Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for
one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was
the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind,
lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had
been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been
ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I
have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus
told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly,
the man was healed! He rolled up his
sleeping mat and began walking! But this
miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t
work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t
allow you to carry that sleeping mat!” But
he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” “Who
said such a thing as that?” they demanded. The man didn’t know,
for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him
in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or
something even worse may happen to you.”
John 5:1-14(NLT)
Come
with me as we look over the shoulder of Jesus as He enters the Temple near the
sheep gate. Notice the pools of
Bethesda. There are many columns,
supporting the elaborate roof. They form
a colonnade porch leading up to the House of Worship. The sheep for sacrifice come in this
way. They walk between the pools. Now Jesus, the Lamb God, walks the way of
sacrificial lambs through the gate, and amidst a sea of bodies.
All
the suffering, crippled dregs of humanity are waiting at the pool’s edge for
the waters to be stirred. They believe
it is a sign that the angels are waiting – the first person to enter the water
will be healed. Certain televangelist
“faith healers” would have made a killing in that environment.
Watch
now, as Jesus suddenly stops and stares at a particularly broken man. He has been waiting at that pool for 38
years. (Talk about your long wait in the
doctor’s office!). Jesus was on His way
to Sabbath worship, but has singled out this one, crippled, helpless sufferer
to prove Who the Lord of Sabbath is; and what Sabbath is for. The House of God is about to become
“Bethesda” the House of Mercy.
Jesus
catches the man’s attention and asks, Do you want to be whole? The man wonders …What a question …I’ve been
laying here four decades and this guy wants to know if I’ve had enough? Can’t he see, I have to lay here and beg; I don’t have anyone in this whole
stinkin’ world to help me get in the pool for my miracle. Everybody else jumps in the pool first. What can a poor cripple like me hope to do?
Anticipating
the excuses, Jesus says: Stop
your excuses, get up and walk! And
the man, to his own surprise, did just that!
This
account of healing is more than a miracle.
It is more than a proof of Jesus’ Lordship over the Sabbath, and the
laws of nature. This is an act of grace,
and it is an act of mercy. The pool, House
of Mercy, or Bethesda, was so-named
because the sacrificial sheep were herded in that gate. It is by sacrifice God shows His mercy. Literally, the name means House of Kindness (Chessedh in Hebrew),
which is the covenant mercy God shows to his children.
The radical view of Jesus is so different from most of His
followers. We often say (or at least
think) we can’t do much. But,
Jesus said, freely you have received, so go give to others in that same way.
Our
resolve has to change. What Christ calls
us to be and do is to receive from Him freely, and give freely. We must change from our impotence of We
can’t do much, to that
which Jesus gave to his disciples on the day he sent them out. He told them they must do what they saw Him
do. And for us it can be no different – WHAT
WE HAVE SEEN CHRIST DO…WE WILL DO!
Now,
if this is true that, What we have seen Jesus do, we must also
do, then being a House of Mercy is what this church is called to be!
The
next question is fairly evident: What
does a house of mercy look like?
The answer carries several characteristic traits to the
front burner. Before we take a look at
the traits, allow me to remind us that the house
we’re talking about is not the four walls, roof and carpeting. The House is God’s tabernacle – you! What do WE look like when, as
children of God, we are a merciful church?
A house of mercy…
#1 Alert to the needs of others
John
records that Jesus saw the man and knew the man had been there a long
time. It wasn’t too difficult to figure
out who the beggars were. And, certainly
this man was easy to spot – 38 years of begging would make him an obvious
fixture at the temple where Jesus often came.
The
difference is that Jesus sensed the timing of this need. He saw and knew (experienced personally) the need of this man. That’s how it is in salvation. Jesus knows our need before we do. The Scripture declares that Jesus brought
God’s love to us by dying for us even before we knew we were in need of a
Savior.
If
we are to do what Jesus has done, we must understand that we too live within
sight of the sheep gate. Every time you
go to a PTA meeting, your workplace, the store, a ball game, mow your lawn, and
yes, even on the way to this temple,
you pass the crippled, emotionally-bankrupt and hurting of this world.
Jesus
was alert to the needs of one placed in His path. We must do what the Master did if we are to
be the House of Mercy. We must be alert
to the needs of people.
#2 embracing the needy
Many
needy people are willing to hide from the embrace. The man was full of excuses – Jesus embraced
him anyway. The man said, I
have no man to help me. Jesus proceeded to show him that if a hundred
others were there, no one could give him more than the One standing in front of
him.
However,
before you embrace anyone, you had better recognize that there is a cost to
this embrace. Every healing Jesus did,
every time He embraced a needy person, it cost something.
It
is true that you cannot help a person who does not want to be helped. On the other hand everyone has a longing
within to know God, and to be introduced to Him. It’s just that no one has embraced them for
so long, they’re afraid.
Some
years ago I buried a 90-year-old man.
Auburn’s wife had died years ago, and he had nobody in the world but his
daughter to mourn him. As a young boy
Auburn had traveled with his evangelist-grandfather. He knew the scriptures better than most. He heard the plan of salvation hundreds of
times. He rejected Christ and His claims
every time.
As
a young man he traveled on business, drank, brawled and caused as much trouble
as he could. In his fifties he married,
but soon began to beat every member of his family in his drunken stupors. His wife divorced him, but she died a few
years after. In time Auburn had
alienated everyone he’d known.
