Good morning,
Praise the Lord for another glorious day in His Kingdom. It will be another summer like day today. Thank you Jesus.
For our Wednesday Bible study last night we looked at John chapter 5. Jesus always places Himself in the midst of hurting people. John 5:1-4: After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
When you go to Jerusalem, even today you will get to the pool just after you have passed the beautiful St. Anne's Church. The pool of Bethesda was located in the northwest side of Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate. Apparently, this pool was spring fed and at certain times air bubbles trapped in the sub-terrainian water system would come up through the pool causing the water to stir. It was thought at the time that the stirring of the water was caused by an angel and the first person in the pool after the stirring would be healed of any infirmity. This belief brought multitudes of hurting and desperate people who hoped for anything to bring them help. This had to be one of the most depressing parts of town. We can imagine multitudes of lame, blind, and grossly disfigured people in one place, each pushing as close as they dared to the edge of the pool so that they would not miss out. Certainly, most of the religious leaders stayed away from this place in fear of touching a person with an infirmity, not to speak of avoiding such a dreadful place. We can imagine a place where there are multitudes of lame, blind, and badly disfigured people gathered together. This is exactly where Jesus chose to go, as He had a heart for hurting people.
When you go to Jerusalem, even today you will get to the pool just after you have passed the beautiful St. Anne's Church. The pool of Bethesda was located in the northwest side of Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate. Apparently, this pool was spring fed and at certain times air bubbles trapped in the sub-terrainian water system would come up through the pool causing the water to stir. It was thought at the time that the stirring of the water was caused by an angel and the first person in the pool after the stirring would be healed of any infirmity. This belief brought multitudes of hurting and desperate people who hoped for anything to bring them help. This had to be one of the most depressing parts of town. We can imagine multitudes of lame, blind, and grossly disfigured people in one place, each pushing as close as they dared to the edge of the pool so that they would not miss out. Certainly, most of the religious leaders stayed away from this place in fear of touching a person with an infirmity, not to speak of avoiding such a dreadful place. We can imagine a place where there are multitudes of lame, blind, and badly disfigured people gathered together. This is exactly where Jesus chose to go, as He had a heart for hurting people.
I read the following story sometime ago. Early on the morning of February 22, 1901, the great passenger steamship, City of Rio de Janeiro approached San Francisco in a dense fog and behind schedule. Though sailing totally blind, the captain and pilot risked entering the harbor, and at 5:18 am, the ship ran aground. Arthur O’Neill said the impact was “like an earthquake intensified many times.” Most of the passengers were Chinese or Japanese immigrants seeking America. The language barrier prevented lifeboats from being deployed correctly and boarded. 131 people died.
One survivor was a young American journalist. In the wreck, both of his legs were broken, and he lost consciousness (either from shock or blood loss or both). Somehow he fell into the water, where he regained his senses, but all he could do was float. Several hours later, rescuers found him nearly drowned and completely helpless, and pulled him to safety.
Harry Ironside, the famous pastor of the Moody Bible Church in Chicago happened to be on the beach that morning. He later heard the story of the rescued journalist and observed that his story was similar to the healing of the man at Bethesda. Both legs of the young journalist were broken; he was nearly drowned; and he could do nothing to help himself. So it was at the pool. The “multitude of invalids” were helpless; they could not see; they were weak and withered. It was a pitiful collection of broken humanity.
Jesus desires to help those who cannot help themselves (John 5:5-9)
"Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath."
There is an old saying that has floated around for years that goes something like this, "God helps those who helps themselves." This saying is so well-known that many probably think it is right out of Scripture, though nothing could be farther from the truth. Certainly our Lord has called us all to lives of responsibility; in areas in which He has equipped us to help ourselves we are to do just that. However, each of us will at times in our lives find ourselves in situations that are beyond our own help. This is where Jesus plays such an important role in humanity. He has come to help those who cannot help themselves. This is the very reason that He stepped out of heaven. If we could help ourselves in every matter then we would have no need of Jesus.
