Get up and Walk

Pastor John Talcott
Christ's Community Church

Read Part 3

(8/3) Welcome to all of you. I was going to wrap up this message series today, but when we’re faithful with a little, God gives you more. And so, Wednesday the Holy Spirit gave me more to share with you as we talk about Divine Direction. And it’s my prayer that God is going to stir some of you to take greater steps of faith in a Divine Direction. Some of you are going to move from where you’ve been stuck toward what God wants you to do in this season.

This is so important, because to step toward your destiny you often have to step away from what’s familiar, what’s comfortable, and step towards something unknown. And so, I’m believing that God is going to give you the faith to start moving in a Divine Direction that will alter the course of your life. For some of you it might be starting over or starting something new. Maybe starting school, or starting a new job, or to start tithing and serving in ministry. I don’t know what it might be for you, but I do know that to step toward your divine destiny, you often have to get up and step away from your security and start something new.

If you would turn in your Bibles to John chapter five, at verse one, I want to talk to you about obstacles to being made well. I think it goes without saying that none of us grew up wanting to be defeated, wanting to fail, wanting to be stuck in a dead-end situation. For example, none of us as children grew up saying, "When I grow up, I want to serve a life sentence in prison." So, we don’t do that, but the truth is that many of us find ourselves held captive by self-defeating thoughts and behaviors. And so, as we turn to the word of God, we want to learn to overcome those obstacles to walking in our destiny.

The apostle John begins in verse one, telling us,

"Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews" (John 5:1).

Now, we don’t know what feast it was, but instead of going to the feast, verse two redirects our attention to another place, not in the temple, but near the temple. John says,

"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" (John 5:2).

If you were to visit Jerusalem today, if you were to tour the area, they would likely show you an excavation in a place called St. Anne’s church where they have discovered the ancient Pool of Bethesda. The name of this pool has been spelled various ways, given different meanings, but most commonly it is referred to or interpreted as the "house of mercy" or "house of grace."

That was the area where Jesus came that day. He had come up to Jerusalem to go to the temple, to go to the feast, but first he went by the sheep gate, because he is the gate for the sheep (John 10:7). And so, he made a beeline for this place. He’d gone up to Jerusalem for the feast, but instead of going to the celebration, first he stopped by a place that most people would not think of going.

He comes to Bethesda, and I want you to notice the priority of Jesus. Because it was in this place, surrounded by five covered colonnades, these five porches or pavilions, coverings of mercy and grace, where verse three says,

"A great number of disabled people used to lie — the blind, the lame, the paralyzed" (John 5:3).

And so, this was a diseased place, an infectious place, a place where those who were afflicted and who had little hope would go.

In those days there were no hospitals and Jesus comes into this place to hang out with sick people, to hang out where the disease is, where the infection is, and where the fever is. Jesus comes to Bethesda where the blind man stumbles, the lame man shuffles, and the paralyzed man lays waiting. Jesus comes into that place, into that situation, because he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He brings his power to the "house of grace," to those who are in trouble, to those who are afflicted, to those who need mercy.

They’re gathered together under those five covered colonnades, finding shelter, just a little shade in the Palestinian heat. And we could move on from there like most people do, because if we’re really honest, we’d rather have them lay over there by themselves, out of the way, because don’t want to face their misery. We don’t want to have to confront them, and so it’s like the homeless person at the stoplight. You know, you don’t look at them, you pretend they’re invisible, and so you sit there in the car looking straight ahead. Isn’t that right?

Let’s be real, you act like you don’t see them, because you don’t want to make eye contact, but Jesus doesn’t do that. He skips over verse four, moving over to one who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years (John 5:5). Well, he doesn’t really skip over verse four, it’s just that the earliest manuscripts don’t contain verse four. In other words, the words at the end of verse three and the entirety of verse four were added several hundred years later. They were added sometime around 400 A.D. as commentary to help readers understand the context of John’s words.

And so, the reason why they are missing from our modern Christian Protestant translations is because this addition was not the holy inspired word of God. In other words, the Bible says, "All Scripture is God breathed," but these words were added by men in an early translation into Latin that was authorized by the Roman Catholic Church (2 Timothy 3:16).

Many centuries later when King James made his rendering of God’s word, inserting chapter and verse numbers, he translated it from the Latin Vulgate instead of from the original manuscripts like we do today. And so, our modern Protestant translations are based upon the original manuscripts, not including additional text, but I want to share that with you today to give us a greater understanding of the context of this passage.

The apostle John tells us in verse 3, reading from the New American Standard Updated version,

"In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered…"

Then in parentheses, noting its omission in the original manuscripts,

"[waiting for the moving of the waters; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] 5 A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years" (John 5:3-5, NASU).

