The Seven Signs of Jesus

We'll be in John chapter 5. You'll also see the words on the screen.

John 5 · chapter mention

We've been thinking about seven signs that John records in his gospel that point to who Jesus is and why he came.

So we come now to his fourth sign that he records.

So John chapter 5. Let's hear God's word together.

John 5 · chapter mention

Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.

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.

Here a great number of disabled people used to lie, the blind, the lame, the paralysed.

One who was there had been an invalid for 38 years.

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him,

Do you want to get well?

Sir, the invalid replied, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.

While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.

Then Jesus said to him, Get up, pick up your mat and walk.

At once the man was cured. He picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath.

And so the Jewish leader said to the man who had been healed, It is the Sabbath.

The law forbids you to carry your mat.

But he replied, The man who made me well said to me, Pick up your mat and walk.

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

The man who was healed had no idea who it was.

For Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

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.

The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.

In his defence, Jesus said to them, My father is always at work to this very day and I too am working.

For this reason, they tried all the more to kill him.

Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father,

making himself equal with God.

So our fourth sign, a healing at the pool of Bethesda.

Whether you're listening today and you've been a Christian for a number of years, maybe even for decades,

or if this is your first time visiting an online church,

when we spend any time at all with Jesus in the Gospels,

it is almost certain that he will take us by surprise,

that sometimes he will perhaps even shock us.

When we read his teaching,

we discover here is someone with a great love for God and for people,

somebody who taught about love and demonstrated love,

but also someone who could talk equally clearly about the judgment of God.

So nobody spoke about hell more than Jesus and we think,

how do love and justice come together?

And that surprises us.

Maybe our surprise comes when we think about how he relates to other people.

We see his patience, his kindness towards his disciples,

even towards Judas who would betray him.

Think about the way he welcomed the outsiders when everyone else would have been scandalised

by spending time with some of the notorious people in Jesus' day.

Jesus welcomed them and shared the good news with them.

Perhaps our surprise and our shock comes when we think about the miracles of Jesus

and we see him working in his world.

Well, today in our story, Jesus says four things,

four sentences, each of which I suspect when we stop and reflect,

we might find it surprising and perhaps even shocking.

That was certainly true for the first people that heard Jesus speak.

So this is the fourth of seven signs and it takes us again to the heart of the signs

and John's purpose for them.

This sign will speak to the mission of Jesus.

Again, we will see him on a mission of mercy,

bringing good news of salvation.

But it will also clearly point to his identity.

Here is Jesus, the son of God,

who is God's chosen and sent saviour for the world.

And as we think about these surprising words of Jesus,

let's be careful not to make the mistake of the man in the story.

Thinking about how he relates to Jesus,

in a sense he might remind us of a child on their birthday,

grabbing for the gifts,

with no attention given to the giver at all,

just want the stuff.

And I hope we'll all realise

that we need more than simply a sign.

We need more than Jesus giving us temporary help for our trouble.

You and I need Jesus as our Lord and saviour,

whoever we are today.

So let's begin with the probing question that Jesus asks.

The first six verses give us the setting

and then we get Jesus' first word.

So the setting is this pool,

this pool of Bethesda.

And perhaps you know of hospices or hospitals

that go by the name of Bethesda,

named after our story.

Bethesda was a gathering place for sufferers.

Many sufferers were there.

It was a place that was sheltered from the hot sun.

And there was also a belief that the pool

had healing properties.

And so people would gather waiting for it to bubble up.

You might think of a leisure pool

and that sense of anticipation,

waiting for the wave machine to come on

and the excitement.

Well, imagine waiting for those bubbles

in the hope that you're suffering.

It might be over.

So we're told in our story,

there's this whole poolside of sufferers

and Jesus takes the initiative

to find out about one.

One man who has been an invalid for 38 years.

Now, if you know anything of Jesus,

if you've heard any of his stories,

you will expect to find in Jesus

mercy and compassion for suffering people.

And of course, it is true for us to remember

that the heart of Jesus doesn't change.

He still has mercy and compassion

for suffering people today.

But we come to his first words in verse six

and maybe we ask ourselves,

what kind of question is Jesus asking?

He goes to speak to this man

who's been an invalid for 38 years

and he asked him,

do you want to get well?

That seems blindingly obvious

that the man would want to get well.

So why does Jesus ask the question?

Well, when you read John's gospel,

we recognise that Jesus often speaks

on a higher, on a hidden level.

So in chapter three,

he speaks to a religious leader called Nicodemus

and he says to him,

you must be born again,

by which he means you need a work of God.

You need the spirit to come

and change you from the inside out.

But Nicodemus is thinking,

hold on a minute,

how can I go back into my mother's womb?

That just doesn't make any sense.

Or then in chapter four of John's gospel,

he's speaking to a woman by the well

and Jesus says that he can give living water

and the woman looks around and says,

hang on a minute,

you don't even have a bucket.

How can you possibly give me water?

Jesus speaks at a higher and a hidden level.

Well, here's this probing question,

not a surface question,

but a probing question to ask the man,

and as we reflect,

to ask ourselves to,

what is it that you really want?

Jesus is saying to the man,

is it just healing you want?

Or are you looking for something more?

Can you see that your need runs deeper

than simply the physical?

Because bear in mind who is speaking.

Bear in mind that it's Jesus who's asking the question.

There's this growing tension in John's gospel.

We've begun to see it with the signs.

There are some people who are following Jesus

only for the signs.

They're here for the show

or they're here because they're suffering

and they want to get better

or they want someone else to get better.

So you've got people coming just for the signs

while at the same time,

they're opposing and rejecting Jesus and his word.

Jesus wants the man

and he wants each one of us to recognise

Jesus is the son of God

and what matters is believing in him

and believing in his words

and ultimately believing in the work

that he came to do,

that his death on the cross was a death

for my sin,

to save me

and to give me eternal life.

To recognise

that Jesus can do far more for us

than we ever realise.

This physical healing that Jesus is about to do

stands for us as a signpost

for the still greater

spiritual

and eternal healing

that Jesus can do in our hearts.

And so that probing question

is designed to get the man to that point.

And what comes next?

The next words of Jesus

is a simple command.

But first we see how the invalid

replies to his question

and he's thinking on the lower level

as many people do

when they talk to Jesus.

I have no one to help me into the pool

while I'm trying to get in.

Someone else goes down ahead of me.

Jesus,

have you come to help me into the pool?

Have you come to lift me

and help me to beat the rush

so I can be front of the queue?

And what we discovered

is Jesus come to do

something far more remarkable

than that.

Here's the next words of Jesus.

Get up,

pick up your mat

and walk.

Now these are bold words.

This is Jesus either

incredibly heartless

asking a paralysed man

to do something he would love to do

but can't by himself

or

powerful words of healing

and transformation.

And of course we discover

in verse 9

that it's that second

that is true.

at once

the man was cured.

He picked up his mat

and walked.

Instant healing.

A 38 year disability

gone.

No need for the water.

Here's a clear signpost

that Jesus

and Jesus alone

is the source of help

and hope.

There are no secret words

uttered over him.

Nothing

is magical about it.

Jesus speaks

a simple command

and he's able

to get up and walk.

No doubt this man

had dreamed of recovering

his mobility

and had probably

after 38 years

given up

but Jesus

has enabled him.

Jesus has provided

the strength

for him

to obey.

Gives us an insight

into

the way faith

works.

The Bible

is really honest.

It says that

by ourselves

left to ourselves

unless God intervenes

we remain

opposed to God.

We turn our back

on God.

We are enemies

of God

spiritually dead

and incapable

of finding

eternal life.

So we need

God

to work

and God

by his grace

enables us

gives us

the gift

of faith

so that we are

able

to believe.

And we see

a glimpse

of that

in this

story.

But here

Jesus

issues

a simple

command

and the man

is called

to obey

and when he

obeys

there's healing.

There's a story

in the Old Testament

connecting water

and healing.

The story

of a man

called Naaman

a powerful

army commander

from Syria

who had it all

but who also

had leprosy.

And his king

sent him

to Israel

and eventually

to the prophet

Elisha

for healing

and Elisha's

servant

comes to Naaman

and gives him

a very simple

command

wash seven times

in the Jordan

and you will

be healed.

He can have

the thing

that he's looking

for but Naaman

rather than

being delighted

he's outraged.

He's outraged

because he's

being asked

to do something

that's far

too easy.

His servants

say to him

look

if you'd been

told to climb

a great mountain

fight a great battle

you would have

done it.

So why not

do the simple

thing

believe

and when he does

he's healed.

God's power

changes him.

When we read

our Bibles

now the Bible

is a big book

and it's a book

about the eternal

infinite

God.

So there are

some big

ideas that

stretch our mind

and in some ways

are beyond us

but Christianity

at heart

is a simple

message

calling

for a response.

We're told

that Jesus'

message

was repent

and believe

the good news.

Jesus is God's

King who's come

to bring in

God's Kingdom

there needs to be

a change of heart

and mind

from us

we need to put

our trust

in Jesus

and what he came

to do

on our behalf.

Later on

in the New Testament

a question is asked

what must I do

to be saved

and the answer

believe in the Lord

Jesus

and you will be saved.

That's not

complicated

to understand.

That the good news

of God's love

and God's grace

and God's forgiveness

that comes to us

through faith

in Jesus

trusting in him

it's not hard

to understand.

As John Newton

the hymn writer

and preacher

from a previous

generation

summarised it

I am a great

sinner

and Jesus

is a great

saviour

and given

those

important

truths

we are then

called

to

obey

to

receive

the good news

to receive

Jesus

as our

saviour.

Now moving

from that

simple

command

Jesus

next words

stand

as a loving

warning.

So from

verse 9

onwards

we begin

to see

a controversy

opposition

because of

understandings

of the

Sabbath

and we'll get

there in a few

minutes

but

important for us

to notice

that the picture

that's being

built up

of our

invalid

here

is not

very flattering.

You look at

verse 7

he misses

Jesus'

higher

meaning

about the

healing that

he offers

which is

spiritual

not just

physical.

In verse 11

to his

escape

the criticism

of the

religious leaders

he points

the finger

of blame

at Jesus

it was

Jesus

that's making

him pick up

his mat

and walk

in verse 13

we discover

that he

didn't even

ask Jesus'

name.

He had no

idea who

Jesus was

again to

think about

our child

with no

manners.

Who's that

present from?

I don't know.

I'm just

tearing open

the wrapping.

And then in

verse 15

when he does

discover

that it was

Jesus who

healed him

what does

he do?

He reports

Jesus to

the authority.

So this is

not a very

flattering

picture

of our

invalid

and there's

one last

really important

piece of

information

to consider

and again

it goes to

the fact that

Jesus' words

can surprise

and some

things shock

us.

In verse 14

Jesus found

the man at

the temple

and said

to him

see

you are

well again

stop sinning

or something

worse

may happen

to you.

Now there's

two implications

one of

which

is that

Jesus in

some way

is saying

that the

man's

condition

for 38

years

his

suffering

was in

some way

connected

to sin

in his

life.

Now we're

not told

what that

sin was

and why

there was

the consequence

but we do

know this

is not

normal.

The Bible

is not

saying

if you

suffer

it's

because

of sin.

The religious

leaders in

Jesus'

day they

actually

believed

that.

There was

a man

who was

blind

from birth

and they

asked

the question

well they

presumed

that either

the man

had sinned

or his

parents had

sinned and

Jesus said

no no

neither

of that

is true.

And in

the Bible

we see

that

people who

are gods

who are

not guilty

have said

they suffer

we live in

a broken

and a fallen

world and

suffering

happens.

Someone like

Job in

the Old

Testament

described

as a

righteous

man

but he

suffers.

Think about

Jesus himself

the one

sinlessly

perfect

man

who

ever

lived

and he

suffered

the

greatest

injustice

he

suffered

he was

the

suffering

servant

the

son of

God

rejected

abused

beaten

and nailed

to a

cross

sin.

So we

can't

and we

shouldn't

always draw

a straight

line between

suffering

and sin

but yet

Jesus

with his

knowledge

says in

some way

this man's

suffering and

sin are

connected.

But there's

another pressing

implication for

us to

consider

and we're

on much

more solid

ground with

this one.

Jesus in

effect is

saying to

the man

look I

fixed your

physical

problem.

but you

still have

a deeper

problem.

You have

a spiritual

problem.

If a

past sin

has led

to 38

years of

disability

Jesus

issues a

loving

warning

that the

sin of

rejecting

Jesus

will lead

to something

worse

will lead

to

eternal

judgment

judgment.

Now Jesus

is the

most loving

man who

ever lived

but here

he issues

a very

obvious

warning

about

judgment.

Judgment

is a

reality

and Jesus

because of

love

sounds

that

warning.

But what

we see

in the

man's

life

stands

in a

sense

as a

warning

sign

to us.

Here is

a person

who appears

content

to take

the

sign

where

Jesus

heals

him

physically

but he

leaves,

he rejects

the

saviour

that the

sign

points

to.

So long

as his

body is

better

that's

all he's

after.

Now let's

make this

personal.

