The John Project

In John 5 verse 30, Jesus says that His assignment as divine judge, which He described in the preceding verses, is administered solely on the basis of instructions He receives from the Father. And in that context, He makes this incredible statement: “I can of Myself do nothing.”

Now of course, as God incarnate, Jesus possessed everything required – authority, power, wisdom, knowledge – to do anything. But He makes clear that in His role as our redeemer, He specifically and purposefully chose not to act independent of the Father. Philippians 2 verses 5-11 describe His submission in detail and declare that IT is the reason ultimately every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is Lord.

So, Jesus’ words here in John 5:30 are extremely significant. And I think that’s especially true of the last half of the verse where He says that because He seeks the will of the Father and not His own, His judgment is righteous.

Now THAT forces me to consider how I judge other people.

All day, every day, I pass judgment on those I hear, see, meet, and interact with. I can’t help it. And neither can you. We are instinctively wired to evaluate others on the fly. Have you ever heard a stranger’s voice on a podcast, radio show, or phone call and determined what their appearance, personality, and motivation must be like even though you’ve never met them? We all do that. It’s a human trait that I suppose is a form of self-protection. But I’ll bet you’ve noticed that it’s almost never accurate.

The prejudgments I make of people almost always turn out to be wrong once I actually get to know them. And if you’ve ever been unfairly judged yourself, you know it feels terrible and is often very hard to change.

I once rented a home from a guy who for some unknown reason just decided he didn’t like me. And nothing I did to try and change his mind was ever successful. He just doggedly clung to his false initial impression of me no matter what, and I could not overcome his skepticism and mistrust. So, I eventually had to move out.

I don’t want to do that to others. But I do. Like the obviously homeless woman I passed on the street the other day. Based on her appearance alone, I created an entire profile of her in my mind. A pretty negative one I must add. How unfair was that? And, a few minutes later, when I realized what I’d done, I had to confess my sin to God and repent of it. So, I’d like to discover a better – more righteous – way to handle this aspect of life. And, as always, Jesus points the way.

He said the key to righteous judgment is seeking God’s will not my own. In other words, if I will simply start choosing to see others through the lens of his desires for them instead of through my own fears and prejudices, my perspective will become more like His. I want to do that, don’t you? And what a better world this would be if everyone did?

In John 5 verses 27-29, Jesus describes His role as our judge. In the preceding two verses He referred to Himself as the Son of God who can right now offer spiritual life to those dead in their sins if they will simply respond to His voice calling them to faith. But here, as He describes a future occasion when His voice will call all those who have died physically to either a “resurrection of life” or a “resurrection of condemnation,” He says His authority to execute this judgment is on the basis of what the Father has given Him as the Son of Man. And this change in title is worth noting.

Jesus is both Son of God and Son of Man. He is fully divine and fully human. And this is what uniquely qualifies Him to be both eternal-life-giver, and judge. As Son of God, He personally paid the penalty for our sin so we could have the payment of His suffering and death applied to our record by faith. And as Son of Man, He victoriously stared down every kind of temptation and has first-hand knowledge of every form of human experience so that as judge, He alone has the righteous authority to administer it.

When those who have refused to receive His offer of salvation during their lifetimes stand before Him on that future day of judgment, there will be no excuse, no alibi, no defense. But if you’re hearing me say this, that doesn’t have to be your story.

In verse 29, there’s a very wonderful and hope-filled use of two different Greek words that are often translated by the same English word, “done,” or “did.” Jesus says that the resurrections of life and condemnation are the result of having “done” good or “done” evil. But, He’s not saying that a person’s eternal destiny is based on whether or not they’ve racked up sufficient good-works points. Ephesian 2:8 & 9 make this crystal clear.

The word translated, “done,” in the first instance describes a one-time act. In the second, the word is about something habitually done. The Lord is saying that with one act, placing our faith in His saving grace, we can insure our “resurrection of life” and wipe out the consequences of habitually turning our backs on Him.

Now that’s good news! If you haven’t yet, receive it. And if you have, share it.

In John 5 verse 24, after emphatically declaring to the Jewish leaders that He is co-equal with the Heavenly Father, Jesus goes on to say that FOR anyone who responds to His message by believing in the Father, three things become true: Something has already happened, something will never happen, and something is happening right now. But before we look a little closer at these, let’s make sure we understand what He meant by believing in the Father.

The Greek word translated as, “believes,” in this verse, is a word that conveys more than just concluding that the design of a chair, for instance, could support your weight. This word is about the action that FLOWS from that conclusion and results in actually putting your butt in the seat. It’s about trust, and trust that results in commitment.

Jesus was calling these leaders, everyone overhearing that conversation, and all who have heard these words since to take action on what they’ve heard and place the full weight of their faith on Him. And if that describes you, I’ve got some excellent news.

