John chapter five, and I want
to begin reading with verse one, and we're going to read nine
verses and make a few comments on them. I love to read what
the Bible has to say about the Lord Jesus Christ. And I find
as I read through the scriptures that the Lord Jesus Christ never
went anywhere by mistake. He never did anything and had
to retract it. He never was reacting to anything. He's always in the active mode. And so as we read here, we find
in verse one of John chapter five, these words, after this,
there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. After this, now we've already
had four chapters of the book of John and some wonderful things
have been mentioned in those four chapters. In fact, the chapter
prior to this, The Lord must needs go through Samaria. And
there he met a woman at Jacob's well. And before she left, before
he left, he had revealed himself to her as the Messiah. Now she
had heard about the Messiah, but now she had seen him face
to face the Lord Jesus. So many things have taken place
up to this point. And we find that the Lord Jesus,
he went up to Jerusalem. Now there's a feast there, it
tells us, and I read a little bit in Very few people can come
to a conclusion exactly what feast that was, but there were
three particular feasts that were mentioned in the Old Testament
that Israelites, the male Israelites in particular, were to go to.
One of them was the Feast of Pentecost, one of them was the
Feast of Tabernacles, and one of them was the Feast of Passover.
Well, it doesn't tell us exactly which one that was, but we find
that the Lord is up there. Now, it tells us that he went
up to Jerusalem because He had an appointment. Now that word
is not used in the scripture, but we find that principle is
used wherever we find the Lord Jesus. He had an appointment
to keep. There was an appointment that had been made and he was
going to keep it. Now that appointment was made
in the covenant of grace and he was going to keep that appointment.
Don't you like going to a doctor and they keep their appointments? I like being able to make an
appointment and go there. Well, the Lord has already had
an appointment and he's gonna make sure that it is carried
out because he is in charge of all things. He is God Almighty. Now, he has an appointment and
I know this because of what it says in the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians chapter one shares some information about this Lord
that we're talking about, this Jesus that we're reading about
that is going up to Jerusalem. He had an appointment, he says,
Here in Ephesians chapter one and verse 11, it says, in whom
also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. Now, when God had an appointment
or a purpose, he didn't ask anybody. He just made that appointment
after the counsel of his own will. He's in charge. He's king,
he's ruler, he's master. And the Lord Jesus is that as
wherever he went. Now we read about him being crucified,
but you know what he had to say about that? No man taketh my
life from me. I lay it down of myself. So no
one took it. He submitted to it. Why? In the
covenant of grace it was determined this is the only way he can ever
save people from their sins. He must go to the cross and pay
for it. So we think of them doing a horrific thing, but the church
delights in him going to the cross. We have forgiveness as
a result of it. Now in verse 2 it says, now there
is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool. Now what would
a sheep market be doing in Jerusalem? This is where people who had
the desire to offer a sacrifice could go buy a lamb. And it is
right close to a pool. And it tells us here in verse
2 of John chapter 5, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda. This Hebrew tongue is what the
Jews had been using throughout the Old Testament. It's still
in effect during the New Testament times. They're speaking their
native tongue, but this also shares with us that this pool
has been named this for some time, Bethesda. This pool is
named Bethesda. It says they're having five porches.
Now the Lord Jesus is on purpose going to this place. You know,
I would think, Why wasn't he going to the temple
for some reason? Why wasn't he going to go talk
to the high priest for some reason? Well, those things were not part
of this. He had an interest in to go one place and that was
at this pool of Bethesda. And this is where he is going
and going directly. It says there in verse three
of this chapter, it says, and in these lay a great multitude
of impotent folk." Now, can you imagine the Savior going to a
hospital when there's a temple there? Yes. What a great blessing
that he would go to a hospital, even though there's a great temple
there. He went to this hospital. He was directed by his own purpose
to go to the pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda. He wasn't going
to the temple to meet with a high priest, and he wasn't going to
the religious thing at this feast time. Now, he may have participated
in whatever was required at this feast. but that is left out because
the most important thing is shared with us in this passage of scripture.
