BIG IDEA:
JESUS DEMONSTRATES HIS SUPREMACY OVER LEGALISM AND HIS EQUALITY WITH GOD THE FATHER
(THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST — AS EQUAL WITH THE FATHER — AND THE MOTIVATION OF MERCY TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER A LEGALISTIC SPIRIT)
INTRODUCTION:
1) List important strategic battles that Christians should be actively fighting today
2) List some unwise battles where resources are being wasted on issues that are not so strategic or crucial
Each of the 7 major Sign Miracles in John’s Gospel focuses on a specific aspect of Christ’s character as Messiah, equal in nature with God the Father:
1) Changing water to wine — Superiority of the new covenant relationship; grace, joy, love
2) Healing nobleman’s son — Superiority of faith over signs;
power of spoken word of God; Sovereign will of God; distance no problem for the power of God
3) Healing of paralyzed man in Chap. 5 — Superiority of mercy and compassion over a legalistic spirit
CHRIST PICKED THE TIMING FOR THIS FIGHT VERY PRECISELY
Review: Up to this point in Gospel of John, Christ has been working quietly in the background, being very careful not to generate too much hostility from the religious establishment too quickly.
2:12-25 Hit-and-Run Cleansing of the Temple was His earlier ministry in Jerusalem, along with some initial signs to gain their attention and curiosity
Chap. 3 dealt with Nicodemus at night
4:1-3 purposely left Judea when the Pharisees started to show concern over the following He was attracting
Chap. 4 ministry to individual Samaritan woman followed by intense two day teaching ministry to the whole town
4:43-45 chose to go to Galilee BECAUSE a prophet does not get respect very readily on his home turf (you would think that would have been a reason to avoid Galilee — but He did not want things to mushroom too rapidly)
4:46-54 Healing of nobleman’s son = 2nd sign
5:1 represents a dramatic switch in Jesus’ ministry; now He takes the initiative to go back to Jerusalem and pick a fight; embarking on a course of conflict with the religious leaders from which He could never turn back
I. (:1-9) THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF DIVINE HEALING HIGHLIGHT THE MERCY AND COMPASSION OF CHRIST
(CHRIST ORCHESTRATED THE CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THIS FIGHT VERY PRECISELY)
A. (:1-2) The Proper Occasion:
1. (:1) Special feast
“After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”
Time of Celebration
Increased Concentration of People
Tone of Spiritual Renewal
2. (:2) Symbolic setting
“Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes.”
“Bethesda” = “house of mercy
B. (:3-5) The Proper Sick Person to Heal = Hopeless Situation
Why did Jesus pick this man? Deck stacked against this man –
Demonstrates a number of important principles that parallel our spiritual salvation:
1) (:3) Demonstrates the principle of Divine Selection — there were multitudes from which to choose; these were not the movers and shakers; not the ones with the most potential for future ministry;
Christ operates according to His own criteria of selection; we can’t argue “That’s not fair”; instead we must marvel at His gracious compassion; shows the value of the individual in God’s
eyes
“In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, (waiting for the moving of the waters;”
(Aside: Textual problem with verse 4; probably not in the original manuscripts)
2) (:5) Demonstrates the principle of Human Inability — this must have been a particularly desperate case
“And a certain man was there, who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness.”
a) Length of time — 38 years – Imagine his frustration, loneliness, disappointment
b) Type of illness — some type of paralysis preventing him from getting to the water = critical since “First in the Water” = key to healing
c) Bankrupt of other resources or people who could help
d) Despairing — could not even bring himself to say the words:
“I do wish to get well” in response to Christ’s question
without hope and yet desiring help
e) probably very unworthy due to sin problem mentioned later
C. (:6-7) The Proper One to Provide Healing — Compassion and Mercy of Christ
1) (:6) Merciful Offer of Hope Motivated by Compassion
“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, ‘Do you wish to get well?’”
Key to Deliverance: Do you wish to get well?
Crippling condition = picture of bondage to sin
Pink: Did not the Savior ask the question to impress upon this man the utter helplessness of his condition! Man must be brought to recognize and realize his impotency. While ever we console ourselves we will do better next time, that is a sure sign we have not come to the end of ourselves. The one who promises himself that he will amend his ways and turn over a new leaf has not learned that he is “without strength.” It is not till we discover we are helpless that we shall abandon our miserable efforts to weave a robe of righteousness for ourselves. It is not till we learn we are impotent that we shall look outside of ourselves to Another.
