“Do You Want to Get Well?” (John 5:1-9)

“My Life Will Never Change”

Several years ago an elderly mother and her adult son stopped by the church office. They were looking for some financial support and visiting different churches, making their rounds on a regular basis. While I was having a conversation with them, I really wanted to help them not just one-time financial support, but help them to break out of a vicious circle. So I shared the good news and invited them to come to church. But they said, “I have never been to church for more than 20 years. I am unholy. If I go to your church, the church will be falling apart.” I said, “No, we are all broken people, but Jesus is able to help you. He is able to save if you turn to him.” But they insisted, “No, my life will never change.” And they walked away.

Do You Want to Get Well?

How sad! But some of us in this room may feel like things will never change in certain areas in our life. Some of us feel like our prayers are not answered. Some of us feel like healing doesn’t come. If you feel that way, today’s message is for you. In today’s passage we meet a man who had been ill for 38 years. At that time there were hundreds of sick people – blind, crippled, paralyzed – laying on the porches. But for some reason, Jesus saw this particular man lying there, and he knew that this man had been there a long time. Here in verse 6 the Greek word gnous, translated as “to know” refers to supernatural, divine knowledge. Jesus knew what this man was going through. Jesus knew that he had been sick for 38 years. More importantly, Jesus knew that his mind was just as sick as his body. Jesus knew that he had been there a long time without hope.

Perhaps, at first this man came to Bethesda (“healing place”) 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 dull life at Bethesda. He began to get up late. For him, everyday became the same. Eventually, he had lived in Bethesda, the healing place, for 38 years. But ironically, he had never experienced healing there. He just got used to his dull, powerless life. He got used to maintaining the status quo. He came to believe, “I will never be healed.” “My life will never change.” Deep in his heart he already gave up being healed. He already accepted this powerless life as his fate.

Once I had a chance to ride an elephant while I was in Thailand as an exchange student. I was amazed how this big elephant was so submissive to his trainer. And after that, I heard how they train an elephant. It was very simple and easy. First, a trainer just ties an elephant to a stake. Of course, at first the elephant tries hard to escape. But later on, the elephant gives up and just stands beside the stake. Then the trainer unties the rope. The amazing thing is that the elephant would never try to run away any longer although he is untied.

The invalid became exactly the same as the tame elephant. Now his heart was filled with despair. Jesus knew that this man’s illness of the mind, disease of despair, had to be healed first. So Jesus asked this strange question, “Do you want to get well?” The man didn’t say, “Yes.” But instead, he said, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Basically, he was making excuses, complaining, and blaming others. “I am not healed because no one helps me! I am miserable because no one cares for me!” But nevertheless, Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk!” Many of us grew up in the church. We got used to living here in this place. We feel comfortable. We feel at home. But, have you experienced healing and transformation through Jesus Christ in this place? Jesus is asking us today, “Do you want to get well?”

Healing on the Sabbath

In verse 9 the Apostle 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 the sabbath? It is because Jesus wanted to reveal his glory. He wanted to reveal who he is to the Jews and to us. When the Jews saw the man healed, they were mad and said, “It is not lawful for you to take up your bed on the sabbath.” Then later, they accused Jesus of breaking the sabbath. Jesus said to them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” After this, they were seeking even more to kill him because they thought Jesus made himself equal with God. Actually, they saw his point: “Jesus is equal with God.” But they refused to believe. They refused to come to Jesus to have life. They were expectantly waiting for their Messiah for a long time. And now there he is. They should celebrate their Christ. They should celebrate this healing and rejoice with the man. But instead, they are angry and furious. Why are they mad at the healed man? Why are they so angry with Jesus? It is because of their spiritual sickness – a deadly disease of legalism. They did rigidly observe the sabbath. But they couldn’t celebrate the sabbath. There was no joy, no life, no power in their religious life.

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 the project cost them a great effort. Great sacrifices were made, and many even died when the canal was cut through mountain and desert. But the great irony is that the canal has become dry, and while they still see 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 a 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 drinking from it. And no one has a memory of what water in the canal really looks like.[1]

A Life-Quake

If the invalid was an irreligious person who believed superstitions and struggled with despair and self-pity, the Jews were religious people filled with pride, and a self-righteous, judgmental spirit. Jesus invited both of them. Jesus loves both religious hypocrites and irreligious people. Jesus loves the healthy and the sick, the self-righteous and the self-pity. Jesus loves them all. Jesus invites all of us, saying, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'” (John 7:37-38, NRSVue).

