John 5:1-9 “Wilt
Thou Be Made Whole?”
Introduction:
(John 5:1) After
this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to
After
Jesus had returned to
Based upon the fact that nothing was said
concerning a feast when Jesus left
(John 5:2) Now there
is at
In the
book of Nehemiah we are told that one of the gates of the city of
It is
interesting that the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world came
through the sheep gate where thousands of lambs had passed each of which
represented the work of the Christ. The
word for pool here is only used by John.
It means a body of water large enough for bathing. This was, most likely, a spring fed pool of
water. If it had no fountain source then
it would have to be replenished by men each day. It may have been a source of drinking water
for the sheep.
This pool
of water is called by the name “
(John 5:3) In these
lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for
the moving of the water.
In these
five porches there lay a great number of sick people. The word impotent means having no power. There ailments are summed up in three
categories. The first is blind. The root of this word means smoke. This indicates any eye condition which causes
the person to be unable to see clearly.
This could range from complete and total blindness to severe Myopia. The second is halt. This word means lame. Literally it means deprived of foot. These are people who can not walk at all or
can not walk well. There mobility is
severely limited. The third is withered. This term applies to the limbs of an
individual which have atrophied due to lack of use. A person who has an affliction which causes
them to be unable to use a hand, arm or leg will see the reduction in size of
that limb due to non use. This is called
atrophy.
These
people had ailments which could not be cured without some kind of intervention
either miraculous or medicinal. A close
examination of the last half of this verse and of verse four will help us to
appreciate what Jesus will do for the infirmed man.
The last
few words of verse three and all of verse five are not contained in most
manuscripts. The words are contained in
many good manuscripts however and were considered by the King James translators
as being worthy of inclusion. They are
inserted to explain why this place is so populated with impotent folks.
(John 5:4) For an
angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water:
whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole
of whatsoever disease he had.
The
stirring of the waters is that for which these people waited. It seems that an angel came down from time to
time and stirred up the water. Some
believe that this was a messenger and not an angel. They believe that a member of the Sanhedrin
counsel came a stirred the waters. There
is no reason to believe this. The
scripture says angel and angel is what it means. An angel stirred the waters and those who
were first to get into the waters began to heal. It is important to note that there is nothing
miraculous about this water and the resulting effects. The verb translated “was made” is imperfect, that
is, it is incomplete action. It is also
in the middle voice. This should have
been translated “was himself becoming.”
The verse would thus read “whosoever stepped in was himself
becoming well of whatsoever disease he had.”
This indicates a natural healing process rather than an instantaneous
and thus miraculous healing.
(John 5:5) And a
certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
We are now
told of a man who has been handicapped for thirty eight years. This is a long time. We do not know how long he has been coming to
the pool but we may assume that it has been a very long time. He may have been coming there longer than
anyone else. He had this infirmity eight
years before Jesus was born. We do not
know if this infirmity was congenital.
We also do not know how old this man is.
I believe it may be assumed that his condition has existed for most of
his life.
(John 5:6) When
Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time [in that case], he
saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
Jesus sees
this man and knows that he has been in this condition for a long time and asks
him a question. “Are you, wanting to
become well?” This is a rhetorical
question. Jesus does not need an answer
for he knows what the man wants. Jesus
knew all about the woman at the well and knew secrets about Nathanael. Jesus knows everything about this man.
(John 5:7) The
impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when
the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
The answer
to Jesus question was yes. The man explains that he is so incapacitated that he
is not able to move quickly enough to get into the pool when the waters are
troubled. He can not stay in the pool for
days on end waiting for the troubling of the waters and so year after year he
hopes that someone will show some compassion and will help him get into the
pool. It would seem that people would
not be so selfish. Knowing this man had
been a long time waiting would be enough to compel every one to say let him go
first.
This man
was unable to be made whole because he did not have someone to help him. He was unable to be made whole because he
lacked the necessary strength. He was
unable to be made whole because he had obstacles in his way. All these were legitimate reasons for his not
being made whole. Those who are sin sick
and lost have similar reasons for not being saved. They sometimes have no one to help them
understand what they must do to be saved.
They, like the Ethiopian eunuch, need someone to show them the way. All lost sinners lack the necessary strength
to save themselves. They can not by
their works and efforts ever hope to be saved.
They must have an encounter with Jesus or they will not be made
whole. The lost sometimes will not be
saved because of obstacles in their way.
Their spouse and children sometimes keep them from coming to Jesus. Sometimes the things of this world keep them
from coming to Jesus. All of these
obstacles must be overcome if one is to be made spiritually whole. The Lost must hear the Gospel from their
fellow men. They must rely on Jesus to
save them. They must not allow others to
keep them from being saved.
(John 5:8) Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
(John 5:9) And
immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the
same day was the sabbath.
Jesus
healed this man immediately and completely.
The use of the perfect verb form in verse 9 is appropriate. He was immediately and completely made
whole. This was a miracle. Jesus has the power to save all those who
will follow His instructions. You must
repent of your sin and trust in Jesus Christ to save. Any that will come to Jesus confessing his
sin and asking for mercy and forgiveness will be saved. They will be saved immediately, completely,
and forever.
Jesus did
this miracle on the Sabbath day. The man
could have told Jesus that it was not lawful for him to be healed on the
Sabbath nor was it lawful to carry his bed.
He could have asked Jesus to come back the next day and heal him. He, of course, did not do this. He seized the opportunity to be made whole
when it was offered.
When the Holy Spirit calls, the lost need to be saved. There is no guarantee that they will have
another day. Now is the accepted time,
behold, now is the day of salvation. Do
not delay. Confess your sin to Jesus and
ask Him to save you now.