And so, these words were added like commentary in a study Bible to explain why the water was "stirred", but of course the Bible doesn’t teach this kind of superstition. God’s word doesn’t promote mythology, folktales, or legends and certainly wouldn’t be supportive of this type of race, a cruel contest for the many ill and disabled people waiting by the pool.

Now, obviously something unexplainable must have occurred in that pool that kept all of these handicapped people waiting; because it would have been very unusual for an invalid to remain thirty-eight years in one place, waiting, hoping, for something that had never happened before. Historians have suggested that bubbles occasionally stirred the waters because of the aqueduct system supplying water for the pool.

But it was into that place, into that environment of expectation that Jesus comes under those five covered colonnades, because that’s what grace does. Grace covers, and so Jesus came from the Father, full of grace and truth, into the house of grace. And the truth is that everybody in here has got a little something that is gathered up under those five colonnades, something that is hurting, something that is crippled, something that needs to get better, something that you’re asking Jesus to help you with.

"One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years" (John 5:5).

Many of you know that you wouldn’t even be here, you wouldn’t be where you are right now, if Jesus hadn’t come to get you when you were helpless and needed someone to help you. You know, we all like to act like we’ve got it all together, we like to act like we’re perfect, but the truth is that everybody in here is struggling with something. And we all need some grace, it’s only by his grace that we are here, because the Bible says,

"It is by grace you have been saved, through faith" (Ephesians 2:8).

And so, you know that you don’t deserve what you have, it’s only by his grace that you are where you are, it was grace that gave you a second chance, grace that covered you, grace that kept you under the colonnade.

You drove up in the parking lot today in grace. You thought it was a Toyota, you thought it was a Chevrolet, but it was grace. And so, Jesus comes to Bethesda, the house of grace, and this man had been laying there for thirty-eight years.

"When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time" (John 5:6).

In other words, he was just hanging out under those five covered colonnades, but the problem is that the grace that was sent to cover you can actually start to cripple your development. And so, Jesus comes to challenge him to get up, to move away from what has become familiar, what is comfortable, and become a crutch.

He says, "It’s time for you to stand up on your own two feet, it’s time for you to stop saying, "This is just how I am. This is just how my dad was, or this is how my mom was." And so, Jesus asked him what seemed like a silly question. He said,

"Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6).

In other words, "Do you really want to get better?" Because the comfort of your shelter has become a deterrent to getting better. And so, for thirty-eight years they’ve had compassion on him because they’ve understood his situation, but it’s created this codependent relationship that has enabled him not to get well.

Jesus comes to Bethesda, serving him an eviction notice because some people are content being sick. In other words, when they’re sick, they get attention. When they’re sick, they get gift cards. When they’re sick, they can create a GoFundMe account. And I know some people need it, but there are a lot of other people that are simply taking advantage of your compassion. And so, it becomes a racket, because they’re not trying to get better, they’re not trying to get a job, they’re just using you so they can continue laying around on the porch under the colonnade.

Jesus confronts him, asking about his willingness to get better, and the man makes an excuse.

"Sir," he says, "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" (John 5:7).

In other words, for thirty-eight years, every time he missed his turn, he went back up on the porch. And I wonder if he would’ve gone as far as he could and waited for the next time, maybe he could’ve got himself there, but he went back to the covering of the colonnade.

He made excuses like some people might say, "If my check would’ve come in, or if I hadn’t lost my job, or if she’d been a better wife, I wouldn’t have done this or that." And so, we crawl back up on the porch, blaming others who are enabling us and empowering us to remain in the situation that we’re in.

I wonder today, what is it that you keep going back to?

This man was an invalid, but he admitted that he was able to move without anybody helping him. And so, all he had to do was get a little bit closer than he was yesterday. Just one step closer to the miracle, but he kept going back where he was. And so, he’s lying on the porch, blaming everyone else for his problems, basically saying that it’s not my fault. And for thirty-eight years he is stuck in that same place because he never takes responsibility for his own progress.

Some of you today maybe stuck in the same place, stuck in the same habits, stuck in the same situation, and every time you make an excuse you are giving power to the enemy. But I’m here today to declare to you that the devil is a liar. In fact, God said,

"No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you" (Isaiah 54:17).

And so, if you want to get well, you’ve got to make up your mind to stop blaming your friends, blaming your father, your mother, or your uncle, because otherwise you’re always going to be stuck under the colonnade.

Now, I’m not saying that what they did wasn’t wrong, that it didn’t hurt, that it wasn’t fair, that it didn’t slow you down, but I want to do is give you some incentive to move forward. It may be the truth and you may have had to fight with difficulties, challenges, and obstacles all of your life, but that’s why Jesus asked, "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6).

