Hopeless and Helpless?
June 2, 2013
John 5:1-14
Have you ever felt hopeless — helpless — at the end of your proverbial rope? That’s a loaded question, because we’ve all been there. In one way, or many ways, we’ve been there. When we’re there, we have options, even when we don’t think so. Today and next week, we’re going to look at a passage which leads us to talk about being hopeless and helpless.
In John 5, we read a story about a question and a healing to a hopeless and helpless man.
2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”
9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”
11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’”
12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”
13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
Do you want to be made well? Wow! What a loaded question. It sounds rude and callous. How could Jesus even ask that question to a man who was really, really weak? To a man who was obviously sick? Jesus was in Jerusalem and He went to this place called Bethesda. We don’t know why He was there, we just know Jesus was there.
Bethesda is quite the name of this place. Bethesda literally means “House of Mercy.” This was anything but a house of mercy for the sick. It was mostly a house of misery. For many years people didn’t believe Bethesda existed, because in the 5th century a Byzantine basillica was built over the vacated pool area.
According to verse 4, it’s believed that somehow an angel of the Lord would periodically, and we don’t know how often, would stir the water and there would be some type of healing properties which would be supernaturally put in the water and the first person in, would be healed. When the water would bubble, the people believed this indicated the presence and power of God. There were 5 porches where the people would wait for their opportunity to get into the pool and find healing.
Jesus was attracted to one poor sufferer. Jesus approached this man who was described as having an infirmity or as an invalid. Literally, he was a man who was without strength. Some say he was paralyzed, but I don’t believe that because in verse 7, he said to Jesus, “when the pool is stirred, and I am going another steps down before me.” He didn’t refer to others trying to help him in the pool, but he was trying to use his own limited power.
Now, remember the way people looked at sickness in that day. If you were really sick, it was caused by your own sin, or the sin of your parents. They believed God was always punishing us for our sin. Now, if that were always true, then we would all be in really bad shape, because we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But in this situation, there was some sin in this man’s life which caused this, or at least perpetuated his sickness.
After the man is healed, we read in verse 14, Jesus meets him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” We can make lots of guesses, but that would not get us anywhere, so suffice it to say there was some sin issue. But sin does not have to be the cause of our sicknesses and struggles in life.
Jesus can use any condition we’re in to bring glory. It could be a person will be healed and that will bring glory and honor to God. Or it could be someone will suffer and struggle, yet, they never lose faith and in fact are a great witness for Christ. As others see Christ at work in them during their suffering.
With all that said, in this particular case in, this man’s case, his sickness is tied to his sin. It’s lasted a lifetime, he’s suffered for 38 years. Sin can ravage and destroy, wither and weaken our spirit as much as our bodies. Sin will rob us of our power source . . . Jesus Christ.
Sin takes you farther than you want to go.
Sin keeps you longer than you want to stay.
Sin costs you far more than you planned to pay.
John Schlitt was born in Lincoln, Illinois. His family moved to Mt. Pulaski where he grew up. Schlitt began singing and showing interest in music and in 1972, he joined the rock band Head East as lead singer. They produced several hits during the 70s. During that time Schlitt became addicted to cocaine and alcohol. His dependency reached a peak when he retired from the band in March 1980.
He came close to committing suicide. He couldn’t beat his addiction. He was powerless. He felt he was worth more dead than alive and began planning how to end his life. During that time his wife accepted as Lord and Savior in her life. She convinced him to see her pastor. Schlitt admitted he agreed only "so my wife would be able to say ‘he tried’ after I was gone".
However, in that meeting Schlitt also accepted Jesus, and he was able to leave his addiction to drugs and alcohol. He sang in the church and 5 years later, John received a call and was invited to audition for a Christian rock band. He got the job and earned 4 Grammys and numerous Dove Awards with Petra.
Without God, John was like this man in our text: He was powerless over his sin...
So, I want to ask you today, what is it that is binding you? What holds you back in life? Is there a sickness in your life that you know about, you hide it away and use it as a crutch so you don’t have to do much.
The other day I read this story. Ashley Barker was a teacher at Laurel Elementary School in Polk County, Florida. She told the school she and her father were dying.
She claimed she had an illness that kept her from working an entire year. Turns out she was home the whole time for a year while everyone at school thought she was sick and dying.
Laurel Elementary did everything they could to accommodate Barker's needs due to her fake illness. She came and went as she pleased -- basically making her own schedule. Barker was never at doctor appointments or the hospital as she claimed. She wasn't anywhere special during her time off from teaching -- just home. Evidently she didn't want to work
As unbelievable as this teacher illness story is, Barker has hired a lawyer and is fighting her termination from the school. Now, that’s someone who didn’t want to get well!
You may feel like you’re powerless, and that some sin has an absolute choke-hold on you. Let me tell you about Jesus, who has the power to deliver you!
We’re dealing with kids who don’t listen, spouses who are unsupportive, or we’re going through a divorce, our jobs stink, friends don’t understand us, our bodies are becoming weaker, we’re without hope, we’re helpless, we’re powerless.
Do we want to be made well? Sure, but I can’t. You would like to be delivered, to be freed, to be able to breathe again. But, too many times . . . we’ve accepted our lot in life, it’s never going to be better. People don’t like me, my boss doesn’t appreciate me, my friends abandon me . . . life stinks. I’m better off dead. You see, we accept defeat all too easily. In a strange way, we’ve become comfortable in our sickness and sin.
But, I want to challenge you today to rise up out of that comfort zone, and not accept whatever situation you’re in any longer. Walk away from having that victim’s mentality. You see, we don’t have to wallow in self pity. When we have Jesus, we are the VICTORS!! In the end, we win. But we don’t have to wait for death to proclaim victory. We should be proclaiming it right now.
Too often our smiles are predicated on other people. Folks, that’s garbage. I don’t care what other people say about you and I. I care what Jesus thinks. This world is going to put us down, because we are at WAR!!!!!!!!! Satan seeks to destroy us, and we buy into his way of living and it destroys us, so STOP living his life and START living God’s way of living.
Firstly, we have to accept Jesus!! We’ve got to know Jesus. Yes, we need to believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, the One who died on the cross for you and I and redeems us from our sinfulness. That’s what communion is about. A remembrance of what Jesus did on the cross for us.
Now, I’m not just talking about a little bit of Jesus, I’m talking intimately knowing Jesus as our Lord (He’s the One who is over you) and He’s your Savior (only through Him will you find eternal life now and in the end).
It’s believing in the power which is available through Jesus. Too often we settle for less than better. When we do that we don’t receive what we could have.
Paul reminds us ~ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13
In Romans 8:31 ~ If God is for us, who can be against us?
In Ephesians 3:20 ~ God can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.
Romans 8 tells us ~ 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord
Believers in Christ aren’t powerless, hopeless and helpless victims . . .
we are VICTORS!
