John 5 – The Healing at the Pool
Do you want to get well?
A quick question for you today…who likes to be sick? Think of a headache, a cold, the flu, a sore muscle, or perhaps worse. Maybe it’s a broken bone, a head injury, or food poisoning. Or perhaps it’s the worst, a terminal illness. Does anyone LIKE to be sick? And if you were to become, or are sick, would you prefer to be well?
I can think of a few instances where people have faked being sick, perhaps in order to get out of doing something they don’t want to do, get a day off work, or miss school. Remember the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?” Here’s a high school kid who really doesn’t want to be in school, so he fakes a terrible cold to get his parents to keep him home from school for the day. He’s got the cough, the sore throat, the temperature, the clammy hands, the whole nine yards. But once his parents leave home, suddenly all the symptoms are gone, and he’s ready to have the day of his life. Now the troubles he gets into from that point have nothing to do with our sermon today.
We’re looking at a passage today where Jesus asks a man a very interesting question, “Do you want to get well?” Just to set up the scene here, let’s take a look at the place Jesus finds this man. It’s the pool at Bethesda, the ‘house of mercy’. A spring-filled pool where tradition had it that an angel ‘stirred’ the water occasionally, and the first person who got into the water when the water moved, would be healed of whatever their disease may be. Archaeologists have uncovered this ancient site in Jerusalem and found the five porches and pool where the sick, the lame, the invalids would spend their day, hoping they would be the lucky pool lottery winner of the day. They would come daily, perhaps brought by family members, friends, or a merciful neighbour. Since they had no means of income, they would be fed by the mercy of those who would share with these outcasts of society.
What would we see there? Dozens, maybe hundreds of people with diseases of every kind. The blind, how are they to see when the waters are stirred. The deaf, how are they to hear what’s going on? The lame, how are they to get down to the water? Who would we see? The young, the old, women, men, children; all here because no one wants them around their house all day long. What would we smell? Can you imagine what this place must be like. If you’ve ever been in a place where the sick and dying spend a lot of time, perhaps you can relate to the smell around this pool. And remember, this is in a hot climate. Perhaps it’s a really hot day and the air is still. And what would we hear? Sounds of people crying out in pain, crying out in hunger, crying out for mercy.
And into the middle of this scene walks Jesus. And He walks through this part of town, a part of town many people might just choose to avoid. After all, who wants to be around a group of sick, smelly, complaining people? Would we? Would we LIKE to spend time in such an uncomfortable place? Jesus did. He was OFTEN found in the place of ‘sinners’. He specifically went to places that the average person would never dream of even being seen in. Why? Because He loves not just the healthy, the rich, the socially secure, those with high paying jobs, those with good reputations, the elite, the first-class. He loves everyone. He loves the rich and the poor, the billionaire and the beggar in the street, the doctor and the person dying of AIDS, the model family of four and the single-parent with 5 kids, the driver and the pedestrian, the world-class athlete and this poor invalid at the pool of Bethesda.
A man who had been at this place for 38 years. 38 years! That’s how old I am. This poor fellow had been coming to this pool for as long as I’ve been alive. Each day, rain or shine, somehow he got to this place of hope. Did he spend day and night there, we don’t know? All we know is that he came with a hope of being healed. And Jesus asks him, “Do you want to get well?” I can imagine what my response might be…What? Are you kidding? Do I want to get well? Are you seriously asking me this? No, I just come here for the fun. Look around, what a great place to hang out! I’m here with all my invalid friends, Blind Bart wandering around over there, Lame Leroy sitting in his ‘spot’ as always, and deaf Demetrius, he never comes when he’s called. Yeah we’re all having a great time here. YES I WANT TO GET WELL!
But that’s not what this man says. You see, HE’S BITTER. Imagine with me a moment. For 38 years, this guy’s been waiting for his chance to get into the water. Waiting for someone to help him, instead of helping themselves. Can you imagine his feelings when someone yells, ‘The water’s moving, the water’s moving. The angel is here, get in, get in!” And HE CAN’T MOVE! He’s paralyzed. He CAN’T get to the water. He tries to get in. Maybe he rolls or drags himself or something, but someone else always beats him to the water. A blind person can walk. A deaf person can walk. Someone with a cold could walk. Someone with a broken arm could walk. Someone with leprosy could walk. But he can’t! Someone always beats him to it.
