2nd Sunday of Easter at Epiphany on March 30, 2008

John 5:1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie-- the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 4  5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" 7 "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." 8 Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

He moves the stone when we are out of choices

1. We realize our predicament

2. We see our hope in Jesus

 

Soon after the discovery of the New World , Europeans began making the long journey across the ocean in hopes of finding something. Some were hoping to find a new life. Others wanted adventure. Some wanted religious freedom. And there were still others who came in search of gold. One was a Spanish conquistador by the name of Ponce de Leon. Ponce de Leon and his men were the first Europeans to explore Puerto Rico , parts of Mexico and Florida . In his quest to find gold, he met many Indians who told him of a spring that bubbled up out of the ground. It was said that this spring had magical powers. Anyone who drank the water would be healed of any disease or physical problem they might have. And their bodies would once again be youthful. It was appropriately called the "Fountain of Youth." De Leon made this his life-long goal, however, he died from a poisoned arrow in 1521. Obviously he was unsuccessful.

Fifteen centuries before de Leon, Jesus strolled to a place called Bethesda , which meant “house of mercy.” It was a colonnade with five porches that overlooked a pool. There Jesus found a scene that would repulse many of us. Lying and sitting around this pool were many “disabled “men and women, and maybe even boys and girls. Some were blind, some were crippled, and some were paralyzed. They were all in search of an elusive fountain of health. There was one particular man who had been an invalid for 38 years.

This morning we examine an invalid and his healing, and in him we see ourselves and the hope Jesus gives us. When we are sick, when we are sorrowing over past sins, when we are lying crippled because of pain or fear or depression, when we are out of choices, Jesus comes into our lives. We see that he has the power to roll those stones of sickness, sorrow, and sin from our lives and bring us healing and forgiveness.

1. We realize our predicament

When you picture Bethesda , picture a battleground strewn with wounded bodies. Imagine a nursing home overcrowded and understaffed, and you see the pool. Call to mind the orphans in Bangladesh or the abandoned in New Delhi , and you will see what the people saw when they passed Bethesda . As they passed, what did they hear? An endless wave of groans. What did they witness? A field of faceless need. What did they do? Most walked past, ignoring the people.

But not Jesus. He is in Jerusalem for a feast. He is alone. He is not there to teach his disciples or to draw a crowd. He is there to celebrate one of the great high festivals of the Jews. It is an exciting time in the holy city. Surely there are more enjoyable activities. Surely there are more sanitary crowds in Jerusalem . And yet, where is Jesus? He is at the pool of healing because someone there needs him.

At this high feast, the Jewish men and their families have come from miles around to meet God in the temple. Little do they know that God is with the sick. Little do they know that God is walking slowly, stepping carefully between the beggars and the blind. Little do they know that the strong young carpenter who surveys the ragged landscape of pain is God.

“When they suffered, he suffered also,” Isaiah wrote. (Isaiah 63:9) On this day Jesus must have suffered much. He must have sighed often as he walked along the poolside of Bethesda . All these people were there because they believed that when the water stirred in the pool, which was connected to an underground stream, healing powers would appear and whoever touched the water first would find healing. It was even rumored that it was an angel that stirred these waters with his wings. And you know that once a rumor gets started it is hard to stop it. Quite possibly someone may have been healed one time and now it was difficult to get people to leave the pool. But notice how John in his gospel doesn’t mention whether the pool really heals or not. He is focused in on Jesus who really does have the power to heal.

As he is walking, Jesus sees an invalid who is out of choices. The man tells Jesus of his rather hopeless situation. He had been crippled for 38 years! He can’t get into the pool fast enough, someone always beats him in. He has no friends, no family, who are willing to help him into the water. He can’t walk. He can’t work. He can’t care for himself. He can’t even roll down the bank to the pool to cash in on the angel water.

John doesn’t announce this man’s name. But you know what? I know his name – yours. He has a face – mine. He has a problem – just like ours.

You and I must admit that we are like this paralytic. We must realize our predicament. We are invalids out of options. Oh, you may be sitting there this morning with good legs, a nice strong back, healthy ears for listening, and you can’t imagine what you and this four-decade invalid have in common. How could he be you? What do we have in common with him?

Simple. Our predicament and our hope. What predicament? It is described in Hebrews 12:14: “Without holiness no one will see the Lord.” That is our predicament: Only the holy will see God. Holiness is a prerequisite to heaven. Perfection is a requirement for eternity. We wish it weren’t so. We act like it isn’t so. We act like those who are “decent” will see God. We suggest that those who try hard will see God. We act as if we’re good, as if we never do anything too bad. And that goodness is enough to qualify us for heaven.

