John 5:1-9 (third miracle)

"After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jurusalem, by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-za'tha, which has five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed. One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, 'Do you want to be healed?' The sick man answered him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me.' Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.' And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked."


Again, we cannot analyze the signs of Christ. They are there only to point us to God, and reveal things about Him.

Now the "healing pool" was an unreliable method of healing at best. The place where this pool was is a place that can be visited even to this day. Documents from history about this pool indicate that the water was a reddish color. That would indicate there was a chemical spring feeding this water, and when the spring would bubble up it would result in the water turning red and would also create a swirling motion. This was probably fed by an underground spring, or a mineral spring, causing people to believe that something supernatural was going on.

It makes sense that this is very likely what was going on here, thus, this guy being there a total of 38 flippin years.

When Kris preached on this last sunday he wanted to look at what would have been going on at both the very best and the very worst.

At the very best-
-this place represents a faint hope of healing

-There may have been times where someone had faith that God could meet
them and God met them at this place of healing.

At the very worst-
-this place was an idol dream designed to corral the sick and the infirmed
into one part of Jerusalem so the city wouldnt have to deal with them.

- they were selling a dream of healing so all the sick would get off the streets
and go to the pool hoping that a miracle would happen that wasnt going to
happen.

- this was a dark place of suffering and isolation


another thing to notice is how Jesus seeks out this guy. this is different from the first two miracles where Jesus was sought after. He seems to be looking for this man. The initiative in this story is entirely taken by Jesus. None is made by the sick man.

Jesus asks him, "do you want to get well." Kris talked about how if we are honest we would most likely assume this is a spretty dumb question Jesus is asking. We would assume that of course this man wants to be healed.

But we should ask ourselves why Jesus would ask this. This question is LOADED with meaning.
This man has been here for 38 years!! He has become accustomed to this environment.

Jesus is asking, "Do you want things to change, or have you grown so used to the statuesquo that you dont want things to change?"

"Are you content to leave this environment that you have become so accustomed to, so comfortable with? Are youready to exchange this for the unknown?"


Kris talked about how this third sign teaches us some things about Jesus Christ.

- that Jesus knows where to find us when we are in a really dark place

-that Jesus asks us questions rather than presuming that he knows what
we want.

-that Jesus knows what we need, but he wants to know if we know what we
really want.

- that we can choose whether to work with Him or work against Him.


And finally, that JESUS IS WILLING TO HELP ANYONE.

if you are struggling and stuck and confused at this little thing we call life,and willing to admit it, this is great news.

But if your a self-rightous Christian then this is terrible news for you because it may mean Jesus doesnt hate the people you hate. And doesnt want to stone the people you may want to stone.

ARE WE WILLING TO BE OPEN AND HONEST ABOUT WHO WE REALLY ARE?

cause if were not willing to start there, we will continue to participate in a false sense of
community that will hinder our growth as believers and keep us focussed on the signs rather than on God.

BUT IF WE ARE, ARE WE ABLE AND WILLING TO EXCHANGE THE FAMILIAR MISERY THAT WE EXPERIENCE, THAT BRINGS COMFORT TO US IN PERVERSE WAYS, FOR SOMETHING OTHER?

~In His Grip~