John’s gospel has a stated purpose: “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). In this fourth sign, Jesus reaches out to a man who had an infirmity in the legs for 38 years. What can we gather from this sign to lead us to a fuller understanding of the Son and find reasons to plant our faith in Him?
1) During the sabbath, Jesus had commanded the infirm man in Bethesda to “take up your bed and walk” (John 5:8) when on the sabbath it was “not lawful for you to carry your bed” (John 5:10). Here, Jesus put Himself above the laws of the sabbath. Many of us don’t have life in Jesus because we are chained to the religious observances that aren’t designed in themselves to give life. Our outward motions and inward thoughts and intentions cannot grant us life. God pours life into a born-again disciple who is being transformed by the Spirit to seek Jesus, the Son of God. When your religious ways are not “working,” then point your faith to Jesus. He is actively working in those who hear and obey Him. The Son will give life in His name.
2) Jesus was sought after everywhere He went. In this event, the reverse happens and He sought the person. He is the shepherd seeking the lost lamb lying crippled and forgotten among the bushes. In these very words of Scripture, the Lord is seeking us when we may not be seeking Him. He breaks through the barriers of religious laws to reach our hearts directly. We can believe in a Savior like this. We can trust His healing words to lift us up. Jesus was the Son who did the will of the Father and went out to this man. We can expect that He will strengthen His own to be His hands and feet to reach others.
3) The man had been infirm for 38 years (John 5:5). The Lord told him to get up and walk, so the infirmity had affected his legs. The man did not know Jesus and His healing powers, so when Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6), the man rationalized his situation, showing he had no expectation of being made well (John 5:7). Jesus told him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk” (John 5:8), and when the man did, he found the strength to do so. The man’s faith expressed by obedience to Jesus’ words prompted him to make an effort. When we are crippled by our infirmities, we rightly see limits to what we can do. We may feel trapped by our circumstances. We conclude, “What’s the use?” But when Jesus speaks, suddenly a new door opens and new avenues of discovery appear to us. The man found help from a direction he did not expect, and he could walk again. Let’s remember that there is healing power in Jesus’ words when we hear and obey. His is the external power source that we would never imagine on our own. We won’t discover it until we take steps of obedience.
4) Jesus found the man in the temple, historically the place where God’s presence dwelt, and told him to “sin no more” (John 5:10-14). There, the man learned about Jesus and sin, and was able to explain to others who had healed him. When we continue learning of how Jesus came to save us from our sin’s condemnation; its corruption of the image of God in us; its enslavement to the flesh, the world and the devil; cutting off the power and presence of God, and more, we come to recognize the Son of God and find life in Him to a fuller measure. Like this man, we have something to share we never knew before. Jesus and His new kingdom, new life, and new wine came to replace the old in every way. Jesus’ body is the new temple. Come to Him and let Him teach you as you read the Word of God.
5) For doing this work on the sabbath day, Jesus was persecuted by the Jews and death stalked His steps (John 5:16-18). The altercation between Jesus and the Jews as a result of this healing on the sabbath opened the curtains so we can see what was going on behind the scenes. For instance, we learn that Jesus worked where the Father worked (John 5:17-20). In other words, when Jesus sought the man in Bethesda, it’s because He knew the Father was working there. He healed that one man because that’s where the Father was working. That’s why Jesus did not empty the place with healings, but that one person. When we approach life from the standpoint of seeking the will of God, then we’ll find ourselves working with God instead of against Him. There is life and fellowship in that partnership. Jesus, as God’s Son, rested in the will of His holy Father who loved Him. We are invited into that holy communion with the Father and the Son. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Take His yoke upon you and learn from Him (Matthew 11:29-30), as Jesus bore the easy yoke of the Father and learned. In that relationship of faith and obedience, the servant of God will find life in His name.
6) As we continue the conversation with Jesus, we find in this chapter Jesus’ most explicit claims to deity. For instance: “he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). The time is coming when “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live” (John 5:25). The Father “has given Him authority to execute judgment” (John 5:27). Any time you encounter a cult member who doesn’t believe Jesus is divine, just read this section of the chapter to him. These remarkable claims are the words of Jesus the Son of God. Ponder them seriously so that His divine nature will be clarified. We ought to honor the Son as we honor the Father (John 5:22-23). When our image of Christ is enlarged by meditation on statements like these, our faith has a chance to enlarge as well.
7) Jesus gave the Jews several reasons to believe in Him. For instance: “the works which the Father has given Me to finish … bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me” (John 5:36). “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me” (John 5:37), speaking of the time the Father blessed Him at His baptism verbally (Matthew 3:17). “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:46-47). The Old Testament is a rich source of blessing. Jesus is saying that it will enrich our faith life regarding the Son of God when we believe what Moses wrote. When we are in tune with the words of God in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, we’ll have a greater understanding of Christ and His saving mission for us and the world. From Genesis to Revelation—it’s all about Jesus. God was with Jesus to reconcile the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19).