First, you have already, as Jesus said, “passed from death into life.” The spiritual death that was the result of your sin is now behind you – forgiven, cleansed, covered – and up ahead as far as you can see is the gift of life that God gives His kids.

Second, you will never experience judgement, not now, or at any time in the future. No matter how hard the Devil may try to bring you under condemnation, according to Romans 8 verse 1, that shame no longer has your name on it.

And third, you ARE living in the stream of “everlasting life” right now. And Jesus wasn’t just talking about its duration – how long it lasts. He was talking about the type of life it is. This verse employs the Greek word, zoe, which the New Testament uses to describe the kind of life God has – deeper, richer in every way than mere existence or anything this world can offer.

All of this is yours as a result of your faith in Christ. Dear one, live every minute of this day in the awareness of that.

OH! And if by chance you haven’t yet become a believer, what are you waiting for? Put your butt in the seat.

I’m not sure how it’s possible to become even more angry with someone after you’ve reached the point of wanting to kill them, but that’s the state of outrageous agitation the religious leaders had reached regarding Jesus. They had already issued a death sentence for His healing of a sick man on the Sabbath. But John 5 verse 18 informs us that they were even more ticked off at His clear claim of equality with God.

And Jesus refused to back down from this. For the next five verses, Jesus declared in no uncertain terms that EVERYTHING He did and said was an EXACT reflection of the Heavenly Father and that He should be honored in the same way the Father is.

And there you have it. That’s why the Jewish elite was so mad. It was impossible for them to remain ambivalent about the question of who Jesus was. The testimony of His life was crowding them toward a decision point – one they were violently resisting. Because to embrace the truth of His divinity would have required that they surrender to His Lordship. And that’s what made their blood boil.

However, for the rest of us, there’s WONDERFUL news here. Jesus is God! Everything the Gospels reveal about Jesus that move us to fall so deeply in love with Him are EXACTLY true of the Father as well. There is NO difference. And this is incredibly important and healing on many levels, especially for those who have trouble relating to the Heavenly Father because of the failures of their earthly ones.

As someone who has spent my life caring for the wounded souls of people, I’ve seen first-hand the damage a dad can do by his words and deeds even if unintentionally. The Devil LOVES to exploit a man’s brokenness to inflict painful scars on his children and thereby cause them to recoil from the love of God. What better way for Satan to keep someone imprisoned in their hurt than to emotionally cut them off from the only One who can free them.

But Jesus is the answer. He put on display the father-heart of God. The closer we examine His life, the more we see of what God is really like and the more any barriers melt away.

So, if you’ve been victimized by this strategy of the Enemy to prevent you from experiencing the healing embrace of the Lover of Your Soul, let me stand with you today as we welcome the Son to introduce you to the Father.

In John chapter 5 verse 17, Jesus responds to the Jewish religious leaders who have determined that He deserves the death penalty because He healed a man on the Sabbath Day. And He does so by making two things clear. One, that He is the Son of God. And two, that He was only doing what His Father has been and continues doing: working.

Yes, Genesis, the first book of the Bible, tells us that God rested on the seventh day. And no, Jesus wasn’t undermining the example God was setting by that or the commands and vital principals of Sabbath-keeping. But He was stating the obvious: that on the seventh day, God rested from His creation work, but not from being the God whose ongoing activity sustains all things.

In other words, Jesus was reminding them that the throne of God is not a lounge chair.

And in doing so, He was silencing the lie that God is somehow disconnected, unconcerned, or uninvolved with us. Contrary to those who imagine God like a divine watch-maker who wound up His creation, let it go, and then moved on to another project, Jesus was describing God as intensely engaged with His universe. And it’s clear from the context, that He meant for us to understand that God never ceases to be interested in, involved with, and engaged with us.

Now, behind me is a construction project. New homes are being built in my neighborhood. But as you can see the construction workers have all gone home after putting in their day's labor.

God is not like that. He's never off the job.

Now I know, because I’m a target of the Devil’s lies just like you, that we can frequently be subjected to the temptation to feel like God has abandoned us or at least has temporarily lost interest in what we’re facing or going through. But that is not the truth, and that’s exactly why John 5:17 is so important to hang onto.

Our Savior stood up in the face of the murderous persecution of the Scribes and Pharisees to emphatically declare that no matter what, He is continually and purposefully working on our behalf. Let's allow that assurance to dispel every shadow of doubt about our Savior's presence and engagement with us today.

In John chapter 5 verse 16, we’re told flatly that the Jewish religious elite wanted to kill Jesus. And we’re also told why. It was because He had healed a sick man on the Sabbath.

Now let me get this straight. The RELIGIOUS leaders wanted to KILL Jesus because He HEALED a man who had be sick for 38 years on the wrong day of the week? What am I missing here?

