John 5: 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, will you be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another person steps down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
In the above passages we discover a man who was granted a day of new beginnings in life, by Jesus. As Jesus was passing by, he observed the man’s plight, and in His characteristic nature of love, offered the man, what he ardently desired in his innermost soul which was a fresh start in life, by being healed.
Even though it is true that persons can serve God in almost any physical condition, the fact is that when folks are not doing too well physically, it puts a sort of damper on one’s overall outlook, because being incapacitated as this man was, meant that certain unavoidable restrictions were placed upon him as a result.
One of the consequent byproducts of being in the condition of paralysis as he was, is that other folks could get to the front of the line before him, simply because they are physically able to. In our day there are many facilities available for physically disabled persons, so that such situations can be mitigated.
Yet, because of the sheer number of folks who were waiting for the opportune moment to get the first shot at the water when it moved it meant that there would be a rush, and trampling of sorts, such as the stampede we often see at Walmart and Brands mart on Black Friday.
His plight was therefore expressed in his mournful words of effort and defeat, effort and defeat, until in utter discouragement he had virtually given up on trying, as some persons in our day have. Let’s read:
John 5:7 The impotent man answered him Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another person steps down before me.
Thus, the man saw opportunity within reach, but he just couldn’t access it on account of his infirmity so, what Jesus offered him was a bridge over troubled waters, so that he could avoid the confusion at the front of the line and be healed.
There are many folks in our day who are struggling with some persistent physical issue, that just won’t go away, and like the man in the narrative, some of us could use a fresh start in life. We are reminded in the passages, that it is because of God’s goodness why such opportunities are granted.
There are times when persons may not ask God for healing, and yet, because of His goodness He might offer it. We are to be thankful in all situations, and especially in those cases where Jesus may do us a good turn, by reversing some physical misfortune.
That being said, there are four main takeaways in the narrative we would do well to ponder, even as we might be yearning in our own souls for a new lease on life. Here they are:
[1] The root cause of the man’s infirmity.
This first point has to do with the root cause of the man’s infirmity, which, according to the story, seems to be the result of a wrong course of action on his part. Let’s read:
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Although sickness, diseases, and infirmities are not always the result of wrongdoing, or an ill-advised course of action, yet, it is always good to check and see whether there may be any contributing factors on our part, and if there are, all necessary changes are to be made, wherever possible.
Health and well being do not come by accident, but are in most cases, the result of well-directed efforts on our part, to live in harmony with the principles, and laws of health God has given for our own good. Healthful living can be pretty evasive if diligence and consistency are not brought into the equation.
And thus, in cooperation with heavenly agencies the you and me are to stake out a course of action that will best facilitate the preferred outcome. Planning, as well as consistent execution are to be brought to bear in any effort, for this is how success is granted in most cases. Let’s read:
Exodus 15: 26 If thou will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that heals thee.
God is more practical and down to earth in giving us instructions than many people realize and therefore we are not to expect Him to work a miracle where it may be avoided. Supernatural power engaged in any healing via miracles is to be viewed as the last resort and not the first resource, as too many faith healers in our day have brainwashed persons into believing.
Again, in addressing the issue of Root cause, persons are to understand that in the overwhelming majority of cases, modern pharmaceuticals do not address the root causes. Instead, they will generally go for the low hanging fruit of treating symptoms.
For instance, Wegovy, Ozempic, and Zepbound do not address the root causes, and therefore, persons are liable to fall back into a relapse whenever those drugs are halted. In addition to being prohibitively expensive to maintain, they do nothing to address the lifestyle changes that are necessary.
In fact, if persons decide to go that route they would be well advised to incorporate the pertinent lifestyle changes that will facilitate long-term success, since the goal should be to eventually ween oneself off of the drugs, lest persons become addicted, or hooked for life.
We have not seen or heard or read anywhere in the Bible where it is God’s will that His people should be inextricably tethered to any drug for life if and when such a situation can be avoided. Let thorough, and exhaustive investigation be made as to root cause in our varying situations and God would certainly bless any diligent effort at a turnaround, because this is His will. Let’s read:
3rd John 1: 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.
This leads us to our second takeaway from the story of the man with his infirmity:
[2] Personal effort in cooperation with God is needed. Let’s read:
John 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.
It is true that Christ’s miraculous power was going to be employed, but the man was required to do all that he could do, by cooperating with God. This is one of the critically important points of learning and understanding how God works.
The Lord does not propose to do for us what we can do for ourselves, for this will foster complacency, or presumption. Instead, God desires that folks engage their utmost abilities and efforts, in tandem with His power, and thus, permanent success can and will be achieved, in most cases.
This concept can be derived from several instances that are recorded in Scripture and it’s God’s will that We would learn the nuts and bolts of a living faith in Him, whilst we can. For instance, when it came time to resurrect Lazarus the witnesses were not to stand idly by while Jesus did every single thing, including things that they could do. Let’s read:
John 11: 38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinks, for he hath been dead four days.
Jesus is going to pray, and He is scheduled to use His supernatural power in this instance but that doesn’t mean that the human agencies who are present are to be mere spectators. All that they can do must be done, because God’s miraculous power is generally engaged at the point where the human agents have done all that they can possibly do.
This does not only apply to the physical realm, for it applies equally to the spiritual realm as well. If, for some reason one has and addiction to the one-eyed monster, God does not propose to come down from heaven to personally switch off your remote control. The human agent will have to do this, and then, the prayer for deliverance from the addiction will have weight with God. Let’s read:
[The Desire of Ages pp 535] “Take ye away the stone.” Christ could have commanded the stone to remove, and it would have obeyed His voice. He could have bidden the angels who were close by His side to do this.
At His bidding, invisible hands would have removed the stone. But it was to be taken away by human hands. Thus, Christ would show that humanity is to co-operate with divinity. What human power can do divine power is not summoned to do. God does not dispense with man's aid. He strengthens him, co-operating with him as he uses the powers and capabilities given him.
Here it is again, because Christ’s miracle could have included setting the captive free from the shackles with which he was bound. But the human agents in the narrative could do this, and therefore, miracles are only engaged where absolutely needed. This is something that the human agent must never ever lose sight of. Let’s read:
John 11: 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42 And I knew that You hear me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
Therefore, when Jesus said to the man who had the infirmity for thirty-eight years “Take up thy bed and walk”, that instruction is to be interpreted as being pertinent to the you and me in the here and now, in whatsoever predicament we may find ourselves.
In other words, the correct perspectives on the use of miraculous power by God, inevitably, will include us doing the very best that we can do, and leaving no stone unturned, wherever applicable.
The Lord helps those who help themselves, as well as persons who cannot help themselves, but if we can, we must. This leads us to our third takeaway in the narrative:
[3] After Jesus heals persons, they should be found at church. Let’s read:
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus finds him in the temple….
The purpose of God in healing any person, is never only to heal the body, but rather to heal both soul, and body. Salvation is a holistic work which involves the entire person, and therefore, a healthy sinner is no more good to God than an atheist who may have infirmities.
In fact, a very sick saint is of far more value in God’s sight than a healthy rebellious individual who wants nothing to do with God, and for this reason, every time God engages His miraculous power to heal the body, the end purpose thereof is always to heal the soul, if or wherever such healing may be warranted.
The man with the infirmity in this instance headed straight to church, even though he knew not that it was The Savior of the world who had healed him. In other words, he must have felt a natural gratitude to God in his heart, and as a result, he gravitated to the nearest church, not only to thank God but hopefully to continue the journey of complete recovery.
Sadly, in our day, there are wannabe faith healers to be found, who only address the physical aspects of man’s well-being, and as a result the root cause and the spiritual aspects of the person’s problem are not addressed.
Thus, many faith healings are advertised for all who so desire, and persons attend these meetings, with no intention of making things right with God. Once the body is healed, many go right back to those old habits, both physical, and spiritual, which triggered the adverse consequences in the first place.
In other words, persons take the husk, without the kernel and leave Jesus holding the proverbial bag of salvation, with no interest whatsoever in giving their lives entirely to Christ, so that He could do His good work within them, and save the entire person.
Whenever God may heal you and me, and any other person for that matter, the first thing we should do is to follow the infirm man’s lead, and head straight to the nearest true church, so that God could finish the great work He started, when He first healed the physical body. This is enjoined without doubt, in the following passages of Scripture. Let’s read:
1st Thessalonians 5:1 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
23And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1st Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's.
[The Desire of Ages pp 823] Christ came to heal the sick, to proclaim deliverance to the captives of Satan. He knew that those who petitioned Him for help had brought disease upon themselves; yet He did not refuse to heal them.
And when virtue from Christ entered into these poor souls, they were convicted of sin, and many were healed of their spiritual disease, as well as of their physical maladies. The gospel still possesses the same power, and why should we not witness the same results today?
This leads us to our fourth and final takeaway from the narrative of the man with the infirmity, who was healed by Jesus:
[4] The warning against a relapse.
The man in the story had brought adversities upon himself, as the natural result of wrong-doing, and it would be critically important for him not to fall into a relapse, by again indulging in the very same things that did him in originally.
Whatever it was, that had caused the infirmity, the Bible does not say, but what it does say is that Christ found it necessary to go looking for the man to issue a personal caution, against relapsing into his former errors. And it came with a specific warning, that the second time around will be very much worse than at the first.
Persons who desire healing, whether it be physical, or spiritual, will really need to understand the grave import of what Christ is saying to the man. Relapse, in and of itself, is never good, ask your doctors, and they will tell you.
But bad as relapse is, it becomes a whole lot worse, if, and when persons voluntarily do the very things which triggered the adverse situations in the first place. The second time around, the problem is more difficult to treat, and in some cases, it can result in a ton of irreversible, unnecessary damage to the one in question. Let’s read:
2nd Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
In one television ad, a person was featured, exhaling cigarette smoke through a hole in her throat, since the addictive habit, not being overcome, drove her to the point where a Stoma or hole, had to be put in her throat after her larynx had to be removed at the age of 42.
In the TV ad cigarette smoke could be seen billowing from the hole in her throat, and, it was then hoped that some poor souls would see it, and reason from cause to effect if haply they might avoid the adverse consequences that can accrue.
There are instances where a relapse can lead to a lot of devastating results, both to oneself, and to one’s family, if the warning Christ once gave to the infirm man goes unheeded. In the battle to lose weight, it becomes increasingly difficult every time one starts a program, and then stops, if and when, returning to the former ways.
In other words, with each relapse, the hurdles and challenges become greater, and ultimately require considerably more effort to overcome than previous attempts. Now, even though we encourage one and all to keep on trying, the facts on the ground point to increasing difficulty, with every relapse.
This is also true in the spiritual realm, and hence the reason why we must be on full alert, night and day, lest a gradual retrogression imperceptibly takes hold on us, and before you know it, we’re back to square one, or even worse.
Persons who were struggling with latent tendencies, deep in the recesses of the mind, and who, by God’s grace were able to make a turnaround, must greatly treasure their new lease on life, for it is a day of new beginnings that should lead to eternal life.
And, as such, being, and staying connected to your Only source of power should be the top priority at all times. Staying connected to Christ is the key to living victoriously, and therefore, whatsoever might be the urgency of the moment, nothing trumps our time with Christ, who alone is able to keep us from falling back into a relapse. Let’s read:
John 15: 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abides in the vine no more can you, except you abide in me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.
In the next few hours, if life permits, many of us will be graced with a day of new beginnings, and like the infirm man in the narrative, we too might have to do mortal battle against our internal, and external foes, of which the internal foes are the most dangerous.
Jesus, may also find it necessary to go looking for us personally as He once did with the infirm man, so as to issue a personal caution against relapsing into the former errors. Instead of dwelling on our failures, or licking our wounds, let us instead treasure the new lease on life God may grant us, determining by His grace to stay connected this entire new year.
God is in the business of putting Humpty- Dumpty back together again, and if folks will cooperate with Him, a day of new beginnings could translate into a victory that lasts unto eternal life, for this is the will of God concerning us. We therefore end with a passage of Scripture which should help us to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, and if we do, God, according to His gracious purpose will heal both body and spirit in due time. Let’s read:
Jude 1: 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Happy New Year Everyone!
God Bless!