John Study 7: 5:1-27

Dear Student of the Word,

I am off to the UK later today, so I thought I had better send this next installment from our study of John before I depart. This week, we look at chapter five where Jesus healed the man by the waters that the angel stirred.  I have been speaking from this passage recently, so I found that I had a lot to say.  Here is what I wrote for day four of this seven-day study:

5:12 – The interrogation continued, for the Jews wanted to know who had the audacity to command this man to do something in violation of the Sabbath regulations.  The line of questioning did not pursue who had the power to heal him from a 38-year-old malady.  The Jewish leaders did not care about people as much as what people could and should do to fulfill the Law. 

v. 13 – The man didn’t know who Jesus was or who had healed him. The place was so crowded that Jesus had managed to slip away.  Yet this man himself didn’t seem that excited about his healing!  I am probably reading more into this than is there, but somehow this man should have been “walking and leaping and praising God.”  Instead he submitted to an interrogation to which he responded with factual information but no joy.  I think if I had just been set free from my inability to walk, I would be ecstatic.  However, I want to be careful to point out that the verses do not support this view.  It is just my opinion.  Are you rejoicing at what Jesus has done for you?

v. 14 – Jesus found this man for the second time. The first was to heal him and the second was to warn him.  Jesus’ admonition was that the man had to stop sinning or something worse would befall him.  Was there a sin that caused this man to be afflicted?  Is that what Jesus was saying?  It would seem to me that this is the message.  Is every disease the result of some specific sin?  Absolutely not, for we will see in John 9 that the man born blind was born like that so that God’s glory could be revealed when Jesus healed him. But in the case of this man in John 5, it seems that there was a correlation between his sin and his ailment.

v. 15 – I find it strange that the man ran to tell the authorities that it was Jesus who had healed him.  The man could have gone home.  He should have been telling his family and friends what Jesus had done.  Instead, he went off to justify himself to the Jewish leaders that he had not profaned the Sabbath. He had been ordered to do so by Jesus.  What was the man supposed to do?  Was he to lie by the pool after he was healed until the Sabbath was over?  That’s ridiculous!

Somehow this all relates back to the strange question that Jesus asked the man: “Do you want to be healed?”  The man indirectly said he did, but his behavior after the fact reveals that Jesus knew and saw something in the man that was problematic.  I find this man’s behavior strange for one who had just been set free, which leads me to believe that he still wasn’t free even though he was healed.

Do you agree or disagree?  What is your “take” on this man’s story?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished Faith Files.

Download John Study 7

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THE SOPHIA FUND:  I received the following email from Kenya this week, written by Pastor Francis at the Upako Orphanage:

This is to let you know that we received $1000 from you through Sarah Network for the feeding of the orphans at Upako Centre Nairobi.We are indeed very grateful to you and all involved in this and we have channeled the money to the children's food kitty and to no other use. I will give the breakdown of what we bought with the money after use.

I also want to congratulate the wonderful people who visited Kenya with you and got the opportunity to visit Upako,they too made a difference and may God bless all of you. Finally, keep us in prayer so that you may continue helping Upako Children alongside other projects in Kenya.

Every penny you send will go to feed the poor in Zimbabwe and Kenya. Nothing goes to overhead or administration.  Won't you consider helping orphans and widows today? You can read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother) that will help feed widows and orphans in Kenya and Zimbabwe. 

Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more.  You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA  15221.  Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.

The most recent posted entry about The Sophia Fund is here.