Now, I know that Sabbath-keeping is an important thing with God. You can’t read past the second chapter in the Bible without discovering that He’s so serious about it that He personally modeled it. But it’s also clear that God meant Sabbath to be a blessing to us not a curse. In fact, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” God gave us the GIFT of one day out of every seven set aside purely for spiritual renewal, physical rest, relational restoration, emotional recovery, and intellectual recalibration.

So, how did something so GOOD for us become so twisted?

Well, like everything religionists get their hands on, Sabbath had been embellished with layers upon layers of regulations God never intended. And they exploited these rules as a means of exercising control over people. And that’s the key word, control. Everything Jesus did threatened the control the religious leaders were attempting to hold over people.

That kind of control is a bad thing, and Jesus will always be a threat to it. I know because He came after it in my life.

Now, please, don’t get me wrong. I love my birth family. But all families have some measure of dysfunction, and one of the symptoms of ours was that we could never seem to get anywhere on time. And I clearly remember being dropped off late again for baseball practice one day when I was about nine years old. And as I walked to the field knowing I would have to apologize to my coach and teammates again for being late, I remember saying to myself, “When I have control, I will never be late again!”

And that vow set in motion decades of drivenness and controlling behavior that eventually would bring me to the brink of losing my marriage, family, health, and ministry had not my loving Lord squared-off against it in my life. All those years before, I had given place to something that was ruining me along with everything and everyone I loved. The control I had become so proud of exercising was really a spirit that was controlling me.

It’s a long, but beautiful story how Jesus confronted and set me free from the spirit of control that I won’t take the time now to tell. But if the little I’ve said sounds at all familiar to your own life, please, dear one, don’t wait another minute. Come in prayer with humble repentance to the One who is ready to release you from this bondage, and invite the Lord of the Sabbath to bring rest to your soul.

We’ve been considering the account in the first fifteen verses of John chapter five regarding the man at the Pool of Bethesda. Remember, this was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years – not really dying, but not really living either. Then, just like He does for each of us, Jesus showed up with an invitation for him to trade his brokenness for wholeness. But, He said the restoration process would require three things of the sick man. First, He told him, “rise,” then, “take up your bed,” and after that, “walk.”

And now, having previously looked at the first two, let’s take a close look at this last one and what it means for anyone who wants to receive Christ’s gift of wholeness and begin to truly LIVE.

There are a couple of things I’d like to focus on. To start with, Jesus was inviting the man to choose to step forward into the rest of his life – the life he was made for.

But why would he even have to say this?

Because it doesn’t come naturally. Although the passage doesn’t say so explicitly, it clearly implies that this man had never walked before. And we’ve already talked about the human tendency to prefer a known past to an unknown future. So, let’s not miss the point that living whole is a moment-by-moment CHOICE to do the IMPOSSIBLE, to defy gravity in the power of our Savior. Like the man at the pool, it’s not something any of us has ever done before. And we simply don’t know how.

But, Jesus is making it clear that it’s just like walking – putting one foot in front of the other – taking one step at time. It’s not about arriving somewhere. It’s about starting a journey, one that involves discovery, development, and delight with every footfall. And we cannot afford to skip even one of them. Even when the route isn’t a straight line, we don’t have to figure out where it leads. All we have to do is keep our eyes on Jesus and WALK. He can be trusted with everything else.

But there’s another thing.

As the man from the pool began to move forward in his healing, he was immediately confronted by the Jewish leaders telling him he was breaking their religious law by carrying his bed on the Sabbath. And that’s exactly the kind of thing that happens to everyone who chooses to step across the threshold from brokenness to wholeness. Our healing WILL be challenged and FEROCIOUSLY, because the Devil cannot afford to have God’s people actually living in freedom. It poses such a threat to his strategies that he is always quick and loud with his opposition.

Should that make us afraid? Heck, no! The Bible says that the battle is the Lord’s not mine, and He’s already won it. So even when the enemy roars at us with his temptations, condemnations, and accusations, all we need to do is WALK – walk right past him one step after another into the glorious life Christ is releasing us into.

And I love the fact that as the formerly-sick-but-now-healed man shouldered his way past his accusers choosing to obey his healer rather than surrender to their threats, he ran right into Jesus who was there to meet him in the temple on the other side of that opposition.

And dear one, I believe that will be true for you too. No matter what may challenge your wholeness today, just take one step at a time and walk right by, through, or over it. You’ll find that Jesus is on the other side.

Alright, let’s continue our consideration of Jesus’ healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda. And let’s remember that after 38 years of sickness, this man was clearly not dying, but he wasn’t really living either. So, Jesus entered the scene of his brokenness, and in the form of a simple question, offered him the opportunity to be restored to his intended state.

