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The UnexpectedSeptember 2, 2008John 5:1-15 1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie-the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" 7"Sir," the invalid replied, "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." 8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat." 11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' " 12So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?" 13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Has there been a time in your life when you were waiting on something to happen one way, but then suddenly to your surprise it happened in a way you least expected? Today’s scripture lesson is a story of an encounter between a hurting individual and Jesus. The man, crippled since birth, is found by Jesus near a pool that supposedly had healing powers. The only problem was that no one would help him get in it; instead, they ignored him and entered the water alone experiencing the healing waters for themselves. Jesus asks the man,” Do you want to get well?” Of course the man wants to get well, but he sees no way that will happen since he can never get assistance into the water. Rather than helping the man get into the water, Jesus tells him to, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” To the man’s surprise he is cured without the water. At this point the man doesn’t know who cured him, but tells everyone what has happened. The Jewish leadership of the day aren’t concerned with who healed him, but focus their attention on who instructed the man to pick up his mat on the Sabbath. Working on the Sabbath was a big no-no for them and they demanded to know who would defy this law. When they found out they were furious at Jesus. Jesus tells them that he didn’t break the law because God can work on the Sabbath; thus, Jesus equated himself with God, which only incited them further. They wanted Jesus dead. This healing story teaches us that Jesus works in unexpected ways. So often we are like the man waiting by the pool. We are hurting and don’t want to live like that anymore, but we can see no way out of our situation. Healing (both physical and spiritual) becomes only a dream we fear we will never see. This story reminds us that Jesus can offer us a way out of our situation and into new life. It also reminds us that as long as God is working in the world so is Jesus. The Jewish leadership of Jesus’ day could not see God working against the law. Their standards/ expectations for God were thrown off by Jesus’ actions. Today, those in the church can be a lot like those Jewish leaders. We expect God/Jesus to operate within our boundaries. We forget that God is not limited by our expectations, but that he is always offering us new ways to experience Him. The question is: are we ready to expect the unexpected? Prayer: Almighty God, you are more than I understand. I am sorry that I limit what you can do in my life. I know you work in unexpected ways. Open my eyes so that I may see you anew. Amen. For more informationRev. Leigh Martin |
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