A Healing in Bethesda
For the Lord’s Day:  the 14^th of November 2004 

Nehemiah 13: 15-22

John 5: 1-9

Introduction:  Before we consider the New Covenant emphasis of the Gospel of John, we need to back up and look at the Old Covenant considerations regarding the Sabbath Day.  In our passage from Nehemiah we read that as a leader in Jerusalem he has taken the trouble to restore a minimal biblical practice of the Sabbath after many years neglect.  However, after many decades, the Jewish leaders were to develop the regulations and practice to a very fine art.  By the time of Christ – the observance of the Sabbath had become a burden instead of a joyful day of rest.  The rules were so strict that no one could travel more than three miles and no one could carry a load of any sort.  The original intent had been to allow the people of God a holy day of rest.

Primarily it was business activity and the working of slaves and servants that was prohibited so that believers and the whole society might find a regular opportunity to worship the Lord God Almighty.  In Jesus’ time, the outward form of ritual had become more important than the original intentions of the commandment.  In this regard, I am reminded of several Catholics who I met in the Army and Seminary.  Whenever they entered a sanctuary, they were required to take holy water, kneel and make the sign of the cross.  Generally this was hurriedly done as a habit with no thought to what was taking place.  Yet, there was one Priest who always paused and shoed his respect quietly and reverently.  He at least had not changed a requirement of his faith into a mere habitual action.

So it is with the human celebration of the Lord’s Day.  Too often a traditional or cultural ritual in this regard has nothing to do with any sincerity of faith.  In the past many Presbyterian bodies were almost equal to the Pharisees in their strict observance of the Sabbath.  My Dad could remember when Presbyterian women were first given permission to cook meals on Sunday.  Then there was an elder in my county who stayed up until midnight to turn his electricity off for twenty-four hours exactly.

This does not mean that every sincere observance of the day is suspect.  The year that the movie Chariots of Fire was showing – I had taken the boys to see it.  A few weeks later – due to weather conditions, the local sports league agreed that it was absolutely necessary to play the final tournament on Sunday morning.  This was abnormal for the late seventies in rural Ohio.  Only one of boy’s teams was still in contention and after we had a talk, I made it clear that the decision had to be his.  Evidentially, the movie had made an impression and he chose not to participate.  One of the extremely pious women in the community almost cussed me out because the team had lost the championship because three of the players didn’t play.  The other two boys actually had been given no choice – since their parents were stricter than I was.

Now, I am not trying to say like the character Linus in his pumpkin patch that sincerity is an absolute factor in faith and life.  After all, the liberals in this country have trumpeted sincerity of impulse above fact, deed and faith.  When I was in Seminary – I actually heard a liberal counselor announce that affection for the suffering allowed every moral scruple to be discarded.  While the liberality of such theology goes far to undermine the absolute nature of biblical morality – too strict of an understanding can result in a love without any passion, or an affection without a spiritual foundation.

Development:  With this preparation, we can now turn our attention to the verses before us today.  We begin with the first four introductory verses.  Calvin argues in this section for the feast day of Pentecost because the Gospel context of events and places. There was also a tradition that the Messiah would suddenly come to the Temple and reveal Himself at this festival.  We are told in scripture that this pool was near the Sheep gate and market.  The name for the pool may come from the Hebrew word that means “flowing or pouring out.”  Tasker argues that “house of mercy” would be a better rendition of the Aramaic word.  The first meaning could possibly be the result of water being conducted by artificial means to the area.  The second could be related to the “stirring up” of the water whenever the healing balm of God’s mercy encouraged the lame and the diseased to rush into the pool in hopes of being healed.

We understand from the text that porches had been built to provide cover for the attendant crowd that awaited the divine “stirring” of the waters.  This is similar to the various pilgrims who go to Lourdes in Europe to find healing in those waters.  Let me say in regard to any healings today – that we do not understand or know for certain the mind and mentality of all too many patients.  I am reminded of a television story in the fifties where a man certified as legally handicapped may have well scammed the court into a large endowment to provide for his lifetime.  As the story plotted on – he came to a place of healing with the ulterior motive of claiming divine intervention for the condition that kept him from enjoying his retirement to the fullest.  The author of the story had a droll sense of humor.  At the climax of the story, instead of a healing the character became handicapped even as he pretended he was.

My argument in this regard is not to downplay what the Lord really and truly was doing at Bethesda, but to caution us in any anticipation of any predictable outpouring in our day and time.  Calvin gives two thoughtful reasons for the “stirring of the waters.”  He writes:  “I think there was a double purpose for signs in that age; that the Jews might know that God was with them, and … secondly, that they might earnestly look for a new and unusual state.”  In other words – that they might be prepared to meet the Lamb of God when He entered in through the Sheep gate to demonstrate once again the power and mercy of the Godhead in person. – this particular time.

