John 5:1-15
Read John 5:1-15
Helpful Background Information:
John, a disciple of Jesus, wrote His gospel account so that all would believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that there is life in His name (John 20:31). He records seven signs that Jesus performs to point to Jesus as the Messiah, and this encounter is the third sign.
This encounter takes place during a Jewish festival in Jerusalem at the Pool of Bethesda, located close to the sheep gate. The sheep gate was near the temple and was used to bring sacrificial sheep/lambs to the temple. The pool of Bethesda, which means “house of mercy,” is where crowds of sick and disabled people stayed, as it was believed that every now and then the pool would be stirred up by an angel and whoever got in the pool first would be healed.
The Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day, and were so caught up in keeping the law of God that they missed the love of God. The Pharisees had turned the Sabbath, made by God for man, into a ritualistic law to follow rather than a day of true fellowship with God. Jesus came to challenge the heart of the Pharisees and reveal to us the character of God.
Reflection Questions:
Where are you placing your hope and trust in? To whom or what are you looking for healing? By whose terms do you want to get well- on your terms or on God’s?
What has you paralyzed? Where are you limiting God and his ability to make you all that He wants you to be? Ask the Lord to reveal in your heart where your view of Him may be inaccurate, small, or limiting. Are there areas of life that we have accepted less than God’s best, where we’ve allowed ourselves to be paralyzed, and become familiar with it so that we find ourselves in a state of bondage over this limitation? Ask the Lord to free you from the bondage of these limitations we’ve placed on ourselves and God!
This man was disabled, had no one to help him, and couldn’t help himself. His hope was entirely misplaced and constantly let him down. Jesus removed the barrier/hindrance from the man so he could go to the temple and worship- to live healed. Jesus met both the physical and spiritual needs of this man, and we as a church are to go and do the same for others. Where in your life can you serve others and meet a physical need that could then open a door to a spiritual conversation? What does that look like practically? Make a plan for how you can serve someone this week (and then do it!).