John 5:1-9
Disappointment has to be one of the most difficult emotions
with which we have to deal in our lives.
It is hard when we get our hopes up only to have them come crashing down
around us. Desperation is often a
sentiment that precedes disappointment.
Today’s text tells the story of a man whose life was full of desperation
and disappointment. Jesus returns to
Jerusalem for one of the religious festivals, most likely Passover. While He is in the city He comes upon a place
with a multitude of sick people that were in hopes of being healed. Jesus reaches out to one of these men and his
life was changed forever.
WAITING: There was a place in Jerusalem where an angel would
come and stir the waters of a pool on certain occasions. The first person to get into the water after
they were stirred; would be healed. It
is impossible for us to know if this is what actually happened or if this was a
belief that the people had. I tend to
think it happened on occasion or it would have been very strange to have a
multitude of people waiting for this phenomenon to happen. It seems that the timing of the stirring of
the waters was random and infrequent which demanded a great deal of patience
and determination to wait for the waters to be stirred. It must have been an excruciating exercise in
patience to sit and wait. It must have
also been very disappointing to wait for long periods of time only to have
another person step into the water first.
Waiting is a vital part of the Christian walk because there are many
promises of Scripture that will only be fulfilled in the future. In some ways waiting for these promises are
more difficult because many of them will only be realized when we get to
heaven. In other ways, it is easier to
wait for these promises because all who have trusted Christ can be assured that
they will come true. We must be careful
to wait for these promises to be fulfilled in accordance with God’s will and
the teaching of Scripture.
WISHING: The fact that only one person could be healed per
stirring meant that by far and away the majority of the people who were waiting
were simply left wising that they had gotten there first. The man in our story was one of those who was
left wishing time after time. He had
been unable to walk for thirty-eight years.
We don’t know who long he had been waiting by the pool, but we do know
that he was unable to get to the water without the help of someone else. This left him wishing that he had someone to
help him, but it is hard to get someone to just sit and wait for something that
is so limited and uncertain. It must
have been a rather gruesome scene to see all these sick people gathered in one
place just watching and waiting and then when the waters stirred to see the mad
dash to be the first to make it into the pool.
One person would leave rejoicing in being heled while all the rest we
disappointed and left waiting and wishing again. There are many hopes that we cultivate in our
lives that are more wishful thinking than thy real promises of God’s Word. It is important for us to be able to discern
the difference. Many disappointments in
life come from unrealistic or unbiblical expectations. We need to be careful to place our hopes on
those things that are promised in God’s Word.
They will always come true.
WALKING: Jesus asks the man if he wants to be well. This seems like an obvious question but life
with the Lord is full of just these types of obvious questions: do you want to
be saved from sin? God enjoys hearing
that we recognize our own needs. The man
affirms that he wants to be healed but explains that it is highly unlikely
because of his inability to get to the water on his own. Jesus has compassion on him and simply tells
him to take up his bed and walk. The man
had spent nearly four decades without use of his legs but suddenly they sprang
into life and he was able to walk. God
is not dependent on angels or waters; He is able to heal without limit. The elation this man must have experienced is
hard to imagine. Illness is extremely
difficult, especially when it is so limiting as being unable walk. God has the power to remove these and all
other types of afflictions. Our greatest
affliction is sin. The main reason Jesus
came to earth was not to make lame people walk but to free men from their
bondage to sin. He died on the cross to
pay the price for all of our sin. When
we trust Him we are set free from sin and able to walk in the presence of God
without any spot or blemish. This is the
true healing that all of us need to experience and that all of us can
experience through faith in Jesus.
APPLICATION: Wait patiently for the promises of Scripture to
be fulfilled but be careful not to expect that which Scripture does not
promise. Thank God for His limitless
ability to set us free from sin. We are
not in competition with one another for the free gift of forgiveness. Trust Christ for salvation from sin and then
walk enjoying the freedom He purchased with His blood.
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