Chapter 5 Verse 1, After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  This feast was most likely the Feast of Pentecost.  We know that because John has already mentioned the Passover feast in Chapter 2 and the Feast of Pentecost occurs 50 days after the Passover.  We went over what the Passover feast was in our study in Chapter 2 and how it so clearly speaks of Jesus but as we encounter each of the Jewish feasts instituted by God, we will discover it is exactly as Paul stated in Colossians 2:16-17.

 

Paul wrote to the Colossians that festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ (or that is, the meaning of the ceremony is found in Jesus Christ).

 

Pentecost or Shavuot has many names in the Bible (the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Harvest, and the Latter Firstfruits).  It is actually similar to the American tradition, Thanksgiving.  It is traditionally a time of giving thanks and presenting offerings for the new grain of the summer wheat harvest in Israel.

 

The name "Feast of Weeks" was given because God commanded the Jews in Leviticus 23, to count seven full weeks (or 49 days) beginning on the second day of Passover, and then present offerings of new grain to the Lord as a lasting ordinance.

 

The celebration is also tied to the giving of the Ten Commandments.  Jews believe that it was exactly at this time that God gave the Torah (the first five books of the bible which contain the laws and commandments) to the people through Moses on Mount Sinai.

 

In Acts 1, just before the resurrected Jesus is taken up into heaven, he tells the disciples to wait for the Promise of the Father...and He says, John truly baptized with water but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now!”

 

A few days later, on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples are all together when the sound of a mighty wind comes down from heaven, with tongues of fire resting on them. The Bible says, "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." The crowds observed and were amazed...Then Peter got up and preached the Good News of the kingdom and 3000 people accepted the message of Christ! That same day they were baptized and added to the family of God.

 

Just like the Passover Feast, in studying the Feast of Pentecost we see the Old Testament revealing a shadow of the things to come through Christ! After Moses went up to Mount Sinai, the Word of God was given to the Israelites at Shavuot. When the Jews accepted the Torah, they became servants of God. Similarly, after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost. When the disciples received the gift, they became witnesses for Christ. Jews celebrated a joyous harvest on Shavuot, and the church celebrated a harvest of newborn souls on Pentecost.

 

And so the Feast of Pentecost, not yet fulfilled because Christ has not yet been crucified, resurrected and ascended into heaven, yet the Jews celebrate still...interesting it is that Jesus is the only One that will be there that understands fully...and that is always the case, and so we look to Him for wisdom and we trust in His word for guidance and truth. 

 

And so the bible says they “went up” to Jerusalem as it always does...God's holy city, His holy purpose, always higher than man's.

 

Verse 2, Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  And so we find the Lord entering the city through the Sheep Gate, which is one of the ten gates mentioned in Nehemiah Chapter 3 as surrounding the city.  This gate got its name because it was this gate that the sacrificial animals always were led through on their way to the Temple, most of them being lambs and thus its name, the Sheep Gate.  However on this day, Jesus, the Lamb of God, mankind's sacrificial lamb, enters by that Gate. 

And we find there by the Sheep Gate a pool called Bethesda, or Bethsaida which means “pool of mercy.”  And so we find the pool of mercy by the sheep gate...and how significant because it is through Jesus that all men obtain mercy...

 

A neat fact is that until the 19^th century, the only evidence of this gate was found in John's gospel and many used this lack of physical evidence or corroborating literature as a way to refute the origin of the gospel...and actually with good reason.

 

Many pools were assigned the name pool of Bethesda (some thought it here, some concluded it was there) but none of them were where the bible said they would be...until an archeologist be the name of Schick discovered the ruins of a pool next to the sheep gate there in Jerusalem.  Finally in 1964 it was completely excavated and lo and behold, found around the pool were the remnants of five porches...just as John describes!  And so again we see archeology, history and science catching up to the bible...just as it always is...

 

Verse 3, In these (porches) lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed....You never know how close someone is to giving their life to the Lord.  Here there is a great multitude of people right next to the Sheep Gate...right next to the place where the sacrificial lamb enters...and notice how John describes them...sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed. 

 

I believe what we have here is a pattern of the effects of sin on man's heart and life.  The bible says that by the seed of Adam, sin and death spread to all men and therefore all are born sick with sin and in need of a Savior.  All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and all must be saved from the power and penalty of sin...but we are not able to save ourselves, we have no faculty by which to make ourselves clean...we cannot try hard enough, pray long enough, do enough good deeds to cure us of our sin sickness....and so God has made a way by providing His Son to die in our place and set us free from the power and the penalty of sin.

 

But, if we reject His Son, our sin sickness leads to blindness...blindness to what is truth.  Blindness to what is right and what true life is...and that blindness is only removed by placing our trust in Jesus Christ.  Psalm 146:8 says, The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;  Isaiah 42: 6 and 7 says,  “ I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will open blind eyes, and bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. 

 

But spiritual blindness progresses as a man continues to walk in his own way, and leads to a man becoming lame.  Webster defines lame as lacking substance...lacking purpose...stiff or disable to the point of impaired freedom. 

 

Ever heard of a mid-life crisis?  What am I all about?  Who am I?  What am I living my life for?  Precisely why the US has as $130B a year alcohol industry...to numb the pain. (4,122 years)  (6,183 years if you sleep)

 

And then eventually, living apart from the will of God, apart from the Son of God, will drive one to become paralyzed.  Not able to do anything...totally taken out...that is the exceedingly sinfulness of sin...and then when the Son does come by, they don't even notice...

 

We are guilty of this even as Spirit filled Christians...missing the beauty of blessing...as we live out our days...missing the joy of the Lord as He has set a place for us at His table in the presence of our enemies...this world is designed by the god of this age to distract you from the truth, from God's healing love and presence....

 

Check this out, an experiment was conducted in Washington DC, at a metro station, in January of 2007 in which a man played six Bach pieces on a violin for about 45 minutes.  During this time, about 2,000 people went through the station.

 

After about 4 minutes, a middle-aged man took notice and stopped for a few seconds to listen and then hurried on to meet his schedule.

 

About 4 minutes later, a young lady tossed a dollar bill at his feet without stopping.  About 6 minutes later, a young man leaned against the wall to listen, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

 

About ten minutes later, a 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.  This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their child to move on...

 

After 45 minutes a total of 6 people had stopped and listened for a short while.  About 20 passers-by had tossed money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  After 45 minutes, the man had collected $32.

 

At the conclusion of the experiment, the man stopped playing and silence took over.  No one noticed and no one applauded. There was zero recognition from the crowds.

 

This man was actually Josh Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world.  There in that metro station, he had played one of the most intricate pieces ever written and he had played it flawlessly on a violin worth $3.5M.  Two days before, Josh had played the same music to a sold-out theater in which the ticket price averaged $100.

 

The conclusion of the experiment raised several questions.  One, in a common-place environment, at a common hour, do we perceive beauty?  And also, if we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made, what other beauty and blessing do we miss as we rush through this life and call our blessings common?

 

The bible says that if a man finds a wife he has found a good thing...husbands are you missing the beauty?  Have you grown dull?  Wives, the bible says that an excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.  Wives, are you missing the beauty of the man God has blessed you with?  Have you grown dull? 

 

The opportunity to be healed is found in Jesus and His word and His ways...

 

Believers we need to awake the bible says, and grow in our relationship with Jesus so that we will honor Him with our lives...and also so that we will care that so many are living sick, blind, lame and paralyzed...and we will care that so many slip into eternity apart from God...The pattern of sin and the product of a life lived in rejection of God's Savior.

 

 

Now the opposite is also true.  A life lived for Jesus will produce sight!  Will produce a man or a woman living to their full potential...and will produce absolute freedom...rather than being paralyzed you will be energized!  Full of life and powerfully effective in your days, and situations!  The free gift of God...yours for the taking.

 

Verse 3 continues, these folks a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, lay there waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, was made well of whatever disease he had. 

 

Now a pool that truly had this type of powerful effect I would expect to hear more about it in other places of the bible and even extra-biblical accounts, but there simply are none.  Most bible scholars believe that its power was probably more accurately described as placebo and I believe this is corroborated by the fact that John tells us that the belief was that an angel would stir the water. 