Then, in John five verse eight, the Lord gave him three steps to wholeness. And the first of these was to “rise,” which we discussed last time.

After that, Jesus said, “take up your bed…” In other words, he tells him that if he wants to experience true healing, he’s going to have to pack up his campsite.

For many years now, I’ve enjoyed watching a reality TV show called, “Survivor.” The contestants try to avoid being eliminated from the game until there are only three players left. Then, those who’ve been forced to leave the game, vote for a winner from the three survivors. But before that vote, the final three players will almost always burn down the camp they’ve been living in during the game. And they do that as a dramatic statement of the fact that they will not be coming back.

Something very similar is embedded in the Lord’s statement here. He’s telling the man that if he’s going to actually LIVE in the healing being offering, he’s going to have to eliminate the possibility of coming back to Bethesda.

Why is this important? Because we all prefer the security of a KNOWN past – even if it’s uncomfortable – over the uncertainties of an UNKNOWN future. And for this man who has been sick his entire life, a future of wholeness – as desirable as it may be – is filled with uncertainties. So, unless he removes the possibility, in those times when his healing is challenged in some way, he will be vulnerable to the temptation to return to the twisted familiarity of what he knows.

Now there’s also the issue of identity. I think it’s clear by what this man says to Jesus that he had come to see himself through the lens of his unhealth, and had begun to define himself by it. You know, there’s a huge difference between someone thinking of themselves as a person who HAS a struggle with alcohol and as someone who IS an alcoholic. And the Devil has a lot of expertise for exploiting our issues and convincing us to label ourselves by them. And that make us less available to healing.

In a sense, Jesus is telling him that as long as he has his sick bed to go back to, he will be vulnerable to the temptation to think of himself AS sick instead of as a man who HAD an illness but is now whole.

On top of that, every form of human brokenness has a support structure that’s been built around it: Like friends and family who enable the unhealth, habits that have developed, distorted assumptions, etc. And unless that structure is dismantled, the gravitational pull can be overwhelming. For instance, if a person is freed by Jesus from a pornography addiction, unless that person is also willing to tear down their well-worn pathways for accessing porn, it will be too easy to slide back into the familiar.

So, we have before us a critical component in the process of healing Jesus wants to bring to your life and mine. Just like the man at the pool, He’s asking if we want to be made well. And if so, He says it will REQUIRE us to be ruthless about cutting off every route back to brokenness.

Are YOU ready to take up YOUR bed? Dear one, Jesus is with you right now, and ready to give you the clarity, the courage, and the strength you need to do it.

In John chapter 5 verses 6 through 8, Jesus approaches a man who’s been sick for 38 years – not really dying, but not really living either – not really experiencing the life God intended for him. And Jesus asks him if he’d like to be made well. Now, the King James version of the Bible uses the word, whole, here instead of the word, well. And although, either word is appropriate, I like the King James better because wholeness carries with it the idea of being restored to the intended state. And in my view, that’s the sense of the original Greek here.

So, picture this. Jesus walks up to a guy who has apparently spent his entire life in a condition of brokenness, and the Lord asks Him if he would like to be made whole.

Wow! I think the offer of complete restoration implied in that simple question is just astounding to consider. And what’s even more amazing than that is to realize that this is exactly the same question/offer Jesus is making to each of us.

He steps onto the scene of our life’s devastation, looks us in the eye, and asks us if we want to be restored to our intended state. Dear God! How amazing is His love!

But look at the man’s reply. He’s been asked a yes or no question, “Do you want to be made well?” But he doesn’t answer with a simple, “yes.” He answers with an excuse for remaining in his brokenness and offers an explanation for why he can’t be made whole.

O my goodness. Is that like us or what!

He tells Jesus that there are conditions and circumstances sourced outside of himself that prevent him from being healed. “I can’t walk, so I can’t get to the water when it’s moving. I don’t have anyone to help me. Others push me out of the way.”

And isn’t that how we often respond to our Savior’s offer of restoration? We say, “I can never be whole because of what my father did to me.” “I can’t live the life I was made for because I never received the educational opportunities others had, because I don’t have enough money, because I have this disability, because this or that agency, organization, government, or person screwed me over. And our list goes on and on.

But Jesus is still standing there asking a simple yes or no question. “Do you want to be made whole?”

And in spite of the man’s all-too-human response, Jesus offers him three steps to recovery.

And the first of these is, “Rise.”

He’s asking the man to stop excusing himself and simply receive the healing being offered. And I believe some of you may be hearing the same thing from your Savior right now. “Rise.”

I know it sounds like He’s asking you to do something impossible. And it is…for you. But NOT for Him.

Dear one, stop making excuses for your brokenness or blaming it on someone or something outside yourself. Take His hand right now and RISE!