"IT IS NOT WHAT WE THINK"
TEXT: JOHN 5:1-15
INTRODUCTION
Today as we continue our study of John’s Gospel we will look at another "Jesus Encounter", this encounter comes from chapter 5 and is entitled IT IS NOT WHAT WE THINK.
[READ - 5:1-15]
Several years ago while I was in Bible College my Washing Machine stopped working. And looking for a reason to leave my books, I was ready for the challenge and I grabbed by multimeter and began tearing into it.
After a period of time I determined that the timer was not operating correctly. I was confident that I had found the reason why my washer did not run. Since the timer on my washer was an enclosed unit, I called around to find the cheapest price I could for a new timer. I found a place and before too long I had the new timer in. Once I had the new timer in the washer, I plugged that puppy in, waiting to here that washer purr like a kitten, But guess what? It still didn’t work. It wasn’t what I thought. Well, besides being heart broken, I was confused and thought that maybe I had a dual problem.
So I began to look around at the wiring again, making a visual inspection and as I did I found a lead that had burnt completely off the float switch. Once I fixed this my washer ran perfectly.
It wasn’t what I thought. I was sure I knew why my machine wouldn’t run but I was wrong, I had missed the obvious.
The invalid at the pool thought he knew what the main problem in his life was, but as we will see as we study our text, he was wrong.
Many people today think they know why their life doesn’t work, they are confident that they have pinpointed the exact problem. And if that problem could be fixed their life would run great, purr like a kitten. IF ONLY::
I had a BETTER: job, house, car,, health, marriage education...If I could just TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM MY LIFE WOULD RUN GREAT.
BUT they like the invalid have missed the obvious and they have overlooked the more severe.
As we study this encounter with Jesus we will see that for many of us, IT IS NOT WHAT WE THOUGHT.
I. THE INVALID WAS CRIPPLED BY HIS PROBLEM
A. THE INVALID
For 38 years this mans hope has slowly withered away until there was but a faint glimmer. For 38 years he had been an invalid, for 38 years he had been paralyzed, unable to stand, UNABLE TO WALK, UNABLE TO RUN, UNABLE TO REALLY LIVE AND TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF....
And as he sat under one of the colonnades that day he looked down at THOSE legs and in his mind’s eye he could still see back to the time when they still work, when they used to move him around and get him to where he wanted to go. And then his thoughts returned to the present.
It was spring, the time of year of the great Passover feast, when the Jews flooded the city celebrating their deliverance from the bitter bondage of Egyptian slavery. Perhaps, the Invalid thought to himself that day, "If only God would deliver me from this bondage, if only God would set me free from my slavery, from these useless legs.
But Even though his hope was nearly gone, even though he had no one to help him he still made his way to the pool of Bethesda. This pool is usually identified with the siphon spring and pool just southeast of the temple area, the pool periodically bubbles over from the spring stirring the waters. The people apparently felt that there was some therapeutic value in the bubbling water, much like whirlpool baths and mineral springs today.
(THE PARTS OF VERSES 3 AND 4 ABOUT AN ANGEL STIRRING THE WATERS THAT IS IN THE KJV IS LISTED IN THE MARGIN OF LATER VERSIONS BECAUSE OF THE RECENT MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT IT WAS ADDED BY A SCRIBE)
This man had a problem he was crippled, literally. And if you were to ask him how his life was he would probably say "not to good, look at my legs I can’t walk I can’t do anything", and then if you were to ask him what would it take to get his life going again he would probably say, "if I could only walk again, my life would be perfect."
The Invalid was crippled by his problem and not just physically. To be cured, to walked again, dominated his every thought. The text records him saying, "while I am trying to get to the pool someone else beats me to it". The verb "trying", is in the present tense and indicates continuous action. The day he met Jesus was not the first time that he had been there. He had been there before perhaps everyday for 38 years. And since he had no friends to help him get into the pool, than more than likely he had no friends to help him get to the pool area. So how did he get there?, possibly by dragging himself, pulling with his arms by digging his calloused and bleeding knuckles up and down the streets of Jerusalem. This man was driven by his desire to get rid of his problem, It’s what drove him to the pool.
PEOPLE TODAY HAVE PROBLEMS TOO AND MANY ARE CRIPPLED BY Their PROBLEMS
I don’t need to tell anyone here that there are problems in this world. AND usually We don’t have to go around and look for them, problems usually have a way of finding us.
The story is told of a bricklayer who was hurt on the job and sent the following letter to his boss requesting sick leave.
"I ARRIVED AT THE JOB AFTER THE STORM, CHECKED THE BUILDING OUT AND SAW THAT THE TOP NEEDED REPAIRS. I RIGGED A HOIST AND A BOOM, ATTACHED THE ROPE TO A BARREL AND PULLED BRICKS TO THE TOP. WHEN I PULLED THE BARREL TO THE TOP, I SECURED THE ROPE AT THE BOTTOM. AFTER REPAIRING THE BUILDING, I WENT BACK TO FILL THE BARREL WITH THE LEFTOVER BRICKS. I WENT DOWN AND RELEASED THE ROPE TO LOWER THE BRICKS, AND THE BARREL WAS HEAVER THAN I WAS AND IT JERKED ME OFF THE GROUND. I DECIDED TO HANG ON. HALFWAY UP, I MET THE BARREL COMING DOWN AND RECEIVED A BLOW TO THE SHOULDER. I HUNG ON AND WENT TO THE TOP, WHERE I HIT MY HEAD ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BOOM AND CAUGHT MY FINGERS IN THE PULLEY. IN THE MEANTIME THE BARREL HIT THE GROUND AND BURST OPEN, THROWING BRICKS ALL OVER. THIS MADE THE BARREL LIGHTER THAN ME, AND I STARTED DOWN AT HIGH SPEED. HALFWAY DOWN I MET THE BARREL COMING UP AND RECEIVED A BLOW TO MY SHINS. I CONTINUED DOWN AND FELL ON THE BRICKS, RECEIVING MANY CUTS AND BRUISES. AT THIS TIME I MUST HAVE LOST MY PRESENCE OF MIND, BECAUSE I LET GO OF THE ROPE AND THE BARREL CAME DOWN AND HIT ME ON THE HEAD. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST SICK LEAVE.
Boy, This guy didn’t have to go looking for a problem, problems come at him from every direction. Have you ever felt like that.
As I said we all have problems, problems are a part of life. And God many times, uses our problems to strengthen and mature our faith.
The question is not, "am I going to have problems", but rather "how am I going to handle my problems that come my way". Some take on their problems with a bull dog tenacity, tackling them, defeating them, refusing to give in or give up.
Others let their problems cripple them....
they let their problems steal their joy and hinder their growth..
They allow There problems to turn them into unhappy and miserable people...
They focus entirely too much on their problem.....
And in so doing, They forget or block out all the good, all the joy, leaving room for only the misery and the problem...
They are constantly throwing themselves a pity party, inviting all who will come and hear of their woes...
And they let; health problems, relationship problems, marriage problems, economic problems, occupational problems, they let
these and other problems cripple them...
As their hope fades and their joy slips away..
They are no longer really living, but rather they are consumed by their problems...
SOME LIKE THE INVALID ARE CRIPPLED BY THEIR PROBLEMS, AND THEY JUST LAY AROUND WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN...
IF ONLY I COULD TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM or that problem, then MY LIFE WOULD BE BETTER...
II. WE ALSO SEE IN THIS TEXT THAT THE INVALID WAS CURED BY A STRANGER [6-13]
THE INVALID
When I was in Bible College many of the professors made a point of telling us, "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION." One professor who said it, I don’t think really meant it, because he was quit proficient at making you feel like an idiot whenever you asked a question.
On the surface, Jesus question may have seemed a little silly to the man. "DO I WANT TO GET WELL YOU ASK, NO I JUST DRUG MYSELF THROUGH THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM, BECAUSE I FELT LIKE HANGING OUT DOWN HERE."
And if you or I would have asked him that question that is how he may have responded. BUT it wasn’t us who asked, it was Jesus. And even though the invalid did not know who Jesus was, there was something about Jesus, that kept the man from responding with sarcasm.
Perhaps it was the compassion in His eyes or the tenderness in His voice, can you just imagine what it would have been like to have Jesus walk up and talk with you, to look in His eyes to hear his voice...
The man responded to Jesus, and I sense a tone of sadness and desperation in his words, "I HAVE NO ONE TO HELP ME INTO THE POOL, WHEN THE WATER IS STIRRED. WHILE I AM TRYING TO GET IN, SOMEONE ELSE GOES DOWN AHEAD OF ME."
Then What simply said 3 things to the man:
GET UP!!!
PICK UP YOU MAT!!
AND WALK!!
And that is exactly what the man did, he got up, picked up his mat and walked. John uses a word here that means immediately, to underscore the fact that the man, was cured right at that very moment.
LET’S NOTE SOME THINGS ABOUT THIS HEALING:
1. THE MAN WAS INSTANTLY HEALED, LEGS THAT HAD NOT WALKED AND MUSCLES THAT HAD SHRUNK AND WEAKENED OVER 38 YEARS WERE INSTANTLY RESTORED..
