READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l John teases the reader to discover who Jesus really is, through the great miracles He performs. In today’s passage, Jesus heals the lame man at the pool on the Sabbath. He had been an invalid for 38 years. The Sabbath is the time set aside for reverence and devotion. The preparation for the Sabbath, sets the tone for the devotion that we have on the Sabbath. We step away from our busyness and adopt a posture of reverence and devotion.
Is there a God who really cares for those who are suffering? Can we too be healed? The passage in John directly addresses these questions. Jesus asked the lame man if he wanted to get well. The man lamented that he could not be healed because there was no one to help him get into the pool when the water is stirred. Jesus then told the man to pick up his mat and walk, and he was instantly cured.
In this account, Jesus understood and initiated the healing. Jesus seeks those who would respond to Him in faith. At that time, the man probably did not know who Jesus was. Yet, he chose to obey Jesus, and was immediately cured. Jesus can grant healing to anyone (even unbelievers) that choose to obey Him! Jesus is not limited by human faithlessness. He can work miracles to anyone that chooses to obey Him! John invites us to consider who is Jesus really is.
The healing took place on the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders told the man that the law forbids carrying a mat on the Sabbath. They viewed it as work and breaking the rules. These leaders, in their spiritual blindness, failed to comprehend the miracle of the lame man being able to walk. Instead, they focused on his carrying the mat and breaking the law.
Jesus is Equal to God!
The religious leaders persecuted Jesus for breaking the Sabbath. To them, it was blasphemous for Jesus to say He was equal with God. But John was pointing out that Jesus is God! Jesus has the power of God and can transform and heal people’s hearts and their physical well-being.
Jesus is Ushering in a New Era!
It was also after 38 years, that Israel was commanded by God to rise up and go into the land that God had given to them. (Deut 2:13-14) John was inviting his readers to watch the next two years of Jesus’ ministry as it unfolds; for Jesus will usher in a new era, where it is not about men with closed hearts who simply following the laws.
The Trial of Jesus, Christianity and the World!
The heart of John’s Gospel is the trial of Jesus, starting from chapter five. But Jesus is not really on trial. Rather it is the world that is on trial. Ironically, it was the entry of light into the world that exposed the darkness. Men loved darkness instead of the light because their deeds were evil. This speaks to the condition of all our hearts. If we are still wondering who Jesus really is, may the Lord help us in our unbelief.
John’s Gospel sets the stage for us to discover who Jesus really is.
(Sermon notes by Denis Koh)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Study Scripture – Read John 5:2-9. Observe the desire of the invalid and what were his religious beliefs? (Hint: look up the missing v4). What does that tell you about the cultural beliefs with regards to healing? Do the same beliefs exist today? Do you think even Christians today have the same beliefs of spiritual/angelic beings? What are your views?
- Recall Sermon – What is John trying to tell everyone about Jesus through this sign? Who do you think John is trying to convince? (Esp those who have waited 38 years) What is God’s heartbeat to those who can’t help themselves? How does it matter to you?
- Relate Personally – Have you ever received or experienced God’s grace when you don’t deserve it? Are you feeling like the invalid trying but failing?
- Commit to Action – What do you sense God saying to you as you study this passage? What areas in your life is God saying to you to obey Him immediately? ( “Pick up your mat and walk”). How can we also show Jesus to the least last and lost?