He's going to a place where there's a lot of sick people, impotent
folk, people that are unable to take care of themselves, people
that have broken legs and broken arms. They're unable to move
and we're going to run into one of those guys. This passage of
scripture tells us He had a place he intended to go. It is a pool
in Jerusalem called Bethesda. And this pool, the very name
of Bethesda means house of mercy. Now we're going to see the God
Almighty, the Lord Jesus, go there and demonstrate what it
is to have mercy, to give to somebody something they don't
deserve. That's mercy. Now we ask when
he goes to that pool, Some people might say, well, there must have
been a Bible study going on there, or there was a religious debate
going on there, or there was a council called to discuss the
law going on there, or there was a conference of political
figures. But you know, every one of those
things I just mentioned is not why he went there. There wasn't
a Bible study, and there wasn't a council, and there wasn't a
discussion about the law. There was no conference with
political figures. There was one person at that
pool of Bethesda that he was interested in visiting with.
Many there, one gets to be visited with. In verse three it says,
and there lay a great multitude of impotent folk, blind, halt,
withered, waiting for the moving of the water. Now the next verse
tells us what they were waiting for. It appears that there was
an angel that came down and stirred the water and as long as there
was ripples on the water and you were the first one to get
in it, you might be healed. Well, there's a whole bunch of
folks waiting for that to happen. And now we listen to this. It
says in verse four, after the troubling of the water,
stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. So
can you imagine people waiting for that to happen? When the
invisible angel came down, stirred the water, and they would be
the first in. Well, we would probably say the
first next to the pool would be the ones that get in first.
And we have a man that can't walk, and he tells us that he
can't, and he doesn't have anybody to help him. He tells that, it
tells us here in verse five, and a certain man was there.
Now often we find that that's used in the scriptures and particularly
about the ministry of the Lord Jesus. A certain man, a certain
woman, someone he has an appointment with, someone that he intends
to go see, someone that he has had plans to go see. And that's
what he woke up this morning to go do was to go to the pool
of Bethesda to go down to this hospital and be among a whole
bunch of folks that were blind and hauled and couldn't move,
and here he is in and among them, and nobody that was a priest
or nobody that was an official of the Levites would ever go
into that place. You know why? It was against
the law for them to be around those folks. But you know it's
a blessing that we have a Savior that doesn't mind going around
sick folk. Blind folk, people that are unable
to see spiritual things or talk spiritual things or hear spiritual
things. He's the one that goes heals
our spiritual ears and eyes and gives us ability to walk. Now
they're waiting for a movement of the water and the certain
man, it says in verse six, and when Jesus saw him lie there
and knew that he had been a long time in that case, he saith unto
him. Now, how long had he been there?
38 years. He had been in this condition
for 38 years. Now, that to me is a long time. He has had this infirmity for
38 years. Well, I can't help but believe
that he had some interest in someone else helping him, but
nobody could. Like we find another woman that she went to many doctors
and spent all that she had, but came out no better, but worse.
Well, I'm convinced that this man too went and had conferences
with doctors. They couldn't help him. There
was nothing he could do. He's been this way for 38 years and
probably he'll die this way with this infirmity. Well, the Lord
saw him lie there and he knew that he had been a long time
in that case, he saith unto him. Now, that's an interesting thing
about the Lord Jesus. He knew all about this man and
he'd never visited with him before. He knew all about us. He knows
our frame. He knows how we are. He knows
what we're like. In fact, in the book of Hebrews,
we all have to come before him with whom we have to do. We come
naked before him with whom we have to do. We have a God that
knows us inside and out. God that knows our heart and
our mind. We have a God that knows that all about us. And
this is the Lord coming to this man Never had a record of him
ever being in that place before or after, and yet he walks up
to a certain man that has this 38-year infirmity and asking
one question, verse six, he says, will thou be made whole? He asked him, would you be made
whole? Now, the man answered in an interesting way. The impotent
man answered him, sir, I have no man when the water is troubled. Now, isn't that interesting? Jesus asked him, will thou be
made whole? And he didn't respond, can you
do that? Are you able? How would that
happen? He gets to looking at just the
natural thing. I'm not able to get down in that
pool in time. I'm not able to get down when
that angel comes. I'm not able to get down there
when it starts to stir and somebody gets in always ahead of me. That's
what he goes on to say. The impotent man answered him,
said, sir, I have no man when the water is troubled to put
me into the pool. But while I am coming, and you
know, the only way he can do that is drag himself. While I
am coming, another steppeth down before me. Boy, he's always been
second place. He's tried. He knows that this
is the time, but he cannot get there. The Lord Jesus said, just
asking, wilt thou be made whole? And now he gives us this long
description. I'm unable to get down there
by myself. Nobody is here to help me. Well,
I like what the Lord had to say next. He didn't ask him again,
would you like to be made whole? He simply says this, and then
we find the results. You know, the Lord demonstrates
here that he is in charge, that he is the boss right here. He was on a direct mission to
this hospital, this place where all of these impotent folks were,
all these halt and blind and maimed were laying around, and
he had one person in mind that day to go visit with, and he
comes up with a question, would you be made whole, and the man
begins to talk about all of the impossibilities that he's now
facing. It's impossible, I'll never get down there. And the
Lord said to him, Jesus saith unto him. Oh, before we answer
or read that part, does anyone know what the name Jesus means?
