The Ocean of Gods Mercy

(John 5:1-16)

I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.
Last week,
We saw Jesus return to Cana of Galilee
Where He had done His first miracle of changing the water into wine.
Here He met the royal official from Capernaum
And taught him a lesson on faith.

B. Preview.
This morning,
We see Him go up again to Jerusalem for a feast
Where He met a man who was desperately in need of healing.
Since theres a great deal to see here,
Lets get right into it.
Well look at four things:
1. The place of healing: the pool of Bethesda.
2. The man whom Jesus healed.
3. How Jesus healed him.
4. And what the man did after he was healed.
II. Sermon.
A. First, we see the place this healing occurred: the pool of Bethesda.

We read in verse one that after the events at Cana

Jesus went up to a feast at Jerusalem

We dont know exactly which feast it was
It could have been the second Passover
Jesus celebrated after His ministry began.
Its likely one of the three
That all Jewish men were required to attend.
And so Jesus to honor His Father
Went up to the feast (v. 1).

John continues, Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is
called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes (v. 2).
The sheep gate was the gate through which
Sheep were brought to the market to be sold.
Some think it was near the Temple
Which would have been a poignant reminder
To those going to the Temple for worship
Of the sacrifices that were taking place there,
That pointed to the Lamb God promised to provide
That could forever take away sin.

Next to this gate was a pool called Bethesda

Which is Hebrew for house of mercy.
It was so named because here the Lord was showing mercy to the sick.
Dr. John Lightfoot a Rabbinic scholar from the 17th Century

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Believed this pool had previously been used for ceremonial washing,
And that the five porches had been built for dressing and undressing.
Now the porches were being used to house the infirmed.
Basically, it had been converted to a hospital.

John tells us the power to heal was brought by an angel.

In these [i.e., porticoes] lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and
withered, {waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went
down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then
first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever
disease with which he was afflicted} (vv. 3-4).
The reason these verses are bracketed
Is because theyre likely not part of the original autograph.
They did, however, show up as early as the second and third centuries.
Even if theyre not genuine, many believe them to be true,
Because without them verse 7 doesnt seem to make any sense.
There are examples of this in the Old Testament
Where an editor will later add comments to a book
To help his readers better understand the context.

Some, following Lightfoots interpretation,

Believe the healing property of the water
Came from the blood that was washed from the sacrifices into the pool,
And that the angel was a messenger sent down from the Temple to stir the water.
The problem is that wouldnt explain how the people were being healed.

It seems more reasonable to see

That God was here showing His mercy to His people

By sending an actual angel periodically to stir the water
And to grant the gift of healing.
Angels as well see this evening
Are Gods servants whom He sends to minister to men
Particularly to those who will inherit salvation.
From what we see here,
The holy angels might be more involved in healing us than were aware,
As the evil angels may also be in afflicting us.

The stirring of the water was the signal

That the angel had descended.

Apparently, this didnt happen very often

At least, not on a daily basis
But only at certain seasons
Perhaps during the feasts
When the Lord would be more likely
To bless His people for their obedience in attending.
Once it happened, the one or ones who first entered the pool were healed
Regardless of their affliction.

Notice that though God provided the cure,

The sick needed to get themselves into the water.

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This is similar to what He does through the Gospel.
He has provided a cure for our sins in Christ,
But we need to come to Him to receive it.
In the same way,
He has also provided grace and power in the means of grace
To strengthen and heal our souls;
But we need to use them or we wont receive that strength.

This is basically all we know about this pool.

We dont know when the angel began to appear or when he stopped.
But this is what was taking place when Jesus arrived.

How should we view this pool?

We should see it as a token of Gods goodness to His people:
Even though they had been without prophets and miracles for many years,
God was showing them that He hadnt cast them away.
He was still drawing near to them in mercy.
More importantly, we should see it as a type of Jesus Himself,
Who is the fountain really, the ocean of Gods mercy
The One who alone is able to heal all our diseases.