2. (:7) Realistic Defeatism
“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.”
D. (:8-9) The Proper Picture of Deliverance –
Divine Sufficiency Coupled with Human Responsibility
1) (:8) Divine Sufficiency — Christ acted alone by speaking a few simple words; did not even make use of the pool
Result much more powerful than 38 years of human effort!
“Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.”
2) (:9) Human Responsibility — The man was responsible to obey the command of Christ by getting up (after Christ had empowered Him),
picking up his bed (a critical detail since Christ wanted to pick a man who had a mat to carry to stage the conflict with the legalistic Pharisees), and continuing to walk (Pres. tense verb while the others are Aorist)
“And immediately the man became well, and took up his pallet and began to walk.”
Transition (:9b) Ominous Note:
“Now it was the Sabbath on that day.”
Stedman: The Law of Moses did say that the Jews were to keep the Sabbath and not do any work on that day. The rabbis had carefully studied that regulation, and, probably innocently and with good intentions, had spelled out 39 different ways by which the Sabbath could be violated by certain types of work. One of those ways was carrying any kind of a load on the Sabbath day. Jeremiah 17 had warned against this. He specifically said, “Do not bring any burden out of your houses on the sabbath day,” {cf, Jer 17:22}. Thus there was some merit and justification for their intervention in this case.
II. (:10-16) THE CONFRONTATION WITH SELF RIGHTEOUS LEGALISTS HIGHLIGHTS DELIVERANCE FROM SIN
(CHRIST CENTERED THE FIGHT AROUND THE KEY ISSUE)
LEGALISTS RESPOND WITH PERSECUTION RATHER THAN REJOICING
Center the fight around something worth fighting about
When the authority of Christ conflicts with the authority of Tradition, Bow to the authority of Christ
Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment
Micah 6:8; Hosea 6:6; James 2:13
As Co-equal with God the Father, Christ knows best what type of conduct is appropriate and pleasing to God
1) Legalism is concerned with what is permissible according to man-made rules
God is concerned with delivering people from sickness and sin for eternity
2) Legalism is concerned with exalting self by judging others according to our own rules
God is concerned with people seeing His good works and glorifying and obeying Him according to His standards (which emphasize the internal heart attitude over the externals)
A. (:10) The Judgmental Accusation
“Therefore the Jews were saying to him who was cured, ‘It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.’”
B. (:11-13) The Innocent Response
I only was obeying the one who healed me.
Issue: Who has the Authority to say what is permissible and what is not?
C. (:14) Spiritual Deliverance and Identification of Jesus
“Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may befall you.”
D. (:15) Corresponding Testimony
“The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.”
Look how natural our witnessing should be.
E. (:16) Building Opposition and Persecution
“And for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.”
III. (:17-18) THE CLAIMS OF CHRIST HIGHLIGHT HIS EQUALITY WITH GOD THE FATHER
(CHRIST REFUSED TO BACK DOWN BUT INTENSIFIED THE CONFLICT TO MAKE HIS POINT)
Jesus chose to pick this fight because He wanted to force people to choose between the Authority of Tradition (represented by the suffocating rules of the Jewish authorities) vs. His Divine Authority (as the Creator of the Sabbath and the Lord of the Sabbath, He knew what type of work was appropriate on this day)
Refused to bow down to legalism; made it clear that He claimed to be equal with God; no longer speaking in difficult expressions with hidden or double meanings
He had many opportunities to try to smooth things over and lessen the intensity of the situation, but chose instead to escalate the differences between true spirituality and legalism
Showed that the sabbath does not mean idleness, but works of mercy for the glory of God as an expression of gratitude and obedience
A. (:17) Union with God the Father
“My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
Christ could have tried to calm things down and settle out of court, but instead He intensified the conflict with this clear claim to Deity.
Not just some misguided, over-zealous good person. Now He must be judged to be either Liar, Lunatic, or Lord.
B. (:18) Equality with God the Father
“For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”