John 5:16 • The Spirit of Control

In John chapter 5 verse 16, we’re told flatly that the Jewish religious elite wanted to kill Jesus. And we’re also told why. It was because He had healed a sick man on the Sabbath.

Now let me get this straight. The RELIGIOUS leaders wanted to KILL Jesus because He HEALED a man who had be sick for 38 years on the wrong day of the week? What am I missing here?

Now, I know that Sabbath-keeping is an important thing with God. You can’t read past the second chapter in the Bible without discovering that He’s so serious about it that He personally modeled it. But it’s also clear that God meant Sabbath to be a blessing to us not a curse. In fact, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” God gave us the GIFT of one day out of every seven set aside purely for spiritual renewal, physical rest, relational restoration, emotional recovery, and intellectual recalibration.

So, how did something so GOOD for us become so twisted?

Well, like everything religionists get their hands on, Sabbath had been embellished with layers upon layers of regulations God never intended. And they exploited these rules as a means of exercising control over people. And that’s the key word, control. Everything Jesus did threatened the control the religious leaders were attempting to hold over people.

That kind of control is a bad thing, and Jesus will always be a threat to it. I know because He came after it in my life.

Now, please, don’t get me wrong. I love my birth family. But all families have some measure of dysfunction, and one of the symptoms of ours was that we could never seem to get anywhere on time. And I clearly remember being dropped off late again for baseball practice one day when I was about nine years old. And as I walked to the field knowing I would have to apologize to my coach and teammates again for being late, I remember saying to myself, “When I have control, I will never be late again!”

And that vow set in motion decades of drivenness and controlling behavior that eventually would bring me to the brink of losing my marriage, family, health, and ministry had not my loving Lord squared-off against it in my life. All those years before, I had given place to something that was ruining me along with everything and everyone I loved. The control I had become so proud of exercising was really a spirit that was controlling me.

It’s a long, but beautiful story how Jesus confronted and set me free from the spirit of control that I won’t take the time now to tell. But if the little I’ve said sounds at all familiar to your own life, please, dear one, don’t wait another minute. Come in prayer with humble repentance to the One who is ready to release you from this bondage, and invite the Lord of the Sabbath to bring rest to your soul.

John 5:9-15 • Walk

We’ve been considering the account in the first fifteen verses of John chapter five regarding the man at the Pool of Bethesda. Remember, this was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years – not really dying, but not really living either. Then, just like He does for each of us, Jesus showed up with an invitation for him to trade his brokenness for wholeness. But, He said the restoration process would require three things of the sick man. First, He told him, “rise,” then, “take up your bed,” and after that, “walk.”

And now, having previously looked at the first two, let’s take a close look at this last one and what it means for anyone who wants to receive Christ’s gift of wholeness and begin to truly LIVE.

There are a couple of things I’d like to focus on. To start with, Jesus was inviting the man to choose to step forward into the rest of his life – the life he was made for.

But why would he even have to say this?

Because it doesn’t come naturally. Although the passage doesn’t say so explicitly, it clearly implies that this man had never walked before. And we’ve already talked about the human tendency to prefer a known past to an unknown future. So, let’s not miss the point that living whole is a moment-by-moment CHOICE to do the IMPOSSIBLE, to defy gravity in the power of our Savior. Like the man at the pool, it’s not something any of us has ever done before. And we simply don’t know how.

But, Jesus is making it clear that it’s just like walking – putting one foot in front of the other – taking one step at time. It’s not about arriving somewhere. It’s about starting a journey, one that involves discovery, development, and delight with every footfall. And we cannot afford to skip even one of them. Even when the route isn’t a straight line, we don’t have to figure out where it leads. All we have to do is keep our eyes on Jesus and WALK. He can be trusted with everything else.

But there’s another thing.

As the man from the pool began to move forward in his healing, he was immediately confronted by the Jewish leaders telling him he was breaking their religious law by carrying his bed on the Sabbath. And that’s exactly the kind of thing that happens to everyone who chooses to step across the threshold from brokenness to wholeness. Our healing WILL be challenged and FEROCIOUSLY, because the Devil cannot afford to have God’s people actually living in freedom. It poses such a threat to his strategies that he is always quick and loud with his opposition.

Should that make us afraid? Heck, no! The Bible says that the battle is the Lord’s not mine, and He’s already won it. So even when the enemy roars at us with his temptations, condemnations, and accusations, all we need to do is WALK – walk right past him one step after another into the glorious life Christ is releasing us into.

And I love the fact that as the formerly-sick-but-now-healed man shouldered his way past his accusers choosing to obey his healer rather than surrender to their threats, he ran right into Jesus who was there to meet him in the temple on the other side of that opposition.

And dear one, I believe that will be true for you too. No matter what may challenge your wholeness today, just take one step at a time and walk right by, through, or over it. You’ll find that Jesus is on the other side.

John 5:8 • Take up Your Bed

Alright, let’s continue our consideration of Jesus’ healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda. And let’s remember that after 38 years of sickness, this man was clearly not dying, but he wasn’t really living either. So, Jesus entered the scene of his brokenness, and in the form of a simple question, offered him the opportunity to be restored to his intended state.

Then, in John five verse eight, the Lord gave him three steps to wholeness. And the first of these was to “rise,” which we discussed last time. After that, Jesus said, “take up your bed…” In other words, he tells him that if he wants to experience true healing, he’s going to have to pack up his campsite.

For many years now, I’ve enjoyed watching a reality TV show called, “Survivor.” The contestants try to avoid being eliminated from the game until there are only three players left. Then, those who’ve been forced to leave the game, vote for a winner from the three survivors. But before that vote, the final three players will almost always burn down the camp they’ve been living in during the game. And they do that as a dramatic statement of the fact that they will not be coming back.

Something very similar is embedded in the Lord’s statement here. He’s telling the man that if he’s going to actually LIVE in the healing being offering, he’s going to have to eliminate the possibility of coming back to Bethesda.

Why is this important? Because we all prefer the security of a KNOWN past – even if it’s uncomfortable – over the uncertainties of an UNKNOWN future. And for this man who has been sick his entire life, a future of wholeness – as desirable as it may be – is filled with uncertainties. So, unless he removes the possibility, in those times when his healing is challenged in some way, he will be vulnerable to the temptation to return to the twisted familiarity of what he knows.

Now there’s also the issue of identity. I think it’s clear by what this man says to Jesus that he had come to see himself through the lens of his unhealth, and had begun to define himself by it. You know, there’s a huge difference between someone thinking of themselves as a person who HAS a struggle with alcohol and as someone who IS an alcoholic. And the Devil has a lot of expertise for exploiting our issues and convincing us to label ourselves by them. And that make us less available to healing.

In a sense, Jesus is telling him that as long as he has his sick bed to go back to, he will be vulnerable to the temptation to think of himself AS sick instead of as a man who HAD an illness but is now whole.

On top of that, every form of human brokenness has a support structure that’s been built around it: Like friends and family who enable the unhealth, habits that have developed, distorted assumptions, etc. And unless that structure is dismantled, the gravitational pull can be overwhelming. For instance, if a person is freed by Jesus from a pornography addiction, unless that person is also willing to tear down their well-worn pathways for accessing porn, it will be too easy to slide back into the familiar.

So, we have before us a critical component in the process of healing Jesus wants to bring to your life and mine. Just like the man at the pool, He’s asking if we want to be made well. And if so, He says it will REQUIRE us to be ruthless about cutting off every route back to brokenness.

Are YOU ready to take up YOUR bed? Dear one, Jesus is with you right now, and ready to give you the clarity, the courage, and the strength you need to do it.

John 5:6-8 • Rise

In John chapter 5 verses 6 through 8, Jesus approaches a man who’s been sick for 38 years – not really dying, but not really living either – not really experiencing the life God intended for him. And Jesus asks him if he’d like to be made well. Now, the King James version of the Bible uses the word, “whole,” here instead of the word, ”well.” And although, either word is appropriate, I like the King James better because wholeness carries with it the idea of being restored to the intended state. And in my view, that’s the sense of the original Greek here.

So, picture this. Jesus walks up to a guy who has apparently spent his entire life in a condition of brokenness, and the Lord asks Him if he would like to be made whole.

Wow! I think the offer of complete restoration implied in that simple question is just astounding to consider. And what’s even more amazing than that is to realize that this is exactly the same question/offer Jesus is making to each of us.

He steps onto the scene of our life’s devastation, looks us in the eye, and asks us if we want to be restored to our intended state. Dear God! How amazing is His love!

But look at the man’s reply. He’s been asked a yes or no question, “Do you want to be made well?” But he doesn’t answer with a simple, “yes.” He answers with an excuse for remaining in his brokenness and offers an explanation for why he can’t be made whole.

O my goodness. Is that like us or what!

He tells Jesus that there are conditions and circumstances sourced outside of himself that prevent him from being healed. “I can’t walk, so I can’t get to the water when it’s moving. I don’t have anyone to help me. Others push me out of the way.”

And isn’t that how we often respond to our Savior’s offer of restoration? We say, “I can never be whole because of what my father did to me.” “I can’t live the life I was made for because I never received the educational opportunities others had, because I don’t have enough money, because I have this disability, because this or that agency, organization, government, or person screwed me over. And our list goes on and on.

But Jesus is still standing there asking a simple yes or no question. “Do you want to be made whole?”

And in spite of the man’s all-too-human response, Jesus offers him three steps to recovery.

And the first of these is, “Rise.”

He’s asking the man to stop excusing himself and simply receive the healing being offered. And I believe some of you may be hearing the same thing from your Savior right now. “Rise.”

I know it sounds like He’s asking you to do something impossible. And it is…for you. But NOT for Him.

Dear one, stop making excuses for your brokenness or blaming it on someone or something outside yourself. Take His hand right now and RISE!

John 5:1-5 • Alive but not Really Living

In John chapter 5 verses 1-15, we have the record of Jesus healing a man at the pool of Bethesda. In the setup, verses 1-5, we’re told that Jesus was in Jerusalem to attend one of the Jewish feasts, and that while He was there, he visited a pool where sick people were brought hoping to be healed by its waters.

Verses 3 and 4 say that a “great multitude” or a large number of people with a variety of illnesses was perpetually gathered there waiting for the water to be stirred up with the belief that if they were the first into the pool following one of these stirrings, they would be healed.

We’re also told that this periodic movement of the water was caused by the action of an angel. But please note that it does NOT say that God was behind this. In fact, there’s nothing in either the testimony of the Bible or the ministry of Jesus to support the idea that we have a God who toys with people like that. On the other hand, that’s exactly the kind of thing Satan would do.

Now, I think it’s clear that this was a situation where the Devil was cruelly exploiting people’s superstitions by preying on their desperation.

The Greek word translated here as, “angel,” simply means, messenger. But, the Bible uses it for both God’s angelic messengers and Satan’s demons. And it’s the context of the specific Scripture passage that clarifies which one is meant. And I think that based on what I’ve already said, the word is used here to describe demonic action.

I think it’s highly likely that somewhere in the history of this place that a mythology began to develop about its healing qualities. There are many places that have a similar healing mythology even in our world today. And they attract people who have no other hope. I think the waters of Bethesda would periodically be stirred up by demons just to keep this false hope alive to torment people.

Now with that understanding as the background, we’re introduced in verse five to a man Jesus is going to heal. And what I’d like us to consider as we begin our examination of this event in Jesus’ ministry, is that this man is clearly not dying. He’s been sick for 38 years. But more importantly, he’s not really living either. And I have a feeling that you may be able to relate to that. I know I can.

I know what it’s like to be alive but not really living, not experiencing the life Jesus meant for me. And if that sounds familiar to you too, get ready. The passage before us is going to reveal how we can see our Savior turn that around. And I invite you to meet here next time to start that journey.

John 4:46-54 • Three Types of Faith

The final nine verses of John chapter four provide us with the record of Jesus healing the nobleman’s son. And among other things, it teaches us a very important lesson about faith.

There are actually three types of faith on display in this passage.

The first is what I call “what-have-I-got-to-lose” faith. And it’s based on what Jesus might do. It’s the kind of faith the nobleman exercised when he traveled all the way from Capernaum to Cana to see if Jesus could help his dying son. And it’s the kind of faith that motivates our desperate prayers for help when we find ourselves facing challenging circumstances. It’s not very deeply rooted, but it is a form of faith most of us can relate to.