Well, of course you do. They shall call his name Jesus. This is before he's born and
then he's called this after he's born. They shall call his name
Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. Now that's a
delightful name. That's a name I would like to
hear something about. The promise is he shall save
his people from their sins. Well, here he said in verse eight
of this scripture reading in John chapter five, Jesus said
unto him, rise, take up thy bed and walk. Well, how long is he gonna be
in this condition? It says immediately. Immediately,
the man was made whole. It's a wonderful thing that the
Lord doesn't ask us to contribute, because the only thing we could
contribute is, I can't get down in the pool. He didn't ask this
man to contribute a thing. He didn't ask him to do anything. He didn't ask him to raise his
hand or consent to anything. He simply said, will you be whole? And he gives this description
of why he can't be whole. And then the Lord says, rise,
take up thy bed and walk. And verse nine, and immediately
the man was made whole. 38 years in this condition. And the next thing we do is seeing
him walk. Now I saw this in a movie one time. I can't remember what
the name of the movie was. And Jesus did this. And this
man spends about five minutes finally trying to stand up and
get his legs under him. You know, like a newborn deer
or something? That's not what we find in this passage of scripture.
This man didn't go through any of that process. This man stood
up and walked. He hadn't done it for 38 years,
but he was given the ability of doing it instantly and immediately. And he got up and walked, and
not only did he To that, he took up his bed. Now, whatever it
was, whether it was two poles with a sheet between it or whatever,
that somebody carried him down there, I don't know. But he had
the ability of getting up and walking and carrying his bed.
And we find the next thing that is said there, it was on the
Sabbath day. We're not gonna read on from this point, but
you know what? This man and Jesus himself were
in trouble by the religious people because he healed on the Sabbath
day. Don't you think Jesus knew what day of the week it was?
Of course he did. He knew it was the Sabbath, and
he knew he was gonna rile some people because he healed on the
Sabbath. But you know what he said? I'm the Lord of the Sabbaths. I'm in charge of this. I created
the heavens and the earth. I gave seven days in a week.
I created them. I'm in charge of them, and I'll
do whatsoever I please on whatsoever day I please to do it with whomever
I please to do it with. So he did that. He came in, there's
not one record that he spent any other time with any other
person in that whole place. He spent it with a certain man
and that certain man that Jesus Christ dealt with, stood up,
took his bed and walked out of there on his own power and he
hadn't had the ability for 38 years. Now that's the kind of
man, that's the kind of God, that's the kind of God-man I
want to be acquainted with, is someone who can do exceedingly,
abundantly above all that we ask or think because we don't
even know how to pray as we should. Just as he said, will you, he
said, wilt thou be whole? Man stumbled around with some
excuses and Jesus just wrote that off and said, rise, take
up thy bed and walk. What power we have seen in Jesus
Christ the Lord. And the services that we've been
up here, we've just talked about several of the incidents that
the Lord dealt with people that had infirmities that nobody else
could deal with, and he's able to take care of it. You know
what? There is an issue that we all have that we can't take
care of ourself, and that's the issue of sin. And there's only
one that can do it. Jesus. They shall call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And he's
the Savior. And he doesn't ask for participation.
He simply says, I will save my people from their sins.