Long Time Coming

1. THE MIRACLE AT BETHESDA

• Also known as the pool of Siloam

• The man whose infirmity had been around thirty-eight years

• Thirty-eight years is a spiritual picture of the wandering of the Old Testament

• The pool of Bethesda is where the social “outcast’s” laid in hopes of being healed

• The thought here is that the first person to step into the pool after the water had been ‘troubled’ or ‘stirred’ would be healed

• The people gathered at the pool were the:

a. Impotent Folk

b. Blind

c. Halt

d. Withered

• People with palsy, issues of blood, leprosy and other ailments gathered at the pool in hopes of beating the others into the pools “healing” waters

• Jesus sent the man who was born blind to the pool of Siloam to restore his sight (John 9:7)

2. WHO WAS THIS MAN?

• Not much is known other than he had an infirmity a very long time

• Jesus again encountered the man in the temple

• He was miserable because of his infirmity

• He had given up hope of healing

• His ailment came from a sin in his life

• V. 14 Jesus told him to ‘sin no more; unless a worse come unto thee’

• Sin can bring forth problems and strife in our lives

• In James 1:14-15 we are told “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

• So we see with what Jesus said and through James’ comments that sin can in fact bring calamity upon our physical and spiritual life.

3. WHAT WERE THE CONDITIONS OF THIS

MIRACLE?

• One had to enter into the pool immediately after the stirring

• One had to be the first in

• This man had given many excuses as to why he had never been healed

• Jesus asked a question: “Wilt thou be made whole?”

• Jesus asked the man, why are you still seeking to be healed? Do you not want to be restored?

• What Were the Excuses?

o People Excuse: ‘I have no man’ (vs. 7)

o Place Excuse: ‘to put me into the pool’ (vs. 7) He blamed his location for the inability to get into the ‘healing’ pool

o Conditions Excuse: ‘when the water is stirred up’ There were conditions to this healing which he felt like he could not meet

o Time Excuse: ‘while I am coming’ (vs. 7) since others beat him to the punch he simply gave up

o Blame Others Excuse: ‘another steps down before me’ (vs. 7) Blamed others for his inability to get into the pool

• This man gave Jesus every excuse he could to explain his question

4. THE MIRACLE ITSELF

• Jesus simply told the man, ‘Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.’

• Vs 9 tells us that ‘IMMEDIATELY’ the man was made whole

• Imagine after thirty years of an infirmity; being told to get up and then being made whole\

• Why did Jesus heal only one person out of the many that were needy?

o He was the one who seemed most hopeless

o Luke 5:31 “And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.” “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

• Jesus came to restore hope to the lost and to save the sickest of the sick

• Why did Jesus ask if he wanted to be healed?

o To Restore Hope and Stimulate Faith

5. HEALING COMES THROUGH FAITH AND NOT

TRADITION

• Luke 7:50 (Spiritual Healing) “…Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”

• Jesus forgave the sins of the woman who washed his feet with her tears and wiped them with her feet

• Jesus healed the ten lepers (Luke 17:19) “…Arise, go thy way: they faith hath made thee whole.”

• The Woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:48) “…Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”

• When healing Jesus almost always incorporated that the faith of the person being healed was the determining factor in their restoration

6. THE PHARISEE (WORLD) VIEW

• Jesus did this on the Sabbath

• There was to be no working, healing, cooking or anything to be done on the Sabbath day

• The Jews brought two accusations upon Jesus for this act

o That He broke the Sabbath (v. 16)

o Blasphemy (vs. 17-18)

• The Jewish leaders told the man that It was the Sabbath and therefore it was not ‘lawful’ that he be healed on that day (v10)