.

Today we begin a new section of John’s gospel, where the Lord’s ministry becomes much more public. In today’s passage, he’s in Jerusalem. In chapter 6, we have the account of the feeding of the five thousand. So, a great crowd was following the Lord. In chapter 7, he’s back in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles and he began to teach the people in the temple courts. So more and more people have heard about him and they’re talking about him and they’re wondering about him and many are following him.

But John also makes clear the growing opposition to the Lord. In today’s passage, he tells us that the Jews persecuted him and wanted to kill him. In chapter 6 John records that the Jews began to grumble about him. At the beginning of chapter 7 he records for us the scepticism of the Lord’s half brothers. And he also tells us that the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

So, the Lord’s ministry is becoming more public. More people are hearing about him. But the opposition to the Lord is also growing. And from today’s passage we learn that the Jews persecuted him because, not only was he was breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. That’s in verse 18.

So, they understood what he was claiming about himself. But instead of believing in him, they thought he was blaspheming. And so, they tried even harder to kill him.

Verses 1 to 5

Let’s turn to the passage. And John tells us in verse 1 of chapter 5 that some time after the healing of the royal official’s son, the Lord went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. John doesn’t tell us which feast it was. And so, presumably the feast doesn’t really matter to the story.

He goes on to explain for us that there was a pool in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate which was called Bethesda. And it was surrounded by five covered colonnades. Bible scholars think they know which pool John is referring to here. And if it’s the one they’re thinking of, then it had four colonnades at each side of the pool, plus a fifth one that went down the middle and divided the pool into two halves. It’s possible that one half was for men and the other half was for women. And if it’s the one they’re thinking of, both halves were just a little smaller than a football pitch. So, they were pretty big. The colonnades were covered so that they would provide people with shelter from the sun.

And John tells us that a great number of disabled people used to gather there. So, there were people who were blind. And there were people who were lame who could presumably walk a little, but with difficulty. And there were people who were paralysed and couldn’t walk at all.

And as soon as we read about all those disabled people, we might begin to wonder what they were all doing there. And it seems that an ancient copyist, who was copying John’s manuscript, decided to insert an extra verse to explain for us what they were doing there. So, if you’re using the NIV or ESV you can see that verse 4 appears as a footnote. It appears as a footnote because we don’t think John wrote it. But it’s helpful because it explains for us that from time to time an angel would stir up the waters and the first person into the pool after the water was stirred up like this was healed. We don’t know if this really happened or whether it was only a superstitious belief that had arisen among the people. In any case, that explains why so many people gathered there.

And John now focusses on one person in particular: a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. That doesn’t mean he was lying there for 38 years, but for 38 years this man has been unable to walk. We don’t know if he was born this way or whether he had an accident. But we can all sympathise with this poor man who has been unable to walk for almost forty years.

Verses 6 to 9a

And John tells us that when the Lord saw him lying there, and when he learned that he had been like this for such a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’

The commentators discuss why the Lord asked him this, because the answer seems obvious, doesn’t it? Of course, he wants to get well! That’s why he’s lying near this pool, because he wants to get well and he believes the pool can cure him. And so, the answer seems obvious.

Why then would the Lord ask him a question when the answer is so obvious? Some commentators suggest that perhaps the man had grown accustomed to his condition. He was used to it and perhaps he was prepared to remain like that for the rest of his life. Or, as an invalid, he would have received alms from the people going to the temple. And so, by begging, he might have received enough to feed and cloth himself. And if he got better, then he could no longer beg, but would have to work. It could be he didn’t fancy that.

Or perhaps the Lord asked him this question in order to create hope in his heart. Perhaps all hope had died in his heart. Perhaps he thought nothing would ever change. Perhaps he had come to believe that he was condemned to be like this for ever. So, perhaps he felt hopeless. But then the Lord appeared before him and, by his question, the Lord suggested to this man that there was hope. There was hope for him and he could be delivered from his misery. So, perhaps that’s it. Perhaps the Lord wanted to create hope in his heart.

And the man answers by explaining that he has no one to help him into the pool whenever the water is stirred up. If we didn’t have verse 4 as a footnote, his words would puzzle us. But since we have verse 4 as a footnote, we know what he means. He’s seen the water get stirred up. But since he has no one to help him, someone has reached the pool before him. So, he wants to get better, but no one has been able to help him.

And that’s when the Lord said to him, ‘Get up!’ Some scholars talk about performative speech where a command doesn’t merely describe an action, but it actually performs or brings about what it commands. The most obvious example is when God said in the beginning, ‘Let there by light.’ The Lord’s command (‘Let there be light’) brought about what he commanded (‘and there was light’). And it’s the same here. The Lord commands, ‘Get up!’ And the command brings about what is commanded, because the man, who hadn’t been able to get up for 38 years, was able to get up. The Lord’s command is effective. It’s powerful.

The Lord commanded him to get up. And then he told him to pick up his mat and walk. And because the Lord has cured him, he was able to pick up his mat and walk.

Verses 9b to 14

And John notes for us that the day on which this happened was a Sabbath. And the Jews — and we don’t know which Jews — the Jews said to the man who was healed, ‘It is the Sabbath. The law forbids you to carry your mat.’ And John captures for us what is wrong here. They were speaking to a man who had just been healed. You’d think they would want to ask him about that. But instead of asking him about that, they asked him about carrying his mat on the Sabbath. As one of the commentators puts it, they saw a violation and not a miracle. They saw a violation of the law and not a wonderful demonstration of God’s kindness to this man.

And the man answered their accusation by saying to them that the man who made him well told him to pick up his mat and walk. And when they heard this, the Jews wanted to know who this man is who told him to violate the law. But the man didn’t know the Lord’s name. And we can imagine him looking around at all the people nearby in order to point the Lord out to them. But the Lord has slipped away.

And John tells us next that the Lord found the man. That suggests that the Lord went looking for him. And the Lord found him in the temple and said to him that you’re well now; stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. So, after 38 years, the man is finally well. And it’s due to the kindness of God, who sent his Son to Jerusalem to meet this man and to heal him. But the man is still a sinner. And so, the Lord tells him to stop sinning.

I’ve mentioned the Heidelberg Catechism before, which is similar to our own Shorter Catechism. And the Heidelberg Catechism is divided into three main parts: guilt, grace, gratitude. The first part is about our guilt: that we’re sinners who deserve to be condemned. The second part is about God’s grace: his kindness to sinners and what he has done to save us by his Son. And the the third part is about how we express our gratitude to God for his kindness to us. And how do we express our gratitude to God? By obeying his commands and doing his will. And so, out of gratitude to God for what he has done for this man, this man must now live a life of grateful obedience. And the Lord adds a warning: if you don’t live a life of grateful obedience, then something worse will happen to you. And when he refers to something worse, he’s talking about the eternal punishment that is prepared for all those who live a life of sin and who don’t turn from it to God for forgiveness.

Verses 14 to 18

And the passage could have ended there. And if it had ended there, we would all be satisfied. The Lord saw this man’s misery. The Lord rescued him. The Lord commanded him to live a life of grateful obedience. Full stop.

But it doesn’t end there. The man went to the Jews and told them the name of the man who had healed him. We don’t know if he wanted to honour the Lord by testifying to them about what the Lord had done for him; or whether he was informing on the Lord by identifying the man who not only healed him but who also told him to break the law. It’s not clear what his intentions are.

But look at the result. The Jews began to persecute the Lord Jesus. They persecuted him because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. And the Lord said to them that his Father is always at work and he too is always working. And because he said this to them, the Jews tried all the harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was called God his own Father. And by calling God his own Father, he was making himself equal with God.

The Son of God the Father

That’s today’s passage. And there are three things I want to say about what we can learn from this passage. And the first point is this: By calling God his own Father, the Lord Jesus is revealing who he is. He is revealing himself to be the Son of God the Father.

That means that he comes from God the Father. Just as my children come from me, so God’s Son comes from the Father. But whereas there was a time before I became a father, God the Father has always been God the Father. He is God the Father eternally. And whereas there was a time before my children existed, God the Son has always been God the Son. He is God the Son eternally. There never was a time when the Father was not the Father. There never was a time when the Son was not the Son.

And though the Son comes from the Father, we mustn’t think that the Father is greater than the Son, because they both have one and the same divine being. They are the same as one another, because the Father communicates all that he is to the Son and the only difference between them is that one is the Father and the other is the Son. Apart from that one difference, they are the same. And therefore they are equal. And so, the Jews understood what the Lord meant when he called God his Father. They understood that this meant they were equal to one another.

And the Lord Jesus also said to them that the Father has always been working. Now, while we read in the Bible that in the beginning God rested on the seventh day, what it means is that he rested from the work of creation. God created the world in six days and then, on the seventh day, he rested from that work. But he didn’t rest from all his work, because, having created the world, he now sustains the world. He sustains the world continually and he continues to uphold all things and to direct all things continually according to his most holy and perfect will.

So, the Father is always at his work. Even on the Sabbath Day, he is at work to sustain his creation. And God the Son is always at work as well, because, as I’ve been saying recently, the Father and the Son — and the Spirit too — work inseparably. When God the Father created the world in the beginning, he created it through his Son. And God the Father also sustains the world through his Son. For instance, we read in Hebrews 1 that the Son sustains all things by his powerful word.

So, the Father is always at work to sustain and direct his creation. And the Son is always at work because the Father sustains and directs his creation through the Son. The Father is always at work and so too is the Son. And they work inseparably like this, because — with the Spirit — they are one God, having one and the same divine being. And since they are one God, then they are equal to one another.

The Jews understood the implication of the Lord’s words. When they heard him say that God is his own Father and that they are both always working, they understood he was making himself equal with God. However, they did not believe him. They thought he was committing blasphemy, whereas he was — in fact — speaking the truth. But if only they had believed in him, then they would never perish for their sins and they would instead receive eternal life in the presence of God. But so long as they continued in their unbelief, then they would remain under God’s condemnation. But the good news of the gospel is that whoever believes in the Son of God receives forgiveness and peace with God and the hope of everlasting life in God’s presence.

The healing

That’s my first point. The second concerns the healing.

St Augustine, one of the greatest theologians of all time, said about this passage that we should not be astonished at a miracle performed by God. If we believe in God, we’re not surprised that he can perform a miracle, because, after all, he’s Mighty God and nothing is too hard for him. He made us and he sustains us and he can heal us easily.

So, we shouldn’t be astonished at a miracle performed by God. But what should cause us to rejoice and to wonder is that God should become one of us and perform such divine deeds as this among us.

So, the wonderful thing about this passage is that God himself came down from heaven in the person of his Son to heal this man. And since there were many people at that pool, since there was a great number of disabled people there, and since the Lord chose to heal this one man only, then we can say that the Lord healed this one man as an example for us.

Someone has a collection of precious objects which he wants us to admire. But he doesn’t show us all of them. He chooses one to be an example of all the rest. This one object represents the others. It signifies the rest. And the Son healed this one man as an example or as a sign of what he will do for all of his people. He restored this one man’s health as an example of what he will do for all his people when he comes again in glory and with power to restore us to full health and strength in our resurrected bodies.

For now, we must put up with all kinds of aches and pains and weaknesses and disabilities and sorrow and suffering. But we believe that when Christ comes again he will raise our bodies from the dead and we will be made perfect in his presence for ever. There will be no more disease or death or sorrow or sadness, but only perfect peace and rest and joy and happiness in the presence of our God.

And in the meantime, because of God’s overflowing love to us, he has given us all kinds of health professionals and others with the knowledge and the ability and the desire to help us and to relieve our present suffering. So, he helps us in ordinary ways in this life. But when God the Son comes again, he will put away all sickness and he will restore us perfectly in our resurrected bodies. And as a foretaste of that, as a sign of that, the Lord Jesus healed this one man. And what he did for him, he will do for all his people when he comes again.

And so, we should marvel at the love of God that he was willing to come down from heaven in the person of his Son to restore this one man’s health. And we should marvel at the love of God that he is willing to come again in the person of his Son to restore all of his people to full health and strength through the resurrection. And we should marvel at his love, because he’s willing and able to help us now in ordinary ways through all those health professionals who are willing and able to help us.

None of us deserves any of this because we’re sinners who disobey God continually. But because of his overflowing love for us, he comes to us again and again and again with his mercy and grace and kindness to help us and to sustain us and uphold us. And one day he’ll come to perfect us.

Stop sinning

That’s my second point. The third and final point concerns the Lord’s command to the man after he was healed. The Lord said to him, ‘See, you are well. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’ The man was healed physically. But he was still a sinner. And just as he needed his disability removed, so he needed his sin and guilt removed.

And God loved us and has come to us in the person of his Son to do precisely that, because God the Son was incarnate and became one of us so that he could be crucified in our place and offer himself as the once-for-all, perfect sacrifice to pay for our sins. Because of him and his self-sacrifice, God removes our sin and guilt from us as far as the east is from the west and he promises to remember it no more. And he fills us with his Spirit to enable us more and more to say no to our own sinful desires within and to resist every temptation from without. And his Spirit works in us to re-order our disordered loves so that we’re able to love God above all other things and to love other things in their proper order. In other words, he enables us more and more to live a life worthy of our God.

And when Christ comes again, he’ll make us perfect, not only in body, but in soul as well so that we will sin no more, nor will we even want to sin or to offend our most wonderful God who loved us and who has treated us with such love and kindness.

Conclusion

And in view of God’s kindness, how then should we live our lives? With the help of God, we should stop sinning and we should make it our aim in life to do his will and to honour him in all we do and say.

And we should trust him to help us every day and we should trust him to keep his promise and to restore us completely through the resurrection. And so, instead of despairing because of our present weakness, we should rejoice because of what God has in store for us when Christ comes again.

And just as we worship the Father, so we should worship the Son and the Spirit, because all three are one God. All three are equal, because all three possess one and the same divine being. And therefore we should worship and adore them as one God.