Today’s passage is called the third sign. At least seven signs are written in John’s Gospel, and each sign points us to the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, so that we may believe this glorious truth and have life in his name (cf. 20:30-31).

For me personally, I love “a life-quake” metaphor that Pastor Tim Keller used to compare the Lordship of Jesus Christ based on his own conversion experience[2]:

When a great big truck goes over a tiny little bridge, sometimes there's a bridge-quake, and when a big man goes onto thin ice there's an ice-quake. Whenever Jesus Christ comes down into a person's life, there's a life-quake. Everything is reordered. If he was a guru, if he was a great man, if he was a great teacher, even if he was the genie of the lamp, there would be some limits on his rights over you. If he's God, you cannot relate to him at all and retain anything in your life that's a non-negotiable. Anything … any view, any conviction, any idea, any behavior, any relationship. He may change it, he may not change it, but at the beginning of the relationship you have to say, "In everything he must have the supremacy."

Jesus’ question is still valid: “Do you want to get well?” It might be a physical illness or an illness of the mind, or both, or something else. Whatever it is, if your answer is “Yes, I want to be healed,” then come to Jesus right now with a trusting heart. He knows what you are going through. Let him in. Love him. Savor him. Worship him. Give him full control. And streams of living water will flow from your heart. Your life will never be the same. Amen.

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[1] Gary M. Burge, The NIV Application Commentary: John (Zondervan, 2000), 137.

[2] Tim Keller, “The Lordship of Christ Is 'A Life-Quake,” https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2016/march/3031416.html

                                                  *The Bethesda Pool

“Good Seed, Good Soil” (Matthew 13:1-9)

 

Transforming Power of the Gospel

Philosopher and educator George Steiner, who wrote extensively about the impact of Holocaust, cautions us “that one can read Goethe or Rilke in the evening, that he can play Bach and Schubert, and go to his work at Auschwitz the next day.”[1]

God’s word has a transforming power. “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb 4:12, NRSV)

God’s word is always good seed. It always has great potential to change our lives. But we need to be willing to be formed, shaped, and transformed. In today’s passage Jesus tells us there are four different soils of the heart. As we listen, may we examine our hearts and respond to God’s word today.

Seed on Paths

A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road. Birds came and ate it right away. They are ones who have hard hearts. They may hear the word of God but don’t take it in. It just remains on the surface. So the evil one comes along and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.

They are like the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, who were against Jesus from the start. From the beginning they were following Jesus and listening to his word – not to learn and believe, but to trap him into saying something for which he could be arrested (cf. Mark 12:13). Their hearts were not right. Or how about the Israelites in the wilderness? They received the Ten Commandments from God, they heard God’s word through Moses, they saw God’s glory and miracles. But they put God to the test over and over again, turning a deaf ear to God.

So God said to them and says to us through David’s psalm, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Jesus says, “He who has ears, let him hear” (Matt 13:9).

Seed on Rocky Places

The second type of soil is rocky ground. It signifies “superficial” heart. When they hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, no commitment, no room for Jesus and his word. Self is still at the bottom (foundation) of their heart. So when trouble comes because of the word, they fall away. They backslide.

In Pilgrim’s Progress, when Christian started his journey, there were a couple of neighbors who followed Christian and tried to persuade him to go back. One was Obstinate (hard heart) and the other Pliable (superficial heart). Obstinate went back home complaining and denouncing Christian. Pliable came with him for a little while. When Pliable heard the good news from Christian, he received with joy and walked along with him. He liked the promise of eternal life, he liked the promise of heaven where there is no sorrow, no illness, no death. Then both of them fell into the Slough of Despond. Pliable became angry with Christian, saying, “Is this the happiness that you spoke? If we have had such a bad beginning, who knows what dangers we will run into before the journey is over?” Then, he managed to get out of the bog and returned home in anger. Christian saw him no more. This is the person who has shallow heart.

