Healing (John 4:43-5:9)

 

Healing (John 4:43-5:9)

 

At The Pool of Bethesda
Nathan Greene

A man told his doctor, “There’s something weird going on with my leg. Put your stethoscope on my thigh.” The doctor listens and hears “You got $20? Give me 20 bucks.” The doctor was amazed! “I’ve never encountered anything like this!” The patient said, “Now listen to my knee!” He listened and heard, “Give $10. You got $10?” The doctor shook his head in amazement. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Listen to my ankle” the patient said. The doctor listened and heard the ankle say, “I just need $5! I swear, that’s all I need.”

The doctor said to the man, “Although this is remarkable, in my years of experience I’d say your leg is broke in three places.”

 

According to the World Health Organization, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Good health means an enjoyable existence. Poor health complicates life. Leading health risks include:

 

Heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death for Americans

 

Cancer strikes 1.6 million Americans every year.

 

Major depression affects 7% of the population.

Suicide is the #2 killer of young adults ages 10-35.

 

Good health is achieved and maintained by

 

Proper weight

Adequate sleep

Controlled appetite

Good nutrition

Physical exercise (15-20 minutes of cardio daily)

Stress management

          Deep breathing, yoga, meditation, poetry, music, creative arts, nature, social interaction, solitude, etc.

 

Chief contributors to poor health include

 

Unhealthy diet: high fat, high sugar, junk food, no vegetables,   

     preservative chemicals in processed foods

Lack of physical activity

Tobacco & Alcohol consumption

A regular intake of negativity… Social Networks, News, etc.

 

The World Health Organization fails to mention spirituality. Spirituality is about one’s relationship with God. It is about valuing and enhancing that primary relationship. Healthy spirituality contributes to a healthy mind and body. It is foundational to self-esteem and engenders positive relationships with others. When one trusts in the love and mercy of God, one tends to be kind to themselves and to others.

 

Our trust in the power of God is a core resource to healing. Jesus exhibited God’s power when he healed the royal official’s son. He simply decreed it to be so, from 20 miles away. The story of the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda has something to say about our role in God’s gift of health.

 

The pool was located to the north of the temple complex. It was as large as a basketball court with two pools. The upper pool received water from the surrounding valley. The lower pool was filled by the upper pool through a sliding gate. When water from the upper pool flowed into the lower pool, the water’s surface stirred. The local lore held that an angel stirred the waters. Due to mineral deposits in the surrounding valley, the incoming water was red, giving it a blood-like color. This led to the local belief that the waters of the pool of Bethesda had healing power. Those who first entered the pool, when the waters stirred, were healed. We are not told the credibility of this belief, but it was popular enough that the pool was lined with many lame, blind, and sick.

 

Jesus came to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. It’s possible that the Feast of Weeks and Pentecost was the occasion. The Feast of Weeks follows Passover by 7 weeks. It’s a celebration of the harvest of wheat in late spring or early summer. The Jews also celebrated the gift of Torah on Mt Sinai during the feast.

 

You may remember that the Hebrew people were freed from Egyptian slavery and spent a year or so at the foot of Mt Sinai. After the Sinai encampment, they wandered in the wilderness for 38 years. (Dt 2:14) The age of the paralyzed man is 38, a likely nod to the wilderness experience of Israel.

 

As we have discussed in our exploration of the gospel of John, the spiritual blindness of the Jews is a major theme. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 38 years precisely because they did not trust God. They complained and grumbled. They bickered and argued. They wanted to go back to slavery due to the scarcity of food and water. John is implying something about disbelief and the paralyzed condition of the man. He represents the spiritual paralysis of a nation.

 

Jesus asked the paralyzed man if he wants to be healed. He doesn’t give Jesus a yes or no answer. Instead, he offers an excuse. He has no one to help him into the pool and everyone else gets in ahead of him. By the time he crawled to the pool, its healing power had diminished. So, he sat there day after day on his mat, lying on his excuses.

 

I know when I consider my own health, I rely on lots of excuses. I’m too tired to exercise. When it comes to eating ice cream or popcorn I tell myself I got to enjoy life. Yet my choices lead to weight gain and a build up of sugars, salts and fats my body has to process. It leads to less energy and bodily aches and pains. But I still lay back with TV remote in hand and lie on my excuses like the paralyzed man lies upon his mat.

 

What excuses keep you from improving your spiritual and physical health?

 

What might motivate you to get up off your excuses?

 

Jesus told the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat, and walk!” The Greek for “get up” is the same word used when talking about raising the dead. How might your faith in Jesus give you the energy to rise up into new life with Him?

 

Jesus told the man to take up his mat. The Greek carries the idea of taking charge, taking hold of, taking responsibility. The man rose in the power of God and took responsibility for his mat, the thing he relied upon. The man shifted from relying on excuses to relying upon the powerful command of Christ. He obeyed, and as a result, he walked into newness of life.

 

How might you take charge of your life? How might you take responsibility for your physical, mental and spiritual health?

 

The things that contribute to good health are good nutrition, exercise (use it or lose it), and self-control. The apostle Paul says that we Christians take every thought captive for Christ. That means practicing self-control in what we read, watch, and listen to. Good mental health is maintained with good thoughts. Studying the scriptures and faith related books will help to strengthen mental health. Spiritual practices that connect you to the grace of God, help to build spiritual health. And the discipline of exercise builds physical health. We need a “take charge” attitude to achieve and maintain good holistic health.

 

Jesus told the man to take up his mat and walk. And the man obeyed Jesus. He got up in the resurrection power of God. He took responsibility for his mat, the symbol of his excuses. And he walked.

 

We are going to talk more about this man’s walk next Sunday, but for today let’s acknowledge that his walk was with Jesus. Jesus told him to stop sinning before something worse happens to him. His walk required a change to embrace his new life in Christ.

 

The Bible connects poor health to sinful lifestyles. The Jews understood that obedience to God, by keeping his covenant, meant the blessings of good health, prosperity, peace, and plenty. They understood that poor health, poverty, and conflict were often related to disobedience, failing to keep the law.

 

When the disciples saw a blind man they asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?” (John 9:2) When Jesus healed a paralyzed man in Mark’s gospel, He told him that his sins were forgiven. Then he told him to get up, take your mat, and go home. (Mark 2:1-11)

 

When thinking about our overall health, our relationship with God is crucial to the full blessings of spiritual, mental and physical health. When it comes to your health, would you say your relationship with God is one of trust and obedience? The old hymn tells us there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to Trust and Obey.

 

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

 

 

 

 

 

But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

 

Those words were written after a D.L. Moody revival in Brockton, Massachusetts (1866). A man came to faith in Christ at the revival. As he witnessed, he shared, “I am not quite sure—but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.” Music composer Daniel B. Towner jotted down those words and sent them to Presbyterian minister J.H. Sammis and the hymn was born. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

 

When Jesus began his public ministry, He preached, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:15) In other words, turn away from sin and turn to God in obedience, and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, then walk with Him into new life.

 

As we celebrate holy communion today, we remember that it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus that we may walk with Him in the Kingdom of God. It is because of Jesus’ sacrifice that our sins are erased. And it is because of the resurrection of Jesus that we may enjoy the fullness of God’s blessings. The fullness of life that God wishes to give us come through our trust and obedience in the way of Jesus. So lay upon the altar today your excuses. In the power of the Lord, Get up! Take responsibility for your health. And walk with Jesus into abundant life.