Another of the kinds of faith on display in this account is what I call “what-an-amazing-God-we-have” faith. And it’s based on what Jesus has done. It’s the kind of faith described in verse 53 and experienced by the nobleman after receiving the news that his son had been healed. This is the kind of exultant, shout-it-from-the-rooftop faith we all hope to experience as we rejoice in the answer to a prayer. It’s an easy kind of faith that erupts unbidden from our grateful hearts.

And all of us hope that we will be able to jump directly from “what-have-I-got-to-lose” faith to “what-an-amazing-God-we-have” faith. We want our desperate cries to God to always result in immediate and triumphant answers to our prayers.

But most of the time, a third type of faith needs to be exercised in the space between the other two. I call it “what-am-I-going-to-do” faith. And it’s based on what Jesus has said. It’s the kind of faith the nobleman exercised when he chose to obey Jesus’s command to return home trusting to be true what Jesus said about his son having been healed. This is a much more mature faith, and demands more of us spiritually. But it’s the kind of faith God is always seeking to develop in us when we face life’s trials.

I can’t know what types of challenges you’re facing today. But I do know that they provide you with an opportunity to hold tightly to God’s Word, to trust it, to act on it, and to discover what an amazing God we have.

John 4:43-45 • He is More Than…

In John chapter 4 verses 43-45, we see that after Jesus had spent a couple of days with the Samaritans, He continued His journey northward to his home REGION. But, there’s a glaring omission in this passage. It says He returned to His home REGION of Galilee, but it doesn’t say that He went to His home TOWN of Nazareth. But, we ARE told why He may have chosen not to go to there.

Verse 44 quotes Jesus as having said that a prophet is not honored in his “own country.” And that phrase, “own country,” is used in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark specifically as a reference to Nazareth. And in those passages, we’re told that Jesus couldn’t do many miracles there because of the unbelief of the people. And that unbelief was specifically due to their inability to accept that Jesus was more than just the local carpenter’s son, Mary’s boy, the kid down the street. Their expectations of Him were small because they had a limited definition of Him.

Now, their constrained view of Him didn’t really limit His power. But it did limit their ability to benefit from His power.

I’m in Honolulu, Hawaii on vacation. And I’ve been coming here at least once a year since 1996. That’s when I made more first trip here to speak in a conference. And I fell in love…with the people, the culture, the music, the pace, the climate, and the natural beauty. And most importantly, I found that of all the places I’ve been in this world, Hawaii is a place where I can truly rest. I’m not exactly sure why, and it may all be just in my head, but nonetheless, it’s become very important to me for that reason.

But, for the first 40 years of my life, I didn’t benefit from the power of this place. And that was specifically because of my limited definition of Hawaii. I considered it a place for surfers and sun-bathers. And since I’m not either of those, I couldn’t imagine why I would I want to come here.

So, needless to say, I’m deeply grateful to God for arranging for me to have my definition of Hawaii expanded so I could receive the blessings of this place.

And that makes me wonder, have I defined Jesus in a small, narrow, or constrained way that limits my ability to benefit from all He wants to do in my life? And the answer is, of course I have. The magnitude of our Savior is beyond description. So, any way I imagine Him is less than He truly is. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have my awareness of His greatness expanded. And THAT’S my goal for today. Jesus, help me embrace more of who you are.

John 4:39-42 • It’s Got to be Personal

In John chapter 4 verses 39-42, we’re told that many people from the city of Sycar became believers because of the testimony of the Samaritan woman. And, hallelujah, may we all have that kind of gospel impact on our communities. But, it goes on to say that many more came to faith in Christ because they heard Him for themselves. And then, the passage closes by making it clear that, really, all of the people put their faith in Jesus because they met Him personally.

And that makes me think about the tendency of Christians that’s as old as the church itself to insert a layer of “celebrity” ministers or “professional” Christians into a space between us and Jesus. Here’s what I mean.

I think all of us know what it’s like to be deeply impacted by the ministry of a great Christian leader, speaker, teacher, pastor, writer, or worship musician. And that’s wonderful unless the result is that we start allowing our relationship with Jesus to be THROUGH them.

I’m standing here by this film lighting gear because a movie scene is being shot just behind me over there at a location near my home. And as I was walking by, I was reminded of this topic.

When I watch a movie, I experience a story THROUGH the talent and skill of professionals: actors, writers, directors, camera operators, etc. But I can’t let my Christian life become like that, where I’m experiencing the unfolding story of my relationship with Jesus THROUGH the talent, skill, or even the calling and anointing of anyone else. It’s got to be PERSONAL.