“Do you want to get well?” Is this an insensitive question to ask this poor man? Jesus doesn’t ask dumb questions. He doesn’t say anything without a reason. He had an answer for his years of suffering. He had an answer for all the times he wanted to get into that water. But He wanted this man to think for a moment. “Do you want to get well?” What does that mean? Why would Jesus say this? Imagine the changes in this man’s life if he were to be ‘well’. He’s been living as an invalid for 38 years. He’s probably become quite used to it. He gets free handouts from those who pass by; some days good, others not so much. He does not have to work. If he were to be healed, he’d have to get a job. If he were to be well, he’d be just like everybody else. Nothing special anymore. Maybe he wants to be sick? Maybe he’d like things to stay just the way they are?
Jesus tells him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” And immediately he is cured! His legs are strong; he does not wobble or trip. He is completely healed, and he is walking, mat under his arm. 38 years of suffering, are gone in a moment. 38 years of complaining, forgotten. But suddenly someone else in interested in him.
The Jews, probably the Pharisees, the ‘expert church guys’ of the day see that this guy is doing work on the Sabbath, and that’s a no-no! What do you think you’re doing? You are forbidden to carry your mat on the Sabbath! Have these guys not noticed that he’s WALKING?! He hasn’t done that in 38 years! Obviously THEY don’t spend any time at this place, or surely they would have recognized him! No they nit-pick at him for breaking one of THEIR laws. “I’m just doing what I was told,” he replies. “This guy, I can’t tell you who, told me to get up with my mat and walk, so here I am, here I go!” How sad that the first people he runs into turn on him! How sad when someone has some great news, that somebody has to find a way to bring them down. No one else rejoices with him. Perhaps everyone else is upset that they were not healed.
My question for us today is the same as Jesus’, “Do you want to get well?” Is that us today? Is that you today? Is that the person who chooses NOT to follow Christ today? I believe it could be that person. Jesus is asking if we want to get well, or do we want to keep living a life of suffering, of separation from God? We were all born with a disease. Not a physical one, but a spiritual disease. It’s sin. Sin separates us from God. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God. We fall short. We’re not good enough. We can’t do enough to earn God’s forgiveness. You see it’s a gift. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But do we want to be made well? Are we happy just the way we are? Do we think that if we surrender our lives to God that we will become his puppets? That He is just a great big kill-joy? No, we are free in Christ. Free from sin, free from hell, free from God’s wrath. Are we afraid of Him? Will he punish us for all the bad things we’ve done? Well the answer is yes, if we don’t ask for His forgiveness. But if we do, and we let Jesus be the Lord of our lives, we will, just like the man in this story, be INSTANTLY FORGIVEN. We can get up; get moving, and get living for God! What a gift! And there may be those who tell us, “Hey what do you think you’re doing? Being a Christian is just foolishness!” We can tell them, “We’re just living the way Jesus tells us to in His word. Take it up with Him.”
Jesus sought out this poor man not just once, but twice. He first met him at the pool, but later found him again. “See, you are well. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Was his illness due to sin in his life? Perhaps. Perhaps just for this illustration. If we keep on sinning, and living lives for ourselves, and not for God, something worse will happen to us too. We will spend eternity apart from God. We are HEALED. We are FORGIVEN. We are made WELL AGAIN. And it’s Jesus, only Jesus, who can give us the kind of hope for eternity that we as Christians have today. Not because of anything we’ve done or deserve, but because He chose to seek us out, to live a perfect life, to die a sinner’s death, and rise again to be the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
And just as this man went away and told others it was Jesus who made him well, we should go and tell others what Christ has done for us. He has made us well, too! Are you ready to get up, take your mat and walk? Are you ready to make a difference in your family, your neighbourhood, your community? I hope so. Let’s get up and Bless His Name!
Closing song - Blessed Be Your Name, Matt Redman
Let’s pray.