2. THE MAN DID NOT KNOW JESUS, THEREFORE HIS FAITH WAS NOT A FACTOR IN THE HEALING.
(THIS IS IN DIRECT CONTRAST TO MUCH OF THE "SO CALLED" FAITH HEALING TODAY.
****** There are 2 very important reasons for this miracle or healing, THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT and understand.
One reason was to rebuke the tradition of the Pharisees. It was no accident that Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath. He did this knowing how the Pharisees would respond.
And when the Pharisees saw the man they said, "IT IS THE SABBATH; THE LAW FORBIDS YOU TO CARRY YOUR MAT."
Did the law really forbid the carrying of a mat on the Sabbath? The Law didn’t, but the Pharisees and the Scribes did. By this time the scribes had made a list of over 39 things that you could not do on the Sabbath, one of which was to carry your mat. They had gotten pretty ridiculous about their traditions, they even limited the distance that you could travel from your home on the Sabbath (a distance which could be extended with articles of stuff from home).
Jesus in Lk 11:46 says this about the thinking of the Pharisees, AND YOU EXPERTS IN THE LAW, WOE TO YOU, BECAUSE YOU LOAD PEOPLE DOWN WITH BURDENS THEY CAN HARDLY CARRY, AND YOU YOURSELVES WILL NOT LIFT ONE FINGER TO HELP THEM."
And Jesus also said to this group in Mk. 7:8, "YOU HAVE LET GO OF THE COMMANDS OF GOD AND ARE HOLDING TO THE TRADITIONS OF MEN."
ONE REASON THAT JESUS HEALED THIS MAN WAS TO CHALLENGE , REBUKE AND CORRECT THE ATTITUDE OF THE JEWISH LEADERS WHEREBY THEY CARED MORE ABOUT THEIR TRADITIONS THEN GODS WORD, MORE ABOUT THEIR WAY THEN GOD’S WAY. AND IN THEIR STUBBORNNESS OF HEART THEY HAD FORGOTTEN WHAT GOD’S LAW WAS ALL ABOUT. THEY HAD NEGLECTED THE WEIGHTIER MATTERS.
INSTEAD OF REJOICING WITH THE INVALID AT HIS REMARKABLE DELIVERANCE FROM THIS PARALYSIS, THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS CONDEMNED HIM FOR CARRYING HIS MAT, HOW TRAGIC AND HOW SAD, THEY MISSED THE PARTY, AND DIDN’T EVEN KNOW OR CARE.
The 2nd reason Jesus performed this healing, was to teach another timeless and powerful lesson, an even greater truth than the first. Did you notice that John said that "A GREAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE GATHERED AT THE POOL." If that is so, Why did Jesus heal just this one man?...The answer lies in our 3rd point of discussion today, As we will see that, though Jesus did heal people physically, He did not heal every sick person that he met, because this was not the PRIMARY REASON HE CAME...HE HAD A MUCH GREATER AND LASTING MISSION THEN THAT!!
THE INVALID WAS CRIPPLED BY HIS PROBLEM
THE INVALID WAS CURED BY A STRANGER
III. THE INVALID WAS CONFRONTED BY THE SAVIOR
[15,15]
THE INVALID
The text says, "later Jesus found him at the temple".
The word for find is in the present tense and indicates that Jesus was looking and searching for the man. Jesus was NOT just cruising through the temple and happened to see this man. No Jesus was looking for Him, Jesus had a much higher purpose for this man than the MERE healing of his legs -- and that purpose was the healing of his soul...
When Jesus found the man what did He say, look at the text. He said, "SEE, YOU ARE WELL AGAIN. STOP SINNING OR SOMETHING WORSE WILL HAPPEN TO YOU."
FAR too many people get themselves hung up on this verse, trying to figure out if this man’s illness was due to some previous sin, that he was now continuing in...
And in getting caught up in this theological debate, that no one will ever know the answer to, they miss the beauty, power and the true impact of this verse.
What Jesus is teaching The Invalid is this, "LISTEN, I KNOW THAT YOU FELT YOUR PHYSICAL PROBLEM WAS IMPORTANT, AND LOOK YOU ARE WELL, AND YOUR FEELING PRETTY GOOD ABOUT IT. BUT LET ME TELL YOU THERE IS SOMETHING MORE ESSENTIAL THAN HAVING YOUR LEGS HEALED AND RESTORED, THERE IS SOMETHING MORE VALUABLE AND PRECIOUS THAN THE PHYSICAL, AND THAT IS THE SPIRITUAL... YOU NEED YOUR SOUL RESTORED.. YOU NEED YOUR SIN PROBLEM TAKEN AWAY, AND THAT’S WHY I CAME!! YOU ASK WHAT COULD BE WORSE THAN DRAGGING AROUND DEAD LEGS FOR ALL OF YOUR EARTHLY LIFE?? WELL, THE ANSWER IS SPENDING ETERNITY IN HELL DRAGGING AROUND YOUR SIN. I CAME FOR A MUCH HIGHER PURPOSE THAN THE PHYSICAL"
The invalid was confronted by Jesus that there was a much greater need then his paralysis, the need for a relationship with Jesus, the need to deal with his sin.
YOU MAY BE WONDERING , OKAY NICE STORY BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL HAVE TO DO WITH US?
The answer is, "IT IS NOT WHAT WE THINK!!! "IT’S NOT WHAT WE THINK!!!!"
THE PROBLEM IS NOT PHYSICAL, IT’S NOT WHAT WE THINK!
IF YOUR LIFE IS NOT RUNNING LIKE YOU THINK IT SHOULD, THE PROBLEM:
IS NOT YOUR JOB
IT IS NOT THAT YOUR BUSINESS IS DOING BAD
IT IS NOT THE health PROBLEMS YOU ARE SUFFERING
IT IS NOT YOUR MARRIAGE
IT IS NOT THAT YOU DON’T HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE
IT IS NOT YOUR KIDS
OR THE COLOR OF YOUR CAR OR THE SIZE OF YOUR HOUSE.
IT’S NOT WHAT WE THINK!!!!
YOU COULD GET THAT BETTER JOB, BUT LOSE YOUR FAMILY
YOUR BUSINESS COULD REALLY TAKEOFF BUT YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HEALTH... YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF ANY PROBLEM THAT YOU HAVE, THAT YOU FEEL IS CRIPPLING YOU, BUT YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THERE IS NO END TO THE PHYSICAL PROBLEMS THAT CAN COME OUR WAY, THE MINUTE WE FIX ONE ANOTHER COMES SCREAMING IN. JUST WHEN WE THINK THE WORSE HAS HAPPEN, LIKE OUR BRICKLAYER, WE LET GO OF THE ROPE AND A BARREL HITS OUR HEAD.
OUR GREATEST NEED IS OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP TO JESUS CHRIST -- IF WE ACCEPT HIM/ AND LIVE FOR HIM, ON HIS TERMS HE WILL TAKE CARE OF OUR SPIRITUAL PROBLEM ONCE AND FOR ALL (AS LONG AS WE STAY FAITHFUL).
AND HE WILL HELP US DEAL WITH THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE AN INEVITABLE PART OF THIS EARTHY LIFE.
IT’S NOT WHAT WE THINK! IF OUR LIFE IS NOT RUNNING AS IT SHOULD, AND WHAT WE THINK IS THE PROBLEM IS SOMETHING PHYSICAL OF THIS EARTH, IT IS NOT WHAT WE THINK!
IF YOU THINK OUR BRICK LAYER FRIEND HAD PROBLEMS LISTEN TO THIS GUYS PROBLEMS... (II CORINTHIANS 11:23-29)
YET PAUL WAS CONTENT AS HE WENT THROUGH ALL THESE PROBLEMS AS HE TELLS US IN PHILIPPIANS... AND IN PHILIPPIANS HE ALSO TELLS US HIS SECRET FOR CONTENTMENT.... PAUL SAYS
"I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO BE IN NEED, AND I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO HAVE PLENTY. I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET OF BEING CONTENT IN EVERY AND ANY SITUATION, WHETHER WELL FED OR HUNGRY, WHETHER LIVING IN PLENTY OR IN WANT. I CAN ENDURE EVERYTHING THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH."
IF OUR LIFE IS NOT RUNNING AS IT SHOULD, IF LIKE MY WASHER IT IS STUCK ON THE RINSE CYCLE... AS YOUR PROBLEMS ARE DRENCHING YOUR JOY. AND IF YOU ARE THINKING IF ONLY I COULD FIX THIS...... IT WOULD BE GREAT.
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK. WHEN OUR PROBLEMS GET THE BEST OF US,
WE NEED TO GET OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS RIGHT! WE NEED TO TURN OUR EYES TO JESUS... LIKE STANZA 1 OF HYMN 344 SAYS,
"O SOUL ARE YOU WEARY AND TROUBLED? NO LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS YOU SEE? (ARE YOUR PROBLEMS GETTING THE BEST OF YOU) THERE’S A LIGHT FOR A LOOK AT THE SAVIOR, AND LIFE MORE ABUNDANT AND FREE!!
TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS, LOOK FULL IN HIS WONDERFUL FACE; AND THE THINGS OF EARTH (YOUR PROBLEMS THAT ARE WEIGHING DOWN YOUR HEART ND SOUL) THEY WILL GROW STRANGELY DIM IN THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY AND GRACE.