May our lives be richly blessed by the devotion of prominent and influential Christian leaders, but let’s make sure to have a “first-person,” “real-time” relationship with Jesus today.

John 4:35-38 • The Red Ones

In John chapter 4 verse 35, Jesus asked His disciples a question. He said, “Don’t you guys have a saying, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest?’” And then He went on to say, “But I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields. They are already white for harvest.” And of course, He was talking about the crowds of people that were right at that very moment on their way to Him from the city of Sycar to hear Him preach the gospel. And right away, it’s clear that Jesus sees the harvest of souls differently than most of us do.

Most of us, when we think about the people in the circles of our lives’ influence coming to faith, we think of it as a future event, something we are still working toward, that are we still planting, and watering, and feeding, and pruning. There’s work to be done. But Jesus said, “No.” He said, “Others have sown, others have labored. You get to reap. The harvest is now.”

Now the other day, one of my grandsons who’s almost three was with me. And I asked him to show me the vegetable garden that had helped his other set of grandparents plant on a fenced off area on their property. And so, we were on our way walking there. And getting close enough that I could see the rows of vegetables and flowers even though we weren’t close enough for me to see the signs that indicated which variety was which, I could tell the tomato plants. And I could see that there were a lot of green tomatoes. And I thought to myself, “You know, they’re going to have a sizable harvest of tomatoes in a little bit.”

And right about that point, my grandson who’d been walking right by my side, took off like a bolt of lightning and ran for those tomato plants. And before I knew it, he’d grabbed hold of the only red, ripe tomato in the bunch, pulled it off the plant, and ate it in about three bites. And I was like stunned. I thought, “Woah! Did I just witness my grandson eat a tomato of his own free will without being forced to?” And then, when I got passed the shock of that little statistic, I thought, “You know, I never even saw the red tomato.” But my grandson, that’s the only one he saw.

I think that when Jesus surveys the planting of His gospel garden He tends to focus on the red ones. I want to do more of that too.

John 1:30-34 Faith That’s Real

In John 1:30-34, John the Baptist continued introducing his audience to Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah. He made it clear that although he always understood his ministry was about preparing the way for the Christ, as late as the previous day he had no idea who He was, where He would come from, or when He would arrive. But God had told him that he would recognize Him by the sign of the Spirit descending and remaining on Him.

And by the next day, John had witnessed this supernatural phenomenon. He described it as so substantial it was as though he had seen the Holy Spirit take on physical form. He said it was like a dove had landed and stayed on Jesus.

The three other Gospel writers – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – recorded that this happened at Jesus’ baptism and that the VOICE of God was also audibly heard on that occasion declaring Jesus to be His beloved Son. So, it’s not surprising then that John bluntly said, “I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

His testimony was not based on wishful thinking, self-delusion, or metaphysics. It was faith for sure, but it was also empirical. It was a statement of belief tied to a personal experience. And he had no alternative. He could do nothing else but proclaim the reality of what he’d seen and heard.

And I get that.

I became a Jesus-follower on the basis of my faith in what the Bible reveals about Him. But my believing is also tightly connected to my experiencing. I too have seen and heard. My relationship with Christ is first and foremost a spiritual thing. But it’s more than that. He has revealed Himself to me in tangible, measurable, amazing ways. And I can’t deny it. It’s my story.

And our stories are powerful. That’s why Revelation 12:11 says the Devil is overcome by the blood of the Lamb – or the sacrifice of Jesus – AND the word of our testimony. John the Baptist had a testimony, and that testimony – that story – is what God used to introduce His Son to a needy world.

And God wants to do the very same thing with your story. He wants to reveal the Savior to those in the circle of your influence who need Him and to use your testimony – the story of what you’ve seen and heard – to do it.

Don’t discount the value of what you’ve experienced in Christ. You may not consider your testimony to be very dramatic. Maybe you haven’t seen the Spirit descending like a dove or heard God’s audible voice. But that’s not the point. It’s your genuineness that matters. People are hungry for faith that’s real. And yours is. Jesus has changed your life. And simply sharing THAT with someone can have eternal impact.

Salvation is never based on someone’s story, but it’s often the result of hearing that story. I encourage you to share yours with someone today.