In
his mid-70’s he had a stroke that incapacitated him. No one wanted this pitiful wretch; no one
except Pat. Pat was Auburn’s daughter,
the one he’d beaten and driven out of his life.
Pat brought Auburn into her home, quit her job and became his
nurse. For a dozen years she changed his
clothes, cleaned and washed him, and gave him backrubs to ward off
bedsores. The only thing Auburn could
still do, he did – curse a blue streak!
He was not a blessing!
I
met Auburn and Pat in1999. Pat knew the
end was near, and she called me to make arrangements for his funeral. A few weeks after, I received an urgent
message to call Pat. When she answered
the phone, Pat said, Brother Russell, we
almost lost him last night. He died on
the emergency room table. They brought
him back twice. But this morning he’s made
a rally. He’s doing better, but I’m
worried about his arrangements. I
said, Pat, we made all the arrangements;
the funeral is all set. Her
reply: I wasn’t talking about the funeral.
I’m concerned about his arrangements with God. Will you see my father and talk to him?
When
I entered the hospital room, I expected a semi-comatose skeleton. The man was haggard, but very awake. He looked right through me and demanded, You
the Preacher? I nodded.
He
continued, My daughter Pat said you were coming.
She’s worried about me.
I
asked, Sir, are you comfortable with where you’re heading when the doctors
can’t pull you through again?
Auburn
swore and laughed, No! Man that’s why you’re
here. I need someone to help me.
In
a short time Auburn was praying, asking for forgiveness, and receiving Jesus
Christ as Savior. I met a hell-bound,
needy sinner in July. In February I
buried a Saint. The point is, without 15
years of loving care extended to a pigsty Auburn, hell would be
one resident fuller today. Auburn didn’t
love his daughter. He couldn’t; he
didn’t even love himself.
Auburn’s
daughter Pat had embraced this cursing, vile, miserable excuse for a man, brought
him into her home, and lived the love of Christ for 15 years, before Auburn J.
Newsome would ever swallow his pride and surrender his heart to the Lord.
Beloved,
it costs to embrace the needy. It costs
to be part of the House of Mercy!
Alert
to other’s needs, Embracing the needy, and…
#3. do it in spite of criticism
When
Jesus healed the crippled man, the first reaction we read is criticism by the
religious leaders. It is so today. Whenever you begin to do what Jesus did,
those who oppose Jesus will oppose what you do.
The
creator of the Peanuts cartoon, Charles Shultz, is with Jesus now, but
he left us a lot of wisdom about such things as criticism. Linus asks Lucy, Why are you always so anxious to criticize me? She answers, I just think I have a knack for seeing other people's faults. What about your own faults? asks
Linus. Her response is, I have a knack for overlooking them.
One
other characteristic trait of those who follow the One who was alert to the
needs, embraced the needy, and did so despite criticism:
#4. train those who respond
In
the last verse of this story we read that Jesus found the former cripple, and
warned him to change his attitude, outlook, and actions in the future. Jesus had found the man in his filth and
helplessness; had empowered him to live a responsible life.
He
then took the time to train him how to live responsibly. This is the manual for being disciples!
Win the lost, Disciple the Saved, Repeat.
It’s
simple – It just requires work. Like
your shampoo bottle says on the label….lather, rinse, repeat. You can read the directions all day long –
unless you get hands-on with what’s
in the bottle, you’re going to have greasy hair!
I
had a friend where I served as pastor in Gainesville, Florida who is a former
missionary to Ethiopia. Lynn Groce
headed up Southern Baptist’s relief efforts during the worst times of famine
during the 70’s and early 80’s. Having
returned to the states because of a son who needs special medical attention,
Lynn and his wife founded Christians Concerned for the Community. They have networked with the local community
of believers to find people willing to help those who are willing to help
themselves.
Many
times those who are on the bubble,
economically and socially are just one embrace shy of
succeeding. Lynn asks social workers
from local government agencies to alert him to men and women who are physically
able, and desiring to get off welfare.
He then links them with a successful Christian in an appropriate field
to be a mentor and friend for a year.
Several years ago the success rate was phenomenal. Over 90% of the links produced former welfare recipients, who moved into the
workforce, and became mentors themselves.
You
might ask, Pastor, if that is what the disciples of Jesus Christ did, are we
supposed to be doing that too? If you want to be obedient to the command of Jesus, yes, by all
means; freely you received, freely give!
When
do we quit, or rest from that? When the
last lost soul in Randolph County is brought into the family!
committment
Commitment
is a foreign word today. People don’t
want to commit. Brides and grooms prefer a commitment until the
new wears off instead of ‘til death
us do part. Employees enjoy a commitment of the boss to pay a good salary and benefits,
but let’s not talk about a hard day’s work.
Children expect freedom, but prefer not
to hear about the commitment of honoring parents. And some
Believers want the victorious life, the benefits of Heaven, without the
commitment to discipleship – following (doing) what the Master did, and bids us
do.
At
the pool of Bethesda that day, a crippled man experienced a transformation in
the House of Mercy.
It
cost him his old, irresponsible lifestyle.
It
cost Jesus another step closer to Calvary’s cross.
The
question is, will it cost each of us something?
Yes….IF
the needy of our community are to have a House of Mercy right here, it will
cost everything.
The
Master of Mercy is speaking again, to us.
As He said it to the crippled man, He now says to each of our hearts,
You –
Stand up….take up your bed and walk! Amen!
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Amen
Notes
