Series: The Grave Robber
The Rule Breaker Text: John 5:1-10 So far, throughout this series, we’ve looked at Jesus as the Wine Maker, the Choreographer, and today we will see Jesus as the Rule Breaker. Now before you start to scratch your head, wondering why in the world I would be preaching on breaking the rules I want you to know that in order to experience the miraculous, sometimes that’s exactly what you have to do.
Read Text
Jesus could’ve healed this man any day of the week, but He chose to perform this miracle on the Sabbath. He knew it would rile up the religious establishment, and I believe that’s why He did it. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus was intentional in His efforts of offending the Pharisees and quite frankly, I think He enjoyed it. And If you follow Jesus, you’re going to offend some modern-day Pharisees as well. In fact, there will be times when you’ll need to go out of your way to do so. Now don’t confuse what I’m saying as a license to go around breaking the law, but following Christ gives us permission to break man-made rules that don’t honor God.
For years critics said that this pool never existed. They claimed that this was just a story used by John as a metaphor until 1888, when archeologists discovered the remains of a pool fitting the description of the ancient pool of Bethesda.
So, we know the pool existed.
(pause) But how did it get the reputation of being a place of healing?
Now some of y’all may not agree with me on this…and that’s ok, I won’t hold it against you:
One of the translations I that I trust for it’s accuracy to the original language and one that I prefer to use during my personal study time is the ESV. If you try to look up verse 4 in the ESV you won’t find it. It skips from verse 3 to 5. The reason, according to the footnote provided in their study bible commentary, is that verse 4 isn’t found in the earliest known manuscripts. Because of this, I think that it’s reasonable for me to operate off the supposition that this reputation of the pool having healing powers is more of a folk tradition rather than actual fact.
Traditionally, the pool of Bethesda was known as a place where people would sit around and wait to see ripples in the water. Thanks to the discovery in 1888, we now know that these ripples were caused by the irregular springs that fed these waters. But they believed that they were caused by angels from heaven that had come down and brought healing upon the pool. According to the tradition, it was then believed that the first person to jump into the pool right after that would be the only one healed. In any case, as the story goes this man had been sitting around this pool for 38 years waiting to get in, but because he was paralyzed he couldn’t walk and there was always someone who would get into the pool before him.
The tragedy of their belief about this pool and it’s power to heal is that it’s false. Notice that Jesus didn’t come to the man and ask if he wanted Him to help him into the pool so that he could be healed. The real truth is that anything less than 100 percent reliance upon the miraculous power of God and God alone is deception. Another example of this can be seen in Mt. 9 when the woman believed that all she had to do in order to be healed was touch the garment of Jesus. It wasn’t the garment that healed her, it was her faith.
The opposite of belief isn’t just unbelief. It’s false belief.
This man’s greatest handicap wasn’t just physical, it was mental— based on a false belief. And we make the same mistake every time we continue to try to fix our lives with things that simply don’t work. If you want God to do a new thing in your life, you can’t keep doing the same old thing in your life. If you want to experience the miraculous, you need to unlearn every assumption you’ve ever made except for one…God is able.
There are three lessons that I want for us to look at in this conversation between Jesus and this paralytic.
You must decide to want change. (v. 6)
Notice, I said want…not won’t.
This is the problem that many people face today, they don’t want to change. I know because I was one of them. I had people in my life that wanted me to change but I didn’t want to, so guess what…I didn’t change. That is until I decided that I wanted change.
Jesus approaches this man who’s obviously crippled. He sees all this gear that was common to cripples who begged for a living in those days--a mat to lay on, a collection plate for those who might feel sorry for him, maybe a set of crutches if he was able to use them.
Jesus was talking with him and He learned that this man had been this way for 38 years. Add the fact that he was hanging out at a pool that was known for healing and we can begin to get the idea of how crazy it must have sounded for Jesus to ask, "Do you want to be made well?”
I mean, what kind of a question is that? Does a crippled man want to be made well? That’s kind of like me asking Logan: "Do you want a spanking?" "Well gee Dad, I don’t know. Let me think about it.” The answer to the question seems obvious, right?
But maybe, just maybe, this question isn’t as shallow as it seems. Let’s just think about that for a minute. Here’s a man who’d been crippled for 38 years. That entire time he had relied on the kindness of others in order to get by. If he were to “be made well” he would now have to earn his own way for the first time in 38 years--maybe the first time ever. No longer would he have an excuse to fall back on, the responsibility would be his.
So then the question "Do you want to be made well" doesn’t seem like such a crazy question after all. Maybe it was a question that exposed this man’s true heart and motives.
What about us? As Jesus looks at our problems, our circumstances, our sin…what does He say to us? Could He be asking us the very same question that He asked this man at the pool, "Do you want to be made well?"
Do you want Jesus to heal the areas of your life where you’ve been damaged, or is it easier to hold on to the hurt? Is it easier to become bitter and wallow in our hurts and betrayals?
Too many times we hold on to the things that paralyze us spiritually. Jesus can heal those things, but when He does…the excuses will be gone; the choices you make will be yours. No longer will you be able to cry “It’s not my fault”.
So the question isn’t that crazy at all and it still applies to each of us today, "Do you want to be made well?"
If you’ve been hurt in the past…
If you’re weighed down by secret sin…
If you’re battling addiction…
If you haven’t asked Jesus to save you yet…
To anyone who needs His healing touch in any part of your life, Jesus asks "Do you want to be made well?"
To receive the healing He has for you, you must decide to want change. You need to say, "Yes, Lord, I’m ready to put the past behind me." The man’s response to Jesus’ question brings us to the second part of this conversation...
2. You must decide to quit making excuses. (v. 7)
The man responds to Jesus’ question by giving an excuse for why he hadn’t been healed yet: "I’m all alone, there’s no one to help me”.
Don’t get me wrong, you can’t help but to feel sorry for the man…he’s all alone in the world, his family has either died or left him, he’s crippled. It really is a tragic situation. But he still didn’t answer the question, instead he offers an excuse. If you say that you have no one to help you, what you’re really saying is that you can’t help yourself and that God won’t help you either. I have a hard time believing that.
You say: Well Bro. Chris, it’s a lot more complicated than that. No it’s not! Surrender your life to Jesus! Believe in Jesus! Trust in Jesus! Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7).
If you want help bad enough then you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse.
When Jesus asks, "Do you want to be made well?”, what’s your response?
“Well you don’t know how bad they hurt me.”
“I just can’t control myself.”
“I have an addiction. It’s a disease and it’s not my fault.”
“I’m not nearly as bad as other people I know."
If you want to receive the healing that only Jesus offers, you have to quit making excuses. Which brings us to the third lesson from this conversation with Jesus…
3. You must decide to take action. (v. 8)
Rather than a bed like you and I probably sleep in every night, this was actually more or less a mat similar to what you may have slept on in kindergarten during nap time.
Sadly, there are some people who resist change, even if it’s for their own good. They’d rather live on welfare than get a job. They’d rather have other people help them than help themselves.
It’s easy to become accustomed to our mat, isn’t it?. This man’s whole world consisted of eight square feet. He went through the same routine day after day. And while that might seem monotonous to us, it was also safe. In fact, his mat may have been his security blanket. But if you want to be made well, you can’t keep sitting on your security blanket. You can’t keep doing the same thing, going to the same places, or hanging with the same people. I’ve got news for you: you’re not in kindergarten anymore; you don’t need that security blanket. You’ve got to get rid of your mat— roll it up and throw it away.
Do you want to be made well? This question gets to some deep-rooted issues. For this man, being made well may have meant getting a job. He might actually have to use his newly-healed legs. It would mean a whole new level of responsibility to society.
Jesus brings healing today the same way He did back then. He didn’t come to this man with sympathy, He didn’t accept his excuses. He came with a message of life. He says to us just like he said to that crippled man by the pool, “Rise, take up your bed and walk."
Now I want you to understand, this is not a self help gospel I’m preaching. The healing is 100% through the power of Christ; by His grace. But there is an indication of responsibility on our part. Think about it. Who healed the man at the pool? Jesus. Who had to walk? The man. Who saves us from our sins? Jesus. Who must repent and believe? We must. Who sanctifies us and gives us the power to live above sin? Jesus. Who has to decide each day to follow Him and do what is right? We must.
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Rom. 8:37).
For us to act as though we are defeated is to deny the truth of God’s word and call Him a liar.
Jesus died on the cross for our sins. His blood washes us clean. When He rose from the dead, He demonstrated victory over Satan’s oppression. Now we are able to be partakers of that victory if we will just reach out to Him in faith. He still calls to us to “Rise, take up your bed and walk."
It would’ve been easy for the man at the pool to dismiss Jesus as a lunatic. It takes strength and courage to obey God and leave behind the hurt, to rise above our sins and accept His salvation.
The invitation this morning is simple, “Do you want to be made well”? If the Lord is dealing with you is some way this morning I’m going to ask you to come forward and pray here at the alter. I’ll be glad pray with you if you’d like. Maybe you want to come and give your life to the Lord for the first time. Some of you may have been struggling in a particular areas of your life and need to repent and get right with the Lord. Do you want to be made well?