Seed among Thorns

The third type of soil is crowded with thorns. The parable of the Sower is written in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Mark’s version says this way: “The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.” (4:19-20) In other words, they have good potential to be fruitful in their lives, but sadly, they are choked out by competing priorities. They spend too much time and energy for what to eat, what to wear, how to live a comfortable life.

Once Søren Kierkegaard was asked what sort of effort could be made to pursue the kingdom of God. “Should a person get a suitable job in order to exert a virtuous influence?” His answer was, “No, we must first seek God’s kingdom.” “Then should we give away all our money to feed the poor?” Again his answer was, “No, we must first seek God’s kingdom.” “Well, then perhaps we are to go out and preach this truth to the world that people are to seek first God’s kingdom?” Once again the answer is a resounding: “No, we are first to seek the kingdom of God.” Kierkegaard concludes, “Then in a certain sense it is nothing I shall do. Yes, certainly, in a certain sense it is nothing, become nothing before God, learn to keep silent; in this silence is the beginning, which is, first to seek God’s Kingdom.”[2] Oftentimes good things become our idols. We must learn and practice to put God first. And it is the matter of the heart.

Seed on Good Soil

Seed on the paths, seed on rocky places, seed among thorns, and now seed on good soil. Jesus expounds this parable in Luke in this way: “But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.” (8:15)

It’s a marathon not a spirit. It’s a long obedience in the same direction. Only the person who receives the message, holds on no matter what, sticking with it with perseverance, lives the fruitful and abundant life that Jesus promised.

Arabian horses are renowned horses. They are trained rigorously in the middle eastern deserts. The horses must learn to fully obey their master. Part of the training is this. Water is taken away from them for several days. After this, turn them loose near water. As the horses get to the edge of the water, and just before they drink of the much needed water. The trainer blows his whistle. If the horses have learned to obey, they turn around and come back to the trainer who then gives them as much water as they need.[3]

God knows what his children need and wants to supply it, but first we must trust and obey him. My prayer is that we may learn to trust God and his word with endurance, so that we may produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times and give glory to our heavenly Father. Amen.

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[1] Austin Carty, The Pastor's Bookshelf: Why Reading Matters for Ministry (p. 138). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.

[2] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, Special Anniversary Edition (p. 87). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

[3] “Training Arabian Horses,” https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/training-arabian-horses

Easy Yoke II (Matthew 11:25-30)

 

(Maria Lang, "My Yoke Is Easy")

Why and How

Last year (May 15, 2022) I preached on today’s passage with the title “Easy Yoke.” In the message the main question was “Why did Jesus say it is an ‘easy’ yoke?” The yoke is easy, not because the burden is light and comfortable, but because we are yoked to Jesus and he carries most of the weight. That’s why the yoke is easy and bearable no matter how heavy the burden is. 

Today’s message is a sequel to last year’s message. The question of the day is “How do we experience the easy yoke?” We will answer to that question as we explore the following hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus (UMH 526)” – stanza by stanza. This poem was written by Joseph Scriven who was suffering from ill-health and depression. He wrote this poem to comfort his elderly mother.   

Stanza 1: “Everything”

“How do we experience Jesus’ easy yoke especially when we are down?” The first stanza answers this way:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear—
All because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

In the first stanza the word “everything” stands out. We can take everything to God in prayer. The Book of Psalms is our guide. There we find all of our emotions – fear, anger, loneliness, sadness, grief, lamentation, joy, happiness, and so on. The psalmists take all their emotions to God in prayer. Their raw and honest prayers speak to all of our emotions.

At this moment perhaps some of us may be grieving the loss of the loved one. Perhaps some may lament over conflicts and problems within the family. Perhaps some may feel hopeless because of their own brokenness and wounds. Perhaps some may feel all alone on their sick bed. Perhaps some may feel fearful and panicked as they lose their memories and their independence. All of our emotions, all of our burdens, we can take to the Lord in prayer!

Stanza 2: “Every Weakness”

The second stanza expounds further on how we can experience Christ’s easy yoke:

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Jesus knows our every trial, every temptation, every trouble, every sorrow, every weakness. On the night before Jesus was arrested, he prayed. He prayed for himself to be ready, but also he prayed for his disciples. He said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail, and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32).

Jesus knows our every weakness, and he prays for us. While Jesus was here on earth, he himself has gone through all the pain and all the testing. Jesus knows our pain. He bears our pain. He is able to help us when we are being tested (Heb 2:18). So we can come to the throne of grace with confidence, and we will receive strength and peace when we need it most (cf. 4:16).

Stanza 3: “Still Our Refuge”

How do we experience Jesus’ easy yoke when our burden seems so heavy and unbearable? The third stanza comforts us and encourages us this way:

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.

Jesus is still our refuge today. Once Henri Nouwen had the opportunity to meet Mother Teresa of Calcutta. At that time he was struggling with many things and decided to use the occasion to ask Mother Teresa’s advice. As soon as they sat down he started explaining all his problems and difficulties—trying to convince her of how complicated it all was! When, after ten minutes of elaborate explanation, he finally became silent, Mother Teresa looked at him quietly and said: “Well, when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything which you know is wrong . . . you will be fine!” After this, Nouwen shares his reflection with us this way: “Her few words became engraved on my heart and mind and remain to this day. I had not expected these words, but in their directness and simplicity, they cut through to the center of my being. I knew that she had spoken the truth and that I had the rest of my life to live it.”[1]

There are times when we feel like our burdens seem unbearable. For me personally, yesterday was one of the days. There were some concerns that made me feel stuck and hopeless. I didn’t have strength to keep going. So I went to the church sanctuary and spent almost the entire morning just praying. I just poured out all of my emotions before God like water. Then silence. Then this hymn came to my mind, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” I sang and sang and sang. I felt someone was praying for me. That someone was Jesus. At the end I felt encouraged. I regained my strength.

Colossians 3:16-17 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” When we are filled with the Spirit, we sing hymns. But the reverse is true as well. When by faith we sing hymns even in the midst of our turbulent times, we are then filled with the Holy Spirit and rejoice. When we are filled with the Spirit, we read the Bible. But the reverse is the true. When we feel empty but come and listen to His Word, we are then filled with the Holy Spirit and give thanks.

Are we weary and carrying heaven burdens?

Do we feel forsaken, lonely, hopeless?

Let us come to Jesus. He is still our refuge today. There we will find rest in Christ alone. Amen. 

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[1] Henri J. M. Nouwen, Here and Now, The Crossroad Publishing Company. Kindle Edition, 102-3.

“Into the Deep” (Luke 5:1-11)

 

(*Bagong Kussudiardja, Indonesia, Christ and Fishermen, 1988, oil)

Deep Person

Superficiality is the word of the day. We live in a instant world. We expect everything to come to us instantly – instant news, instant notifications, instant money, instant gratification. The church is not the exception. We are constantly looking for new methods, new plans, new programs for instant church growth. We are looking for newer and better methods; God is looking for better people – not intelligent people, or gifted people, but deep people.[1]

Hymn writer A. B. Simpson describes God’s invitation to deeper life in Christ this way:

But mercy, alas! Only stand on the shore

And gaze on the ocean so wide;

They [You] never have ventured its depths to explore,

Or to launch on the fathomless tide.

Launch out into the deep,

O, let the shoreline go,

Launch out, launch out in the ocean divine,

Out where the full tides flow.

 

The Great Invitation

In today’s scripture we meet the one who says “Yes” to the great invitation. It was an ordinary day when Jesus was walking the shoreline. He saw two boats tied up. One of them happened to be Simon Peter’s. He just finished his work, getting out of the boat and washing the nets. Jesus came to him and asked him to put out a little the shore. At that time, many people were pushing in on Jesus to better hear the Word of God. If we picture or paint this scene, we tend to think Jesus in a white robe with a halo. That’s probably not the case. For me personally, I love Indonesian artist Bagong Kussudiardja’s painting, Christ and the Fishermen. He has painted Jesus as one of us, wearing sunglasses and shorts with dark skin. Jesus looks just like those who surround him. He identifies and hangs out with ordinary people – you and me. He still comes to us on an ordinary day.