Because he wants you to overcome every obstacle to achieving the fullness of life that he came to give.

You see, this man’s greatest obstacle to being made well was the fact that he had come to believe the voices that said, "You aren’t ever going to be anything, you’re just like your father, you’re stupid, or you’re ugly." And all of those words were like hooks, anchored deep down inside of him, because what you believe will determine what you’ll go after, how you’ll go after it, whether you’ll make it to the pool, or simply wait on an angel.

This man had chosen to build his whole life around a myth, a tradition, a legend, instead of biblical truth.

And so, when Jesus showed up, this man wasn’t expecting to be healed, because he wasn’t in the water, this wasn’t an angel, it wasn’t the right day, and it wasn’t the right time. But he was waiting on something to happen that wasn’t going to happen, because he would only rise to the level of his belief. And it’s easy to fall into that trap, telling yourself that God is going to do it this way, it’s going to happen like that, but the Bible says,

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV).

And so, you might find yourself waiting a long time, because he may not do it like he did it for your grandmother. What you believe can actually keep you from making progress.

Jesus came to Bethesda to shatter this myth, this folklore, that says it can only happen on this day, it can only happen this way, it can only happen in this spot, and it can only happen at this time. And so, he comes on the wrong day, standing in the wrong place, and breaks all of the rules because it’s not what they think, it is what God’s word says.

And Jesus didn’t ask anybody else’s opinion, he didn’t ask the other people under the colonnade, he didn’t ask his disciples, he didn’t ask the scribes or the Pharisees, he asked this one man who had been stuck thirty-eight years with a false expectation.

"Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6).

And in a moment, with a word, Jesus shatters his belief system, purposely broke all the rules, and heals him on the Sabbath day. 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" (John 5:8-9).

Right away, his fellow Jews come running up to him because the day on which this took place was a Sabbath (John 5:9). In other words, the self-righteous, judgmental Jews had been watching, because they were looking for Jesus to do something like this.

"And so, the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat" (John 5:10).

And so, overlooking the fact that this man who had been sick for thirty-eight years had now been healed by the power of God. They complained about his religious observance saying, "the law forbids you to carry your mat on the Sabbath."

You see, if you look hard enough you can always find something to criticize, some reason to be a hater. But the man who had been healed recognized that there was one greater than the law here. He replied,

"The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk" (John 5:11).

There may be one of you here right now, whom Jesus is willing to break the rules to help you overcome the obstacles to getting better. He is going to give you faith to help you overcome the doubts that stand in your way. He’s going to give you the boldness to raise your hands in worship and open your mouth with praise.

There are some of you who are sick and tired of being stuck in the same spot, paralyzed because of what they said, or what you heard, and I want you to push through the obstacles to believing so that you can get well. It begins with making a decision that you want to be well, getting it in your mind, and getting it in your heart, like the woman who’d been subject to bleeding for twelve years. No one had been able to heal her, but she didn’t give up hope.

"She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped" (Luke 8:43-44).

And so, I want to encourage you today, to push through the crowds, climb over every obstacle and get your healing.

The man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years said, "The one who made me well said to me, "Pick up your mat and walk." So, when they asked him,

"Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk" (John 5:12)?

He couldn’t tell them who it was because he had no idea who it was, because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there (John 5:13).

Later, the Bible says, Jesus found him in the temple. He got him by himself and said,

"See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you" (John 5:14).

Now, I know we always gravitate towards certain types of sins, wondering what’s this guy been doing, thinking about sexual sins, stealing or murder or something like that. But maybe Jesus is talking about unbelief or other sins like negativity, the way we talk to people, or the way we treat our family who has been helping us for thirty-eight years.

In other words, maybe Jesus was saying, "Stop doubting and believe, stop acting like this is a mystery, I got you out of this and so I expect for you to change. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."

Not in reference to his person, but to his destiny, because he was talking about a Divine Direction.

You see, there are many obstacles in your life that God intends for you to overcome. Not reliving the same experiences over and over and over again for thirty-eight years. And so, you’ve got to get off the porch and into your purpose and into your destiny. Because it’s not about what they did, or what they said, or what happened to you. Don’t get stuck thirty-eight years in a state of limbo because nobody helped you. The Holy Spirit says, "You can overcome them because the one who is in you is greater."

"We are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).

And so, as we close, I want to encourage you to be faithful to God, faithful to what he has said, faithful to what he has put on your heart, because you have no idea where God will take you if you’ll take the first step in a Divine direction.

Read Part 5

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott