CHAPTER FIVE

The healing at the pool

1. Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews 2. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie – the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.

5. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long tine, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

7. “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I a trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

8. Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

9. At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10. And so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”



11. But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

12. So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

13. The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away in the crowd.

14. Later, Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Life through the Son

16. So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17. Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” 18. For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

 

Passage to Read
John 4:34 - 35


We are on this planet for purposes greater than having a career, loving our families and being model citizens. God's purpose for humanity is summed up in 2 Peter 3:9, which says, "[God] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (p. 1436).

Hard as it is to grasp, God has chosen us to be his agents on earth (see 2 Corinthians 5:20, p 1328). He's given us the high honor of speaking on his behalf and wants us to become contagious Christians - his agents, who will first catch his love and then enthusiastically offer it to all who are willing to consider it until there's an "epidemic" of changed lives.

Jesus modeled this in John 4 when he talked with a wayward Samaritan woman by a well. When afterward his disciples offered him food, he replied, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work ... I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest" (verses 34-35).

In essence Jesus was saying, "I just played a part in fulfilling God's objective of reaching this messed-up world - and I eat that up!" Really! He called this activity his "food" because nothing satisfied him more than furthering God's redemptive purpose for humanity. We too can experience this fulfillment, which transcends the realm of the ordinary, by sharing our faith.

When we take part in "harvesting" souls longing for God, we reap personal spiritual benefits. Our own relationship with God becomes an exciting adventure as he stretches us beyond our comfort zones. as we tackle the challenges that are a part of advancing his kingdom, our faith becomes stronger. As we routinely go beyond our comfort zone, we know we're OK because God is in control.

Holding on to our faith, rather than sharing it, puts our spiritual life at risk. Bible study becomes a chore, and prayer becomes a dry routine. The miracle of our own conversation becomes a distant memory. And going to church and worshiping are things we just do. But, when we flee spiritual lethargy and experience others turning to Jesus Christ, our desire for fresh glimpses into God's character and truth flourishes.

With the effort to spread our faith comes motivation for spiritual growth. We've got to read our Bible in order to know what we're talking about! Prayer and worship? How could you not express gratitude to a God who so graciously and patiently extends his love to rebels like we were and like many of our friends still are? And as for personal purity, we're God's representatives. Our behavior really matters because it positively or negatively impacts the lives of others.

"Ugh, I don't have the energy for such responsibility!" Fear not. God compensates for our weakness according to Jesus' promise in Acts 1:8, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (p.1245).

"But, I don't live in Jerusalem, Judea or Samaria," you might be thinking. Don't worry. The "ends of the earth" include everything from the Big Apples to Onaka, South Dakota. Whether it's at a desk, a restaurant, a construction site, a basketball court or over a podium, all that's required is being yourself within your sphere of influence.

Sure, there are also costs involved in sharing the love and truth of Christ - potential rejection and eye rolling, being avoided or mocked - but it's worth it when you understand that the costs are ultimately investments that pay eternal dividends.

 

 

page 7

THE STARTING POINT STUDY BIBILE New International Version
The Luis Palau Evangelistic Association / www.luispalau.org