Seeing Christ in All of
Scripture
All of Scripture is telling
one story. It’s a story about Jesus and our need for Him. In John 5:39 Jesus says, “You have your heads in your Bibles
constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the
forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!” (MSG). Every single
text of Scripture points to Christ. And it tells us how we may have eternal
life in him and through him. In particular, Jesus Christ makes ultimate claims
for himself in the Gospels. Nowhere is this more obvious than in John 5.
Today’s passage reveals and proclaims Christ-exalting truth: Who Jesus is and
how we should respond to this truth.
Jesus Is All-Knowing
So who is Jesus? First of
all, Jesus is all-knowing. In today’s passage Jesus goes to Jerusalem from Galilee to meet one
man. In verse 6 John uses the Greek particle gnous which refers to
supernatural, divine knowledge. Jesus knew this man’s situation. He knew
that he had been paralyzed for 38 years. He knew that he had already
been there a long time. And more importantly, Jesus knew that the man had been
there a long time without hope. He knew that his mind as much as
his body was sick and paralyzed. The place where the man was lying down was
called “Bethesda” in Aramaic, which means “house of mercy.” At that
time this place was known as a healing sanctuary among people. But what an
irony! In this healing place, there were a multitude of invalids who had never
experienced healing. This man was one of them. Probably, at first the man came
to Bethesda with hope. He was eager to be healed. He got up early in the morning and kept
watching a pool. But, little by little he began to get used to his life in this
place. He got used to a dull life. He got used to maintaining the status quo. He
got used to making excuses and complaints. He said, “I am not healed because no
one helps me.” In fact, deep down in his heart he already gave up being healed.
He already accepted this powerless life as his fate. He even became confident
that it would be impossible to be healed based on his 38 years of experience. And
Jesus knew all this. That is why he asked the man, “Do you want to be
healed?” (6) Jesus knows you and me (Ps. 139). Jesus is all-knowing.
Jesus Is Compassionate
Jesus is also
compassionate. Have you ever thought
why did Jesus choose to come and heal this particular man? There were many
other invalids there, but this man is picked out by Jesus, and no reason is given
for his choice. It looks like Jesus healed him not because he had great faith
or he was a prayer warrior, but simply because his situation was so miserable
for so long. It looks like the healing came from Jesus’ compassion, not the
man’s faith or righteousness. You see, when Jesus asks “Do you want to get
well?” He doesn’t say, “Yes”; rather, he makes excuses, complaints, and blames
others. Basically, what he says is this: “I am not healed because no one helps
me! I am miserable because no one cares for me!” But Jesus graciously ignores
the man’s complaint and says, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk!” (8) This is
grace! Let us think about the life of the man paralyzed in the first century.
Consider the problem of personal hygiene. Paraplegics frequently do not have
bowel and bladder control. If we consider this, we can easily imagine this
man’s life: People moved him from place to place unless he crawled; most of his
income came from begging or from the charity of friends and family; and if he
did not have bladder or bowel control, his hygiene problem would have been
enormous. People stayed away from him. No one wanted to be near to him. He was
the lowest of the low. Probably his suffering and isolation was beyond measure.
Jesus knew this. Jesus knew this man and his situation. And he was moved with
compassion. He chose to meet this man and heal him. We are healed, we are
forgiven, we are loved, we are saved because he is gracious and compassionate,
not because we did something to earn his favor (cf. Ps 103:8-14; Eph 2:8-9).
Jesus Is Powerful
Jesus
not only knows us and is +compassionate
with us, but also he is powerful. He is able to save us. He is able to
heal us. When Jesus said to the man, “Get up,” the Bible says “at once” the man
was healed (9). Jesus’ powerful word heals the man. By his word he created the
heavens and the earth. By his word he made something out of nothing. By his
word he divided the Red Sea in two. By his word he struck down the enemy. By his
word he gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that don’t yet
exist (Rom 4:17 ). One time Jesus
helped people all day and now he was so tired. So as soon as he got on the
boat, he fell fast asleep. Then the great storm came. Jesus’ disciples cried
out and woke him up. I love how the Jesus Storybook Bible describes this
incident: “Jesus stood up and spoke to the storm. “Hush!” he said. That’s all.
And the strangest thing happened… The wind and the waves recognized Jesus’
voice. They had heard it before, of course – it was the same voice that made
them, in the very beginning. They listened to Jesus and they did what he said.
Immediately the wind stopped. The water calmed down.”[1] Amen.
Psalm 29:4 says, “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is
majestic!” When Jesus speaks to us, our soul is revived.
Jesus Is Equal with God
In verse 9 John purposely
says that the day on which this healing took place was a Sabbath. Why is
this important? Why did Jesus heal this man on Sabbath? It is because Jesus
wanted to invite Jewish leaders and us to stop and think who he really is. When
the religious leaders saw the man healed on Sabbath, they were mad and said,
“It is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” Then later, they accused Jesus
of breaking the Sabbath. Jesus said to them, “My Father is working until now,
and I am working” (17). Then they were seeking even more to kill him because
they thought Jesus made himself equal with God (18). Actually, they saw his
point: “Jesus is equal with God.” But they didn’t want to admit that truth.
They were expectantly waiting for their Messiah a long time. And now here he
is. They are supposed to celebrate their Christ. They are supposed to celebrate
this healing with the man. But they are angry and mad. What are they mad at?
Why are they so angry with Jesus? It is because of their spiritual sickness. Karl
Barth tells us a story about people who live in a wilderness alongside a canal.
The canal was there to bring them water and life, and it was with great effort
and cost that the project was built for their place in time. Great sacrifices
were made, and many died as the canal was cut through mountain and desert. But
the great irony is that the canal has become dry, and while its walls still
convey evidence of the coursing of water, there is nothing there that can give
life to anyone. Nevertheless, the people continue to service it, to defend it,
to name their children after its architects and engineers; but it is only an
historic thing. A canal meant to convey something— water and life— now has become
static, an end instead of a means. Something for the museum. People tell
stories about it instead of drink from it. And no one has a memory of what
water in the canal really looks like.[2]
Taste and See!
Empty canals! Empty religion!
But the Bible says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Ps 34:8a)
And Jesus also says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water
will flow from within him” (John 7:37 -38).
Jesus is all-knowing, compassionate, and powerful. And most importantly,
Jesus is equal with God. Do you believe this? Come to Jesus and be
healed! Come to Jesus and drink! Come to Jesus and taste and see the fountain
of living water! Do not just tell stories about it but drink from it. Let
rivers of living water be up to your ankles, your waist, your neck, and go over
your head! Let this water fully control you, empower you, and revive you! And
your life will flourish wherever this water flows! (Ezekiel 47:1-12) Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment