WRideout
05-08-2016, 09:26 AM
John 5:1-9
The pool of Bethesda has a long and interesting history. In the 8th century BC, the inhabitants of Jerusalem built a dam across the Beth Zeta valley, to create a reservoir that would supply the city. Water was channeled into two pools, and later into nearby natural caves. Archaeologists and geologists have studied this famous body of water for many years. The roiling of the waters by angels was particularly fascinating. At least one geologist came to the conclusion that somewhere underground, in a location that was not seen, water collected in another pool, higher than the one where the invalids swam. Not only that, but there were fissures in the rock between, that conducted water in much the same way that a siphon works. It was hypothesized that when water in the upper basin rose higher than the top of the siphon, it would cause a rush of water to the pool below, just as anyone knows who has ever siphoned gas out of a car. So what am I getting at? Is this about angels and siphons? No, this story is about faith; the faith of one who waited for thirty-eight years, to be healed by the Son of God.
The man at the pool who could not walk had faith in Christ. How do we know this? We know this because he followed the instructions of his Lord; he got up, picked up his mat, and walked. My father once taught me a lesson about the power of belief. He said to me, “Tell yourself, in your head, that you can’t raise your arm. Then try to do it.” I immediately found that as long as I kept repeating the negative statement, my arm would not raise up. But when I reversed, and used a positive statement, I could do it. The paralyzed man could have found all manner of reasons why Jesus was not to be believed. He might have said, “You are not a doctor, why should I trust you?” Or perhaps, “I’ve been here for thirty-eight years. What makes you think I can do this without getting in the water?” Instead he responded in faith.
Throughout the Bible there are stories of people who responded in faith, despite the seeming outrageousness of the demand from God. Abraham became the father of nations and the founder of a monotheistic religion, where it had never existed before. Daniel kept his faith in Jehovah God, even when threatened with death by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. And Saul of Tarsus met the living Christ on the road to Damascus, and changed from a persecutor of the Church to its greatest evangelist. In faith he became Paul the Apostle. He kept that faith against all obstacles until his death at the hands of the Roman government.
Jesus also kept his faith. He knew why he was on earth, and what he was about. He understood that his life was to be sacrificed, so that no other sacrifice would ever have to be made. As it says in Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he didn't open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
Although divine, the Son of God was also human, and had to experience every human emotion, and be tested, even as we are. Yet he was without sin. This lamb without spot or blemish, this perfect offering was given up to atone for our sins. When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, he knew what the result must be. He knew that the Jewish leaders would use this event as an excuse to accuse him of breaking the Sabbath, but even worse, of blasphemy, punishable by death. Like a soldier who steps on a tripwire, he triggered an explosion. But this was not an explosion of rending and destruction; rather Jesus triggered and explosion of love, grace and salvation to the whole world. As proof of that, the Roman Empire, which saw him executed, converted to Christianity under Emperor Constantine, who declared Christianity as the religion of the state in 380 AD. Shock waves from the death and resurrection of Christ continue to this day. Daily, throughout the world, new converts are coming to the Church by faith, and spreading the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The pool of Bethesda has a long and interesting history. In the 8th century BC, the inhabitants of Jerusalem built a dam across the Beth Zeta valley, to create a reservoir that would supply the city. Water was channeled into two pools, and later into nearby natural caves. Archaeologists and geologists have studied this famous body of water for many years. The roiling of the waters by angels was particularly fascinating. At least one geologist came to the conclusion that somewhere underground, in a location that was not seen, water collected in another pool, higher than the one where the invalids swam. Not only that, but there were fissures in the rock between, that conducted water in much the same way that a siphon works. It was hypothesized that when water in the upper basin rose higher than the top of the siphon, it would cause a rush of water to the pool below, just as anyone knows who has ever siphoned gas out of a car. So what am I getting at? Is this about angels and siphons? No, this story is about faith; the faith of one who waited for thirty-eight years, to be healed by the Son of God.
The man at the pool who could not walk had faith in Christ. How do we know this? We know this because he followed the instructions of his Lord; he got up, picked up his mat, and walked. My father once taught me a lesson about the power of belief. He said to me, “Tell yourself, in your head, that you can’t raise your arm. Then try to do it.” I immediately found that as long as I kept repeating the negative statement, my arm would not raise up. But when I reversed, and used a positive statement, I could do it. The paralyzed man could have found all manner of reasons why Jesus was not to be believed. He might have said, “You are not a doctor, why should I trust you?” Or perhaps, “I’ve been here for thirty-eight years. What makes you think I can do this without getting in the water?” Instead he responded in faith.
Throughout the Bible there are stories of people who responded in faith, despite the seeming outrageousness of the demand from God. Abraham became the father of nations and the founder of a monotheistic religion, where it had never existed before. Daniel kept his faith in Jehovah God, even when threatened with death by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. And Saul of Tarsus met the living Christ on the road to Damascus, and changed from a persecutor of the Church to its greatest evangelist. In faith he became Paul the Apostle. He kept that faith against all obstacles until his death at the hands of the Roman government.
Jesus also kept his faith. He knew why he was on earth, and what he was about. He understood that his life was to be sacrificed, so that no other sacrifice would ever have to be made. As it says in Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he didn't open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
Although divine, the Son of God was also human, and had to experience every human emotion, and be tested, even as we are. Yet he was without sin. This lamb without spot or blemish, this perfect offering was given up to atone for our sins. When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, he knew what the result must be. He knew that the Jewish leaders would use this event as an excuse to accuse him of breaking the Sabbath, but even worse, of blasphemy, punishable by death. Like a soldier who steps on a tripwire, he triggered an explosion. But this was not an explosion of rending and destruction; rather Jesus triggered and explosion of love, grace and salvation to the whole world. As proof of that, the Roman Empire, which saw him executed, converted to Christianity under Emperor Constantine, who declared Christianity as the religion of the state in 380 AD. Shock waves from the death and resurrection of Christ continue to this day. Daily, throughout the world, new converts are coming to the Church by faith, and spreading the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.