Jesus did come to Simon. He asked him to push the boat out into the water, then he used it for a pulpit. He taught the crowd first. When he finished teaching, Jesus said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus’ invitation always leads us to a new crisis of faith. Simon answered, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and caught nothing.” Here he was saying, “We already tried them all. Been there, done that.” Let us pause and think about Simon’s feelings for a moment – tired, frustrated, disappointed, hopeless, perhaps even angry. At that time he was not fishing for fun, but for survival. For him, fishing was a life or death matter under the burden of heavy taxation. But listen to Simon’s own words: “Nevertheless because you say so, I will let down the net.” The only difference between then and now is “Because Jesus said so.” At the crossroads Simon chose to the path of obedience. At a crisis of faith he chose to say “Yes” to the invitation. 

 

Into the Deep

Results? Miraculous catch. But this miraculous catch itself is not abundant life that Jesus promised. Rather, it’s a sign of abundant life. All of Jesus’ ministry – his teaching, his preaching, his healing – is a sign that points us to who he really is. If we say, “Because I believed, I prospered. Because I believed, I was healed. Because I believed, I got rich”, that’s the prosperity gospel. That’s like staying on the shallow seashore. But God nudges us to go deeper. For Simon, this miraculous catch made him stand in awe and feel that he is sinner and needs a different life. He felt nudged to go deeper and live for higher calling. Then, Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” Now Simon got a new vocation – from catching fish to catching people and bringing them to life. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19, NRSV) This is Jesus’ calling. This is every Christian’s calling.

It’s a new beginning. When Simon (and his partners – James and John) are called, they leave everything – their boats, their nets, their catch, their families – in order to follow Jesus. They choose to launch out into the deep. Jesus needs deep people, not gifted or smart people. He does not need people who will direct him but people who will serve him, and trust and obey him.

 

Launch Out into the Deep

What’s the message for us today? How do we read and apply this story to our lives? Let us remember that we enter the story not as passive spectators, but as active participants. Alexander Whyte declares, “with your imagination anointed with holy oil you again open your New Testament. At one time, you are publican: at another time, you are the prodigal… at another time you are Mary Magdalene: at another time, Peter in the porch… Till your whole New Testament is all over autobiographic of you.”[2] So today Peter is you, Peter is me, Peter is us. And Jesus is coming to us and nudging us to go deeper.

It was this past Thursday when I felt nudged. I serve as a member of the District Committee on Ordained Ministry (DCOM). As a committee, we interview new candidates who are called to ministry and help them accountable by evaluating them annually. This time a candidate was bisexual. She seemed to be a practicing bisexual person. As I was reading her paper, I realized that I was not ready to interview and evaluate that candidate. So I abstained.

That afternoon I spent time to pray and meditate on the scriptures – today’s passage. I felt like I was Simon. I said, “Jesus, I tried them all. I studied and read and listened to both sides. But there is no easy answer.” I felt torn apart inside. I felt tired, frustrated, sad. As I was journaling, I asked questions to myself: “As a traditionalist[3], how can I navigate the next steps?” “Is there any room for traditionalists in our conference?”  “How much is possible working together in reality? If it is possible, what does it look like?” Too many questions, too few answers.

Then, I felt God’s nudge to go deeper. I realized that even though it’s important to discern what is right and what to do next, those questions are still like walking the shoreline. Jesus wanted me to go deeper and examine my heart. He was more interested in how I would get there – my motives, my priorities, etc. At the end of my journaling I prayed like this: “Lord, I surrender my life to you. Whatever decision is made in the future, let it be not based on my best interests, my family’s best interests, my financial security after retirement, or political lines, but solely on your will. I just want to do your will.”

As I was praying, Dr. King’s last speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” came to my mind. In the midst of uncertainty and chaos he shared the following words without knowing that he would be assassinated on the following day:

“Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people will get to the Promised Land.”

Wherever we are on our journey, Jesus is right here with us to teach us, guide us, and nudge us. Do you feel a “nudge”? Let us launch out into the deep, cut away the shore line, and be lost in the fullness of God. Amen.

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[1] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (HaperOne: New York, 2018), 1.

[2] Ibid., 30.

[3] Traditionalists refer to those who hold a traditional understanding of the LGBTQ issue, such as ban on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy, whereas progressives are those who affirm LGBTQ inclusion. Both sides are on the same page in that we should welcome and love all people regardless of age, class, ethnicity, race, gender identity, etc.