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)
• Imagine being told as you lay in the hospital knowing that if you don’t find a cure that you will die today and being told, ‘well we found a cure but we can’t give it to you until tomorrow because today is the Sabbath’
• Galatians 5:19-29 “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.” “Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one” “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law” “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.” “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” “But after that faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
• Paul is telling the church at Galatia that though the law was good, we are no longer bound by the statutes that ruled those of the Old Testament. We are now bound by the Grace of Christ and His directives.
• Luke 13:15 “…Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?” 14:5 “…Which of you shall have a donkey or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day?
• Jesus’ teaching gives the Jews a new perspective on the Sabbath
• They felt as though this man had been wrongly healed on the Sabbath and Jesus taught that His Father had work to do; and He was about His Father’s business
• This is a story of the ultimate purpose of Jesus Christ:
o To seek and to save that which is lost
o To replace the law with grace