Wrong! It sounds right to us, but it doesn’t sound right to God. And he sets the standard. And the standard is high. It is perfection. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

You see, in God’s plan, God is the standard for perfection. We can’t compare ourselves to others; they are just as fouled up as we are. The goal is to be like him; anything less is inadequate.

That’s why I say the invalid is you and me. We, like the invalid, are paralyzed. We, like the invalid, are trapped. We, like the invalid are stuck; we have no solution to our predicament.

Maybe it is drugs, alcohol, depression, a struggling marriage, a difficult person at work, a past sexual sin, or a whole host of other problems that have left you and me lying on the ground. That is us wounded and weary.  That is us stuck in our sin, trapped in our trespasses. When it comes to healing our spiritual condition, we don’t even have a chance. We might as well be told to pole-vault to moon. We don’t have what it takes to heal ourselves. We can’t find the fountain of health. We can’t dive into the pool of Bethesda . Our only hope is that God will do for us what he did for the man at Bethesda – that he will come to our mat of hurt and helplessness.

2. We see our hope in Jesus

Which is exactly what God has done. Listen carefully to Paul’s description of what God has done for you: “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15) 

The invalid had a bigger problem than being paralyzed. He didn’t have faith in Jesus. He didn’t even know who Jesus was. It wasn’t until later when he met Jesus again that he received the gift of faith to go along with the gift of his healing.

That invalid was just like us when Paul says that all those without faith in Jesus are dead. Without Christ we are spiritual corpses. Lifeless. Cadavers. Dead. And what can a dead person do? Nothing. But look at what Paul says God can do with the dead. “God made you alive.” “God forgave.” “He canceled the rules that we broke.” “He took it away and nailed it to the cross.” He disarmed the spiritual rulers.” He triumphed over them by the cross.”

We were trapped, paralyzed, dead. And God came to the rescue. He sent his Son who healed the crippled, died for the dead in sin, and rose for the weary. God came to the rescue and has thrown life jackets to every generation.

Look at Jonah in the fish belly – surrounded by gastric juices and sucked-in seaweed. For three days God has left him there. For three days Jonah has pondered his choices. And for three days he has come to the same conclusion – he doesn’t have one. He knows he has blown it as a preacher. He was a flop as a fugitive. At best he’s a coward, at worst he’s a traitor. So Jonah does the only thing he can do: he prays. He says nothing about how good he is – but a lot about how good God is. He doesn’t even ask for help, but help is what he gets. Before he can say amen, the fish belches, and Jonah lands face first on the beach.

Look at Daniel in the lions’ den. His prospects aren’t much better than Jonah’s. Jonah had been swallowed, and Daniel is about to be. But instead of a chomp, there is … nothing. The lions are snarling but their mouths aren’t opening. Daniel looks up to see that the mouths of the lions have been clamped shut by God’s angel.

Such stories fill the Bible. One near-death experience after another. Just when the neck is on the chopping block, just when the noose is around the neck, Calvary comes, the open tomb looms, and salvation is found. Angels pound on Lot ’s door. (Genesis 19) The Jordan purges Naaman’s leprosy. (2 Kings 5) An angel dances in the furnace with the three men. (Daniel 3)

God’s efforts are strongest when our efforts are useless! When we are weak, then we are strong in Christ! We boast in our weaknesses, ailments, paralysis, so that Christ’s power may rest on us. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Go back to Bethesda for a moment and listen to the brief dialogue between the paralytic and the Savior: "Do you want to get well?" Jesus asked. "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

I wish we would do that. I wish we would take Jesus at his word. I wish that we would learn that when he says something, it happens. What is the particular paralysis that plagues you? What is the stubborn unwillingness that makes you refuse to be healed? What is the pet sin, the doubt, the depression, the worry that causes you to sit as an invalid, moaning and crying out in pain?

When Jesus tells you to stand, let’s stand. When he says we’re forgiven, let’s unload the guilt. When he says we’re valuable, let’s believe him. When he says we’re eternal, let’s bury our fear. When he says we’re provided for, let’s stop worrying. When he says, “Stand up,” let’s do it.

A military private ran after and caught the runaway horse of Napoleon. When he brought the animal back to the emperor, Napoleon thanked him by saying, “Thank you, Captain.” With one word the private was promoted. When the emperor said it, the private believed it. He went to the quartermaster, selected a new uniform, and put it on. He went to the officers’ quarters and selected a bunk. He went to the officers’ mess and had a meal. Because the emperor said it, he believed it. I pray that we would do the same with our Commander and Chief – the Lord Jesus.

Is this your story? Are you out of choices? Realize your predicament and see that Jesus is your only hope. A gentle stranger has stepped into your hurting world and offered you a hand. Take his hand, listen to his voice and stand up. Amen.

Jesus stills rolls the stones away. When no one else can help you, know that Jesus will make you well. Amen.