 

Lets examine this...angels we learn in Hebrews chapter 1 are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to the saints...if an angel truly came down to heal the first one that was able to win the race to the pool, no doubt this would even increase the anguish of those present...which is a bit inconsistent with what we know of angels from Hebrews chp 1. 

The truth is that this pool, which in the greek is referred to as “Colon” which happens to be an exact word in the greek meaning deep, divably deep and from under comes bubbling...this pool most likely was rich in minerals and thus had certain medicinal powers that were excited when it bubbled. 

 

But notice the hope of the sick lay in waters that cannot heal, just as Jesus said to the woman at the well, you draw water from this well that will only leave you thirsty...and there are many that believe a weekly mass can heal, or a monthly confession can heal, or that the rite of baptism can heal...but the truth is there is only One Way, One Truth and One Life and that is the Savior, Jesus Christ...

 

But here we see the blind, the lame and the paralyzed hoping in a nonsensical, empty hope just as we see today...money, power, drugs, booze...government...clergy...no no no, Jesus is our hope, Luke would say our true hope , Paul would say our blessed hope, Peter would say our living hope...interesting as this hope is surrounded by blind, lame and paralyzed, while Jesus the only true hope is surrounded by truth, blessing and life!

 

 

 

 

I love what Arthur Pink says on this subject...”Here the pool represents human religion with all its cumbersome machinery and disappointing ordinances waited on, and the grace of God slighted.  Go yonder to India with its myriad temples and sacred Ganges; visit Thibet, the land of praying wheels; turn and consider the devotees of Mohammad and their holy pilgrimages; Papists with their vigils and fasts, their beads and holy water; and then turn in to the religious performances in many of the Protestant churches, and see if there are any differences in the underlying principles which actuate them.  They one and all fail, utterly fail, to meet the deep need of the soul.  One and all they are unable to put away sin.  And yet, sad to say, they one and all supplant the Christ of God – He is not wanted; He passes by unnoticed.”

 

Verse 5, Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

 

The question that He asks of all men.

 

Verse 7, The sick man answered him, “Sir I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

 

 

You see Jesus, I am a victim!  I am not well because of others...I am in this spot and remain in this spot because of others!  No!  We must take responsibility for ourselves!  Jesus says, wanna be well, we say, I have no man to help me be well...my eyes look to other men for sufficiency for approval and since it is not found, I remain lame.  Poor, childish, blind excuse!  Yet so many live today in bondage because they are unable to take their eyes off of the mirror and other people...truly to live as a victim is to live deceived by the devil himself!

 

You are not the victim, you are the perpetrator!!  If it were not  for God's grace, we would all be lost!   Every member of Adam's race would perish eternally without the hope and blood of Jesus Christ!  And so we are without excuse for our sinful situation...for our laziness, for our disobedience, for our bitterness...we have only ourselves to blame because Jesus has come to seek and to save and to set free...that is His work, and so when we hinder, when we grieve the Spirit, we must not look to others as our scape goat for sin!  That is to be blind.

 

And so Jesus said to him (and He says to me and He says to you) Verse 8...Rise!  Take up your bed and walk!

 

 

 

The bible gives no indication that this man believed in Jesus or plead mercy...actually John tells us the opposite, that this man was seeking to lay blame...yet Jesus calls out to Him and heals him.  The Lord's soverign grace is wondrous and that is why we should never lose hope on someone, continue to pray for them, continue to love them with God's agape love...

 

Jesus says rise!  Time to go my son...out of the pit, today is the day.  Take up your bed, leave no provision for the flesh the bible says...don't even make it possible to return to your previous condition, and then...walk.  You haven't been able to walk these few feet for these 38 years to the pool, yet today, roll up your bed, that which has brought you comfort in your sad state > roll it up...and walk with Me. 

 

A beautiful command from the Lord, again His word goes forth and we see the power of God's word...

 

Verse 9, And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.

 

Awesome, the cure of God is both immediate and complete.  You see Jesus saves;  He saves with a perfect and eternal salvation the moment we believe...Solomon wrote in Ecclesiates 3:14, Whatsoever God does, it shall be forever:  nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it.

 

The bible says that we are made perfect and complete in Jesus Christ and that all that pertains to life and godliness are given to us, readily available to us...right there waiting for us,  through Him.  Do you want to be made well?