Think about

your

suffering,

your

trouble,

your

trials

right now.

What

dominates

your

horizon?

what is

the

suffering

that you

experience?

Now perhaps

that's

loneliness.

Loneliness

because of

lost

relationships

or

relationships

you'd

love to

have

but don't

have.

Perhaps

it's

your

health.

Perhaps

it's

connected

to your

career.

Things

aren't

panning

out the

way that

you

hope.

There is

great

uncertainty.

You

feel

unsatisfied.

Now

here's

a

question.

If you

could get

relief

from that

suffering

or trial

that comes

into your

mind

but you

could have

it without

relationship

with Jesus

would you

take that

deal?

If you

had the

relationship,

if you

had the

health,

if you

had the

job but

without

Jesus,

would you

take it?

If Jesus

could sort

out your

life but

you'd

still be

left in

your

sin,

would you

be okay

with that?

Jesus

wants us

to think

deeper and

to think

more

eternally.

This

man seems

to be

happy with

the

surface

to take

the

sign but

not the

saviour.

God

is

the

word of

Jesus

that we

have

in our

section

for today

is the

striking

claim

that he

makes.

In

John

John 5 · chapter mention

chapters

5-7 we

see a

growing

controversy

between

Jesus

and the

religious

leaders

in

particular

but the

Jews

in

general

and one

issue

that keeps

coming up

in Jesus

ministry is

understanding

of the

Sabbath.

What is

work?

The Old

Testament,

the Ten

Commandments,

one of the

commands was

to remember

the Sabbath

day,

to have a

day that

you took

off from

your normal

work,

a day set

aside for

God and

to worship

him.

But the

Jewish

leaders had

established

all kinds

of activities

that they

also classed

as work

and they

said you

cannot do

these things

and one

of them

was that

you couldn't

pick up a

mat and

walk and

so they

accused the

man of

Sabbath

breaking,

they accused

Jesus of

Sabbath

breaking.

Now here's

where things

get really

interesting.

We're told

in verse

16 that

because Jesus

was doing

these things

on the

Sabbath he's

beginning to

be persecuted

now.

What does

he offer

as his

defence?

Not

let's sit

down and

let's look

at the Old

Testament and

let's see how

you misunderstand

what the

Bible teaches

about Sabbath.

No, he

says you

misunderstand

me.

You have

failed to

see that I

am Lord

of the

Sabbath.

Jesus said

to them my

father is

always at

work to

this very

day and

I too

am working.

God the

father works.

He is

constantly

sustaining the

universe and

he's not

Sabbath breaking

when he does

that and

Jesus says

just like my

father I

too am

always working.

I'm doing

God's work

of restoring

and redeeming

of bringing

mercy and

love and

life and

their response

to that.

Verse 18

for this

reason they

tried all

the more

to kill

him because

they understand

here Jesus

is claiming

equality with

God as

his father

and they

hate him

for that.

And Jesus

comes and

he says

you now

have to

understand

what it

means that

there's only

one God

in a new

way because

you need

to understand

God by

reference to

Jesus who's

come as the

full and

complete revelation

of God

in the flesh

and they are

unwilling to

consider that.

Now let's

put all this

together.

Here we have

Jesus who is

equal with

God and

who is on

a mission

of mercy

and he

comes sounding

both a

promise and

a warning

that this

sign, this

healing says

I can provide

true and

lasting healing,

I can provide

the forgiveness

that leads to

eternal life but

here's the

warning, you

need to see

your deepest

need.

Maybe during

lockdown, I

know this has

been lots of

people's experience,

praying, you've

been praying

more than you

ever have.

Maybe for the

first time in

your life you

find yourself

praying because

you are aware

of your need

for personal

recovery and

we're all really

aware of the

need for national

recovery.

But you know

this sign says

to us go

deeper still,

don't just

settle for a

return to

normal,

Jesus is

inviting us to

come to him

for personal

salvation, to

pray for

national

spiritual

transformation.

Jesus has

come to do

his work, to

do his

father's work

which will

take him to

the cross to

die for

sinners so

that if we

put our

trust in

him, we

won't face

judgment but

we'll have

eternal life,

that we'll get

to know and

enjoy Jesus

and God

the father

now with

the hope of

enjoying him

and his

presence for

all eternity.

That's the

true healing

we're to

pursue and

if we want

that healing,

the healing of

a restored

relationship of

peace with

God, of

freedom from

guilt and

fear, we

need to get

up and we

need to go

to Jesus.