Introduction
This is the third of seven signs. Remember that a sign is a miracle
performed by Jesus which points beyond itself to teach us something about
Jesus and his provision for humanity. Usually Jesus couples his sign
with an explanation so that no one will miss the point. In this sign,
Jesus' subsequent explanation makes the point unmistakable: he is the
giver of life.
The Sign (vs 1-9a)
Read vs 1-4. Vs 3b,4 were not written by John and therefore do
not belong in the biblical text. It is (or should be) bracketed because
they are not in any of the earliest manuscripts, and where is appears
in later manuscripts it is often marked to signal probable spuriousness. [1] It is a marginal explanatory note
that later got incorporated into the text. It explains what people believed
concerning the pool, but the biblical text does not affirm this. It was
probably a local superstition, like Fatima or Lourdes today.
THE PROBLEM: When God looks at the human race, what does he see?
Something like vs 3! People who are sick, helpless, banking on false
cures . . .
We don't like to look at it this way. We think, "I've got a few
problems, but I'm basically OK. So I can't succeed in relationships?
So I lack direction and purpose for my life?" We're so used to
our condition, it doesn't seem so bad (SKID-ROW BUMS' SMELL).
But God says we are "lost," "without hope" (Eph. 2:12);
"sinners," "helpless," "enemies" (Rom. 5:6,8,10)!
We are alienated from him to such an extent that we would never seek
him unless he first sought us. We are broken people, damaged in every
area (physically, psychologically, emotionally, intellectually, etc.)
as a result of our alienation from him. This is the true human condition!
THE QUESTION: Read vs 5. This man is especially helpless. So
Jesus asks him vs 6b. This sounds like a stupid question--but the man's
answer reveals the wisdom of it. Amazingly, he doesn't answer Jesus'
question--he just complains about the neighbors and the injustice of the
system (read vs 7)! He is so thoroughly defeated that he has given
up all hope and is just waiting to die.
This is what so many of us are like. Christ is asking us "Do
you wish to get well?" but we're focused on how bad we have
it, how others have mistreated us, on how much better others have it
than we do, etc. There is a perverse pleasure and security in playing
the victim. ("It may be a mud puddle, but at least I'm familiar
with it!") Some of us would rather complain about our situation
than allow Jesus Christ to make us well!!
In his love, Jesus cuts the man off and speaks a word of command that
contains an implicit promise (vs 8). As with the royal official in
4:50a, he calls on this man to respond to his Word by taking a step
of faith.
THE RESULT: This healing was incontestable, instantaneous and
complete. Not only was his paralysis healed--but his atrophied muscles
were also restored so that he could walk away. This is typical of Jesus'
healings--so different from the so-called "healings" of invisible
ailments (insomnia; back pain) which are only partially (at best) restored.
It is also a picture of salvation. When we agree that we are alienated
from God, helpless to save ourselves, and when we are willing to put
our trust in Jesus Christ's promise to reconcile us to God, we are instantaneously
and completely restored to spiritual life. Jesus draws this connection
for us a little later in this chapter, but first we have a controversy . . .
The Controversy (vs 9b-16)
Read vs 9b . . . uh-oh! It was the Sabbath! Read
vs 10 (SABBATH POLICE >> SIRENS >> "PULL OVER, BUDDY!").
Why is this a problem?
The Old Testament law commanded Sabbath observance to memorialize God's
work of creation, to give people and animals a break--and to remind
his people to trust God to provide their material needs according to
his covenant promises (HARVEST TIME).
But by this time, Sabbath observance became a hallmark of Jewish piety.
Religious Jews had a super-anal obsession with what determining exactly
it meant to "work." In the Talmud, there are 39 classes of
work forbidden on the Sabbath. You think we've had BLUE LAWS!! This
discussion takes up 24 long chapters and goes into such detail that
"one would scarcely imagine a sane intellect would seriously entertain." [2]
For example, you were allowed to pick up a chair and put it down
somewhere else in your own home--but you weren't allowed to drag it
because this might make a groove in the dirt floor and thus be "plowing."
You could spit on stones, but there was a grave debate on whether
it was lawful to spit on the ground--because this too might be "plowing."
Women were forbidden to look in the mirror on the Sabbath, because
they might discover a white hair and pluck it out--which was "reaping."
There was a huge debate over whether you could repair a broken sandal
on the Sabbath. You couldn't tie or untie a knot. You could dip
a radish into salt, but not too long, for this would be to make pickle.
You couldn't climb a tree, or ride, or swim, or clap your hands, or
dance.
In the area of "carrying," you couldn't carry anything heavier
than a dried fig. If a man threw an object up with his right hand
and caught it with his left hand, this was carrying. But if he threw
it up and caught it in his mouth and ate it, it was not carrying because
after being eaten the object no longer existed. And of course, Sabbath
laws forbade helping sick people unless their sickness was life threatening.
[3]
So this man, and Jesus, were definitely guilty! Read vs 11. Did they
say, "What? He made you well after all those years? Praise God!
Who was this guy? He may be the Messiah, because the prophets predicted
he would make the 'lame leap like a deer' (Isa. 35:6)." NOOOOO!!
Read vs 12. As we'll soon see, they wanted to know who it was so they
could get him for conspiracy to break the Sabbath!
Read vs 13-15. Jesus is probably telling him that his spiritual condition
is more important than his former physical malady, and calling him to
believe in him so he doesn't go to hell. The man's response may have
been a witness for Christ rather than ratting on him . . .
Read vs 16. This is a religious misuse of morality! This is not just
a Jewish problem! This is religion world-wide, and it is still with
us today!
Christianity upholds the Law of God, which has real moral content
(LUST, GREED, HATE, USING PEOPLE; LACK OF LOVE). When we focus on
it, it makes us aware of our true moral guilt so we realize we need
God's forgiveness through Christ.
But religion focuses on man-made, external, keepable rules (2 MPH
OVER SPEED LIMIT; "GOSH; DARN; HECK;" DON'T RE-USE UNMARKED
STAMP;" NO "R" MOVIES). By doing this, we can deceive
ourselves into thinking we are righteous. This provides a way to
avoid admitting real moral failure and come to God with honesty and
humility.
Religion is therefore the enemy of biblical faith. Religion called
God the devil (Mt. 12). Religion nailed Jesus to the cross. Religion
killed the God it claimed to love.
No wonder Jesus hated religion! No wonder he reserved his harshest
words for these guys (Matt. 23 curses)!! He confronted the "sinners,"
but not with this kind of fierceness, because they knew they had a
problem with God. But the religionists deceived themselves into thinking
they were righteous >> PHARISEE & PUBLICAN.
The Claims (vs 17-29)
Jesus knew it was the Sabbath, and he purposefully healed the man on
this day to provoke this controversy! The controversy between them hinged
on the issue of authority. If Jesus rejected their authority to
interpret the Sabbath law, what higher authority did he appeal to? His
answer is to assert that he has divine authority--because he is
God!
Vs 17,18: The rabbis agreed that God could work on the Sabbath. Jesus
claims to have unique relationship with the Father, thus sharing
his nature--and he does not correct their conclusion! "You're
talking to God right now, so adopt a different attitude!"
Vs 19,20: He claims to have a unique level of personal intimacy
and working harmony with the Father. Therefore, this healing has
the Father's approval in spite of their censure.
Vs 21: He claims to be the bestower of life just like the
Father (1 Sam. 2:6; Jn. 1:4). He is not under their
authority; he has the authority to give life to whomever he wishes.
Vs 22: He claims to have the authority to judge--which
belongs exclusively to God (Deut. 1:17).
Vs 23: Therefore, he claims to deserve the same honor as the Father.
Especially when we realize that these claims were made to strict monotheists,
it is undeniable that he was claiming to be the one true God. This
is very polarizing. You can't make Jesus into one more good teacher
who only pointed to God--because he claimed to be God. You can't make
him into one more pantheistic spiritual master who said we're all God--because
he simply isn't saying that. You have to reject him as a liar or a
nut--or you have to cast yourself on him as your Lord and your God.
Which will it be???
But the emphasis of these claims is that Jesus gives life--both
now and in the future. Read vs 24-29.
The man lying by the pool was dying--but Jesus gave him life.
We, like the man, are also dying. It's just a matter of time. Jesus
offers to give us life, to make us alive to God right now, and to spare
us from judgment and have eternal life in the future.
Billy Graham at Nixon's funeral: “This death should cause you
to think about your own death . . . when what matters
will not be what people think about you--but what God
thinks about you--his judgment, his verdict.” You
may say, "I don't believe in a final judgment." Well, Jesus
says there will be a final judgment whether you believe in it or not!
Your beliefs do not create reality; they need to come into line with
reality as it is revealed to us through God's Word!
What determines whether you are raised for life for judgment? Sabbath-keeping?
Religious rule-keeping? No--belief in Jesus (vs 24). The "good"
in vs 29 refer in context to believing in Jesus as God's Messiah
and Savior. The "evil" refers to refusal to believe in him.
Jesus doesn't just make these claims without giving us any evidence for
them. NEXT, we'll look at the different lines of evidence he gives--sufficient
evidence to make a decision to trust him. Are you willing to hear the
evidence?
Footnotes
[1] Philip W. Comfort and Wendell
C. Hawley, Opening the Gospel of John (Wheaton: Tyndale House,
1994), pp. 90,91.
[2] Alfred Edersheim, The
Life and Tines of Jesus the Messiah (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1977), Book II, p. 778.
[3] Alfred Edersheim, The
Life and Tines of Jesus the Messiah, Book II, pp. 778-787.