B. Secondly, we see the man whom Jesus healed.

A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years (v. 5).
From what John tells us here,
We dont know exactly what was wrong with him,

Only that whatever it was,

He had been afflicted with it for 38 years
And it was serious enough to keep him
From getting into the water first when it was stirred by the angel.

We often complain if were sick for a day or a week,

But here was a man who had been sick for nearly four decades!

Richard Baxter, looking at it from a more gracious perspective,

Writes, How great a mercy was it to live thirty-eight years under Gods
wholesome discipline!
Why would he say that?
Because of what well see in a few moments
As to the possible cause of his illness sin
Because its better to live under Gods discipline
Than to be well and on your way to punishment.
Baxter wrote regarding himself, O my God, I thank you for the like discipline of
fifty-eight years; how safe a life is this, in comparison of full prosperity and
pleasure!
Here was a man under Gods discipline.

C. Third, we see how Jesus healed the man.

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? (v. 6).
When Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the feast,
He didnt go to the affluent places,

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But to the hospital
Where the people were in need.
Have you ever noticed a difference in the way
These two groups respond to the Gospel?
Those who see their need are much more likely to respond positively.
James writes, Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this
world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those
who love Him? (2:5).

As Jesus entered, He saw the many who were there,

But He fastened His eyes on this one man.
It could have been because his situation was worse than the others:
He likely had been there the longest,
Because he had no one to help him get into the pool.
Jesus delights in helping those who are the most helpless.
The Lord says, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy (Rom. 9:15).

He approached the man and asked him, Do you wish to get well?
Likely asking simply to show His concern.

Of course the man wanted to get well

Thats why he was lying by the pool.
What He didnt understand was that Jesus was offering to heal him,
Otherwise, he wouldnt have said what he said next,
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 (v. 7).

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His problem was when the water was stirred,
It became every man for himself.
No one was willing to admit,
Your situation is worse than mine;
You go into the water this time.
And yet, the man doesnt seem to show any malice
Towards those who shut him out.
Maybe he learned something about submission to Gods will during those thirtyeight years.
Theres much we can learn from this example.

But heres something even more interesting:

Even though the man didnt look to Jesus
For anything more than a hand to get into the water
If they should be stirred while He was there,
Though he didnt know even who Jesus was,
That he might look to Him in faith,
Jesus still showed him mercy:
He said, Get up, pick up your pallet and walk (v. 8).
Now, its not like the man wasnt looking to God
He knew God sent the angel,
He knew God was the source of the healing
Its just that he didnt know Jesus was the Messiah.

He reserves the right to show mercy where and when He does.

And we need to be thankful,

Because for many of us here,
We werent even looking for Gods mercy
When He sought us and saved us.

But notice as well:

Jesus issued the command,
But still, the man needed to respond,
If he was to receive this mercy.
He needed to believe the Word Jesus spoke:
To stand up, as Jesus told him.
To pick up his bed
So that everyone might see he was completely healed
And to walk
He had to be willing to carry his bed
Through the streets of Jerusalem on the Sabbath.

Here was one occasion

When Jesus wanted the Jews to see this miracle
To honor God;
To testify against the tradition of the elders
Who had misinterpreted the Sabbath;
And to see if this man would be willing to obey
Even though he knew he would be censured.

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Was he willing? Yes.

Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.
Now it was the Sabbath on that day (v. 9).
When Jesus spoke the word,
The man instantly felt himself become well.
And so he obeyed Jesus:
He got up; picked up his pallet, and began to walk,
Knowing that he might suffer for it.

The Gospel is not only an offer

Whosoever will, let him come and take of the water
Its a command:
Repent and believe!
Turn and live!
We know that we cant really do this apart from Gods grace.
But its also true that God holds us responsible to do it now.
How can you know whether He has given you this grace, unless you try?
Jesus says to you this morning,
Get up and come to Me,
And so come to Him.
Turn from your sins and take hold of Him by faith.
And be willing to do whatever He calls you to do
Even if it means you will suffer for it.

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D. Finally, we see what the man did after he was healed.

Jesus did this miracle on the Sabbath.

Were going to see next time
That Jesus didnt put His ministry on hold on the Sabbath,
Because it was the kind of work that could be done on that day.
He never took a day off from doing His Fathers will
Which is an example for us.

But when the Jews saw this man carrying his bed on the Sabbath,
They thought he was sinning.
So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, It is the Sabbath, and it is not
permissible for you to carry your pallet (v. 10).

The man replied that he was merely obeying

The One who healed him.
But he answered them, He who made me well was the one who said to me, Pick
up your pallet and walk (v. 11).
Surely the One who has the power to heal
Who can command nature itself
Also has the authority to tell him what to do on the Sabbath.

The Jews didnt agree.

They also had a fairly good idea who this might be
After all, how many in Israel could heal in those days?
How many were known to do controversial things on the Sabbath?

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But to find out for sure, They asked him, Who is the man who said to you, Pick
up your pallet and walk? (v. 12).
But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away
while there was a crowd in that place (v. 13).

He had likely heard about Jesus,

But had never seen Him before,
So he didnt know who healed him.
Again, isnt it interesting
That Jesus healed the man
Without the mans knowing who He was
Without faith in Him,
Though he did have faith in God.
Jesus will later heal a blind man who also didnt know who he was (John 9:36).

Sometimes the Lord first shows mercy

Before He reveals Himself.
Both of these didnt know Him before receiving their miracles,
But they both appeared to know Him afterwards.
John says, We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
God initiates; and we respond.

Notice where the man went after Jesus healed him:

Its likely he didnt have a family
Since there was no one to help him into the pool.

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Its also likely he didnt have his own house
Since he hadnt been able to work for such a long time.
He had just left the house where he had spent the last several years of his life
The building that housed the pool of Bethesda.
So where did he go?
He went to the house of the One who had mercy on him:
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple (v. 14).

When God shows us mercy,

We should always be ready to give Him a sacrifice of praise.

Now we get a glimpse into the cause of this illness

Which is why Baxter said what he did
Jesus said to him, Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that
nothing worse happens to you (v. 14).
This implies that he had been in that condition for 38 years
Because of some sin he had committed.
God promises to bless obedience,
But He is just as serious about disciplining disobedience.
It does matter how you live.

Jesus told him not to sin any more,

So that nothing worse would happen to him.
Now that his discipline was lifted
The temptation would be there to return to sin.

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Jesus mercifully gives him this warning as a safeguard.
Solomon writes, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10).
Fear is a powerful and gracious motive
Designed among other things to keep us from sin.
Every time we receive some mercy from the Lord,
We should hear Jesus saying, Go and sin no more.

Finally, now that the man knew it was Jesus who healed him,
Wanting to honor Him,
He immediately went and told the Jews who had asked him.
The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well
(v. 15),
He must have thought that someone this gracious and good
Could hardly have any enemies.
But he was wrong.
Instead of applauding Jesus, they began to attack Him,
For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these
things on the Sabbath (v. 16).

The Lord warns us against giving what is holy to the dogs or casting our pearls
before swine (Matt. 7:6).
He also tells us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matt. 10:16).
Sometimes the right thing to do is not tell someone what Jesus said or did
At least thats the case when they have shown themselves
To be His sworn enemies.

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Let me just say in closing
That you dont have to be this hardened against Jesus to be His enemy.
If you havent turned from your sins
From your rebellion against Him
And trusted Him as your Savior,
You are His enemy.
If youre not for Jesus, youre against Him.

You need to understand that even though you might stand against Him,
He doesnt stand against you.
He stands calling to you:
To put down the weapons of your warfare,
And come to Him.
Hes willing to forgive you
To wipe the slate clean
If you will only receive His offer
If you will only obey His command.

That pool called Bethesda

Was really a picture
Of the grace God offers to you in Christ.
Jesus is the ocean of Gods mercy and love
For everyone who will trust in Him.
If you are His enemy,

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Put down your weapons,
Put away your hatred,
Come to Him
The waters have already been stirred.
Theyve been swirling since the Fall of man.
All who come will be healed.
Wont you come to Him and receive His gift of eternal life?
May God grant that you will. Amen.

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