The John Project

In John chapter 5 verses 1-15, we have the record of Jesus healing a man at the pool of Bethesda. In the setup, we’re told that Jesus was in Jerusalem to attend one of the Jewish feasts, and that while He was there, he visited a pool where sick people were brought hoping to be healed by its waters.

Verses 3 and 4 say that a “great multitude” or a large number of people with a variety of illnesses was perpetually gathered there waiting for the water to be stirred up with the belief that if they were the first into the pool following one of these stirrings, they would be healed.

We’re also told that this periodic movement of the water was caused by the action of an angel. But please note that it does NOT say that God was behind this. In fact, there’s nothing in either the testimony of the Bible or the ministry of Jesus to support the idea that we have a God who toys with people like that. On the other hand, that’s exactly the kind of thing Satan would do.

Now, I think it’s clear that this was a situation where the Devil was cruelly exploiting people’s superstitions by preying on their desperation.

The Greek word translated here as, “angel,” simply means, messenger. But, the Bible uses it for both God’s angelic messengers and Satan’s demons. And it’s the context of the specific Scripture passage that clarifies which one is meant. And I think that based on what I’ve already said, the word is used here to describe demonic action.

I think it’s highly likely that somewhere in the history of this place that a mythology began to develop about its healing qualities. There are many places that have a similar healing mythology even in our world today. And they attract people who have no other hope. I think the waters of Bethesda would periodically be stirred up by demons just to keep this false hope alive to torment people.

Now with that understanding as the background, we’re introduced in verse five to a man Jesus is going to heal. And what I’d like us to consider as we begin our examination of this event in Jesus’ ministry, is that this man is clearly not dying. He’s been sick for 38 years. But more importantly, he’s not really living either. And I have a feeling that you may be able to relate to that. I know I can.

I know what it’s like to be alive but not really living, not experiencing the life Jesus meant for me. And if that sounds familiar to you too, get ready. The passage before us is going to reveal how we can see our Savior turn that around. And I invite you to meet here next time to start that journey.

The final nine verses of John chapter four provide us with the record of Jesus healing the nobleman’s son. And among other things, it teaches us a very important lesson about faith.

There are actually three types of faith on display in this passage.

The first is what I call “what-have-I-got-to-lose” faith. And it’s based on what Jesus might do. It’s the kind of faith the nobleman exercised when he traveled all the way from Capernaum to Cana to see if Jesus could help his dying son. And it’s the kind of faith that motivates our desperate prayers for help when we find ourselves facing challenging circumstances. It’s not very deeply rooted, but it is a form of faith most of us can relate to.

Another of the kinds of faith on display in this account is what I call “what-an-amazing-God-we-have” faith. And it’s based on what Jesus has done. It’s the kind of faith described in verse 53 and experienced by the nobleman after receiving the news that his son had been healed. This is the kind of exultant, shout-it-from-the-rooftop faith we all hope to experience as we rejoice in the answer to a prayer. It’s an easy kind of faith that erupts unbidden from our grateful hearts.

And all of us hope that we will be able to jump directly from “what-have-I-got-to-lose” faith to “what-an-amazing-God-we-have” faith. We want our desperate cries to God to always result in immediate and triumphant answers to our prayers.

But most of the time, a third type of faith needs to be exercised in the space between the other two. I call it “what-am-I-going-to-do” faith. And it’s based on what Jesus has said. It’s the kind of faith the nobleman exercised when he chose to obey Jesus’s command to return home trusting to be true what Jesus said about his son having been healed. This is a much more mature faith, and demands more of us spiritually. But it’s the kind of faith God is always seeking to develop in us when we face life’s trials.

I can’t know what types of challenges you’re facing today. But I do know that they provide you with an opportunity to hold tightly to God’s Word, to trust it, to act on it, and to discover what an amazing God we have.

In John chapter 4 verses 43-45, we see that after Jesus had spent a couple of days with the Samaritans, He continued His journey northward to his home REGION. But, there’s a glaring omission in this passage. It says He returned to His home REGION of Galilee, but it doesn’t say that He went to His home TOWN of Nazareth. But, we ARE told why He may have chosen not to go to there.

Verse 44 quotes Jesus as having said that a prophet is not honored in his “own country.” And that phrase, “own country,” is used in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark specifically as a reference to Nazareth. And in those passages, we’re told that Jesus couldn’t do many miracles there because of the unbelief of the people. And that unbelief was specifically due to their inability to accept that Jesus was more than just the local carpenter’s son, Mary’s boy, the kid down the street. Their expectations of Him were small because they had a limited definition of Him.

Now, their constrained view of Him didn’t really limit His power. But it did limit their ability to benefit from His power.

I’m in Honolulu, Hawaii on vacation. And I’ve been coming here at least once a year since 1996. That’s when I made more first trip here to speak in a conference. And I fell in love…with the people, the culture, the music, the pace, the climate, and the natural beauty. And most importantly, I found that of all the places I’ve been in this world, Hawaii is a place where I can truly rest. I’m not exactly sure why, and it may all be just in my head, but nonetheless, it’s become very important to me for that reason.

But, for the first 40 years of my life, I didn’t benefit from the power of this place. And that was specifically because of my limited definition of Hawaii. I considered it a place for surfers and sun-bathers. And since I’m not either of those, I couldn’t imagine why I would I want to come here.

So, needless to say, I’m deeply grateful to God for arranging for me to have my definition of Hawaii expanded so I could receive the blessings of this place.

And that makes me wonder, have I defined Jesus in a small, narrow, or constrained way that limits my ability to benefit from all He wants to do in my life? And the answer is, of course I have. The magnitude of our Savior is beyond description. So, any way I imagine Him is less than He truly is. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have my awareness of His greatness expanded. And THAT’S my goal for today. Jesus, help me embrace more of who you are.

In John chapter 4 verse 35, Jesus asked His disciples a question. He said, “Don’t you guys have a saying, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest?’” And then He went on to say, “But I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields. They are already white for harvest.” And of course, He was talking about the crowds of people that were right at that very moment on their way to Him from the city of Sycar to hear Him preach the gospel. And right away, it’s clear that Jesus sees the harvest of souls differently than most of us do.

Most of us, when we think about the people in the circles of our lives’ influence coming to faith, we think of it as a future event, something we are still working toward, that are we still planting, and watering, and feeding, and pruning. There’s work to be done. But Jesus said, “No.” He said, “Others have sown, others have labored. You get to reap. The harvest is now.”

Now the other day, one of my grandsons who’s almost three was with me. And I asked him to show me the vegetable garden that had helped his other set of grandparents plant on a fenced off area on their property. And so, we were on our way walking there. And getting close enough that I could see the rows of vegetables and flowers even though we weren’t close enough for me to see the signs that indicated which variety was which, I could tell the tomato plants. And I could see that there were a lot of green tomatoes. And I thought to myself, “You know, they’re going to have a sizable harvest of tomatoes in a little bit.”

And right about that point, my grandson who’d been walking right by my side, took off like a bolt of lightning and ran for those tomato plants. And before I knew it, he’d grabbed hold of the only red, ripe tomato in the bunch, pulled it off the plant, and ate it in about three bites. And I was like stunned. I thought, “Woah! Did I just witness my grandson eat a tomato of his own free will without being forced to?” And then, when I got passed the shock of that little statistic, I thought, “You know, I never even saw the red tomato.” But my grandson, that’s the only one he saw.

I think that when Jesus surveys the planting of His gospel garden He tends to focus on the red ones. I want to do more of that too.