The No Nonsense Jesus
Part One: You Have to Want It
John 5:1-17
Trey Harris
The movie Seabiscuit captured a portion of the American Dream. It portrayed the unlikely partnership of a washed up race horse, a has been trainer a troubled jockey named Red Pollard and wealthy businessman Charles Howard, himself with ghosts in his past. The movie champions the second chance and proclaims that anyone or even anything has value and is therefore worth our trouble.
In one scene, Tom Smith, an old farrier and horse trainer, stops the shooting of a lame race horse. He tells the owner he will take it. When the owner says the horse is no longer worth anything, Smith says that at least it will save him the bullet. Later that evening, he is visited by Charles Howard, a wealthy American businessman.
Scene:
Howard climbs through the surrounding brush to get to Smith, who is having his dinner in front of an open campfire. Howard looks over at the damaged horse, whose leg is now wrapped up with a poultice. Smith says that it is Hawthorne root, designed to increase the blood circulation. Howard asks if the horse will get better, and Smith replies that it already has. Howard wants to know if the horse will ever race again. Smith says, "No, not that one." Howard asks, "Then why are you fixing him?" And Smith tells him, "Because I can. Every horse is good for something. He could be a cart horse or a lead pony, and he’s still nice to look at. Y’know, you don’t throw a whole life away just ’cause you’re banged up a little."
Application:
People can be quick to throw things, and people, away when they no longer meet their expectations. When they can no longer see profit in others, they also lose the ability to see potential.
Jesus is different. Jesus spent much of His time among the rejected of the world because He loved them, and knew that He could transform them. He took the wretched of the world and healed them. He took the orphans and made them His sons and daughters. He took the powerless, and made them a priestly kingdom -- all because He could. He knew that everyone, no matter how banged up by life, is good for something. (preachingtoday.com)
We’re starting a new series today called “The No Nonsense Jesus”. While ministering with his disciples, Jesus offered life to humanity before laying down his own; his followers today are called to do the same. Friends, following Jesus is a no nonsense business.
Our first message deals with a man whose life, to the casual observer had no worth. The man had been ill for thirty-eight years. He thought his life was over, he thought his life had no worth and I’m sure his family and friends had come to believe the same. After all, he had no to carry him to the pool as the waters were disturbed. Thirty-eight years of no healing had caused everyone to desert him. He was alone, he was discouraged, he was depressed, and then along came Jesus. Jesus offers life and healing to all people, even those who have forgotten (or don’t even believe) that they need it. We can all learn valuable lessons from the Man at the pool of Bethesda.
YOU HAVE TO WANT TO BE HEALED (V 6)
Have you ever noticed that Jesus never forced anyone to follow him? He offered, he invited, he encourage, but it was always up to the person to make up his or her own mind. Friends, if you want to have all the life Jesus offers, if you want to experience the full life Jesus promises, if you want to be healed of your fears and your pains and forgive your sins, you have to want to be healed.
You’d think that anyone who was offered healing would accept it. You’d think everyone would want to be healed. Right?
This past Friday night I went to a meeting at Munholland UMC where Bishop Hutchinson and the cabinet of the Louisiana Annual Conference were introducing to the membership of the New Orleans churches the plan for rebuilding Methodism in New Orleans. The same plan was revealed to the clergy of the conference last week. It was the plan I reviewed with those of you in attendance for Wednesday night services. It is, in my opinion a bold, brash, innovative plan that has tremendous possibilities for reversing declining memberships and strengthening struggling UMCs in New Orleans.
The plan calls for the creation of a Mission Zone within the four parish area of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines. Within that four parish area there will be set up seven teams to which will be appointed a lead pastor and from two to three associate pastors. Those pastors will be the team who supply pastoral care and leadership to anywhere from four to seven churches depending on geography and membership of the churches on the team. There will also be several “Station” churches that are strong enough and vibrant enough to support there own pastors. Gretna UMC falls into this category. Our job will be to help the various teams with expertise in outreach and evangelism and worship, basically to be a resource church for the various teams in the Mission Zone. There will also be a Mission Zone Director (yet to be determined) who will work with the D.S. in directing the ministry of the churches of the Mission Zone.
It is a bold, brash, innovative plan that I feel is led by the Holy Spirit and ripe with possibilities for the rebirth of Methodism in New Orleans.
The clergy received the news with predominantly positive feedback, even though many of the clergy would obviously be facing a change in appointment.
The laity of the District, however, were split in their opinion of the new plan. I was amazed at how many people refused to see the advantages of coming together as a collective force to combine talent, resources, memberships and agendas in order to bring new souls into the Kingdom of God.
I think the Bishop and the Cabinet are offering New Orleans Methodism a chance to be healed and I’m not sure that New Orleans Methodists want to be healed.
When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
Jesus understood human nature. He understands our nature. He knows we’d more often than not stay sick, or stay addicted, or stay ignorant, or stay bigoted, or stay small and closed minded than want to be healed.
Don’t believe me? Then ask yourself, why aren’t you whole? Why aren’t you healed?
Then Jesus asked the man, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18:41)
YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE TO BE HEALED (V 8)
The San Jose Mercury News once included the following item in their "News of the Weird" column:
James Kelley of Washington, D.C., is one of a small group at his local church who are enthusiastic Episcopalians, but who do not believe in God. Said Kelley, "We all love the incense, the stained-glass windows, the organ music, the vestments and all of that. It’s drama. It’s aesthetics. It’s the ritual. That’s neat stuff. I don’t want to give all that up just because I don’t believe in God." (http://www.ozsermonillustrations.com/)
You laugh, but how many of you here today don’t believe God does miracles anymore? How many of you think the gifts of the Holy Spirit include only those things we’ve seen in Methodist Churches? How many of you would be uncomfortable if people showed up next Sunday to have demons cast out or leprosy healed or drug addiction cured or the aids virus eradicated?
We say we believe, but don’t you wonder why we don’t see the kinds of miracles today that Jesus and the early church considered a normal facet of their ministry?
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!”
There has to be some level of belief on our part if we are to be healed. I’ve seen dozens of people enter rehab only to come out and get right back into the same addictions they’ve been in before. I seen dozens of people on second and third and fourth marriages who believe the right person will heal them only to wind up back in divorce court in a matter of time. (the RIGHT person will heal them) I’ve seen many churches think that if they’ll only get the right pastor with the right family who can preach or visit or counsel or you fill in the blank only to have their hopes dashed because they, like our Episcopalian friends believe in the wrong things and the wrong people.
The man eventually had to believe he could stand.
You have to believe in Jesus the way Jesus presents himself to us. You can’t make up a user friendly form of Christ that doesn’t offend and wouldn’t make your friends and neighbors uncomfortable. You have to believe in the no nonsense Jesus the Bible presents to us or…we remain sick in so many ways.
And Jesus said, “All right, you can see! Your faith has healed you.” (Luke 18:42)
And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)
YOU HAVE TO CHANGE TO BE HEALED (V 14)
But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”
I had to read this passage several times before I understood exactly what the man’s sin was. Let’s see, I know Jesus had no problem with the man carrying his mat on the Sabbath, after all Jesus had actually healed him on the Sabbath.
I doubt Jesus had a problem with the man going to temple, Jesus was all for going to God’s house.
So what was the sin? Look at the passage again. The man goes to temple is confronted by the religious skeptics. Instead of telling of the wonderful deed done for him by Christ, the man shifts blame to Jesus.
It’s not my fault, the guy who healed me said “take up your mat and walk” so I walked.
“It’s not my fault I can’t be healed, no one will take me to the water.”
“It’s not my fault I have a bad temper, my parents were mean to me.”
“It’s not my fault I can’t commit to any relationship, I’m just not cut out for marriage.”
“It’s not my fault I’m addicted or bigoted, or racist or judgmental or a gossip or mean-spirited or unfaithful or miserly or greedy or self-centered or blind to the needs of others….”
If you want to be healed, you have to change. And only God can change you. And God will change you from the inside out through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul said:
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (Romans 12:2)
About this transformation Paul wrote to the Corinthian church:
What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
CONCLUSION
People can be quick to throw things, and people, away when they no longer meet their expectations. Friends, Jobs, Families, Churches, pastors. When they can no longer see profit in others, they also lose the ability to see potential.
Jesus is different.