In verses five to seven, John carefully sets forth the details.  A man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years was lying near the pool.  All hope of a natural cure had disappeared many decades before.  The man has also been deprived of every opportunity to enter into the waters when they were stirring.  And yet, he faithfully remained hoping for the grace and mercy of God.  At long last he had learned of his own hopeless estate – and that is more than many have learned in longer periods of time.

“Do you want to be healed?” Jesus asks.  The man does not answer the question specifically but by implication he describes why it is impossible for him to gain the troubled waters when they are stirred.  As if the wicked could heal themselves theologically.  The man does claim his honest helpless estate in this regard.  Do we catch the essential point here?  It is only when we realize our own spiritual helplessness by the power of the Holy Spirit – that God does for us what we can never accomplish on our own.  And so Christ speaks the word of healing, even as God has spoken His will since the dawn of time and even before.  “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”

Application:  In verses eight and nine John simply reports the work of God in Christ.  “Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’”  In the course of this miracle being played out in Jerusalem – all manner of mischief came to be played out by the religious authorities of the day.  In addition, like the prophetic actions in past ages – the gospel message was dramatized for the whole nation to see and discuss.

As Calvin outlines it, there are three points established by this miraculous healing.

        1.        that the miracle might be more widely known.
2.        that He might gain an audience for the sermon to follow.
3.        to set aside boldly the people’s being offended

As I have already hinted there is a prophetic element being demonstrated in this scene.  In Jerusalem of Christ’s days on earth – nothing would have been more noticeable than a man carrying a burden near the Temple precincts.  In an old World War Two movie – I remember an official character, who carried an umbrella wherever he led his troops.  The reason he announced was that he had quite a bad memory and could never remember the proper signs and counter signs.  So, he carried an umbrella which would automatically catch the attention of any neighboring British units who had heard of his particular idiosyncrasy.

As we read further into the fifth chapter, we will learn that the anticipation of Jesus was absolutely on the mark.  The man will soon have to answer for following the directions of Christ and as a result – like every prophet of old, Jesus will have his public office.

Secondly, as we know all through the gospel accounts, word of mouth was the best advertisement for the ministry of the word.  The signs and miracles demonstrated the presumed prophetic office that must be Christ’s.  Even many today, will admit to an understanding that Christ was one of the prophets.  However, in the teaching and preaching to follow this particular miracle, much, much more is at stake.  After all, the “stirring” of the waters at Bethesda has been nothing more than God’s preparation for this coming of Christ.  A lot of biblical scholars admit that they are not exactly certain where this pool was located.  I would be willing to believe that with the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God in His prophetic actions – that the “stirring” of the waters in the old ordinary sense ceased from that time forth, simply because a better visitation had come in the person of Jesus?

Last, but not least Calvin observes:  “moreover, the knowledge of that miracle was so important that it was His duty to set aside boldly the people’s being offended, especially when He had a just defence ready, by which, although it was not accepted by the wicked, He abundantly refuted their calumnies.”  Now, what does this all mean to us, and what important lesson should we take away with us today?  Let it be this, even as Calvin encourages: no matter what the world thinks or believes, we must uphold the majesty, power and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Simply let the worldly be offended, that is really all they are good for after all!  And we can certainly read in the aftermath of the recent election, that the liberality of those offended at the very thought of morality trumping social progress has encouraged them in a public venting of their rage.  And this public venting is not so much about loosing, but as it is becoming more and more evident – it is aimed at the faith of the very people who refused to support the humanistic cause with their vote.  And if we go even further we can truly sense the underlying theophobic nature of the public liberal and secular religion that jealously guards its control of the public square.

In advertently, the providential working out of God’s purpose in our time through the election, this historic and even “prophetic” event has focused for all to see the complete drama of the culture wars that have remained hidden for far too long.  The Lord God of heaven and earth will not be long mocked in any time, place or age.  This is true in the gospel scene displayed before us in our text, and it is also true on the world stage today.  God is in control of all things and over the long run, He will not let His people forget it.  The heathen may rage – but God is sovereign over all.  Praise the Lord, and may all heaven continue to break loose – bit by bit in our time as well.  Amen.

Rushsylvania United Presbyterian Church (USA) - 27 Jan 74 & Logan County Mission (PCA) - 03 Feb 85

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PREACHING RESOURCES
Barrett, C.K.  The Gospel According to St John.
Brown, Raymond E.  The Anchor Bible: The Gospel According to John.
Calvin, John:  Commentary on the Gospel of John.
MacLaren, Alexander.  St John.
Tasker, R.V.G.  Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: The Gospel According to St John.
The Holy Bible:  English Standard Version.

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