In the Gospel of John we find a man in a desperate situation who was unable to help himself. He had been lame for 38 years. He had no one to help him to the pool. He even believed in a false teaching. He seemed without hope. Yet, Jesus came to bring hope to the hopeless. This is the heart of Jesus.
Jesus places few restrictions on those whom He ministers. "When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?'" (We might think, "What kind of a question is that? Of course he wants that or he would not be at the pool.")
Many times hurting people find themselves having to qualify in order to receive another’s assistance. In the guise of being “good stewards” we sometimes place many restrictions on those whom we will and will not help. It is quite interesting that the only question that Jesus asked this man was, “Do you want to be made well?” He did not ask the man about whether he had faith enough to be healed. He did not ask the man whether he believed that Jesus was the Son of God. He did not question the man what he would do with his healing if he would be made well. As a matter of fact this man after he was healed turned Jesus in to those who wanted to destroy Him.
Jesus uses opportunities of ministering to physical needs to earn the opportunity to minister to spiritual needs (5:14) "Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.'" Jesus our Lord at times chose to teach through His actions the importance of ministering first to the “felt” needs of the individual. It has been said, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” We must earn the opportunity to address a person’s spiritual needs by first ministering to their physical needs and we must remember that our motive of concern for the person must always be pure. Then, and only then will their spiritual ears be opened to what we have to say.
One survivor was a young American journalist. In the wreck, both of his legs were broken, and he lost consciousness (either from shock or blood loss or both). Somehow he fell into the water, where he regained his senses, but all he could do was float. Several hours later, rescuers found him nearly drowned and completely helpless, and pulled him to safety.
Harry Ironside, the famous pastor of the Moody Bible Church in Chicago happened to be on the beach that morning. He later heard the story of the rescued journalist and observed that his story was similar to the healing of the man at Bethesda. Both legs of the young journalist were broken; he was nearly drowned; and he could do nothing to help himself. So it was at the pool. The “multitude of invalids” were helpless; they could not see; they were weak and withered. It was a pitiful collection of broken humanity.
Jesus desires to help those who cannot help themselves (John 5:5-9)
"Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath."
There is an old saying that has floated around for years that goes something like this, "God helps those who helps themselves." This saying is so well-known that many probably think it is right out of Scripture, though nothing could be farther from the truth. Certainly our Lord has called us all to lives of responsibility; in areas in which He has equipped us to help ourselves we are to do just that. However, each of us will at times in our lives find ourselves in situations that are beyond our own help. This is where Jesus plays such an important role in humanity. He has come to help those who cannot help themselves. This is the very reason that He stepped out of heaven. If we could help ourselves in every matter then we would have no need of Jesus.
In the Gospel of John we find a man in a desperate situation who was unable to help himself. He had been lame for 38 years. He had no one to help him to the pool. He even believed in a false teaching. He seemed without hope. Yet, Jesus came to bring hope to the hopeless. This is the heart of Jesus.
Jesus places few restrictions on those whom He ministers. "When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?'" (We might think, "What kind of a question is that? Of course he wants that or he would not be at the pool.")
Many times hurting people find themselves having to qualify in order to receive another’s assistance. In the guise of being “good stewards” we sometimes place many restrictions on those whom we will and will not help. It is quite interesting that the only question that Jesus asked this man was, “Do you want to be made well?” He did not ask the man about whether he had faith enough to be healed. He did not ask the man whether he believed that Jesus was the Son of God. He did not question the man what he would do with his healing if he would be made well. As a matter of fact this man after he was healed turned Jesus in to those who wanted to destroy Him.
Jesus uses opportunities of ministering to physical needs to earn the opportunity to minister to spiritual needs (5:14) "Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.'" Jesus our Lord at times chose to teach through His actions the importance of ministering first to the “felt” needs of the individual. It has been said, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” We must earn the opportunity to address a person’s spiritual needs by first ministering to their physical needs and we must remember that our motive of concern for the person must always be pure. Then, and only then will their spiritual ears be opened to what we have to say.
In Christ,
Brown
Friday March 23, 2012
Television Outreach
Time Warner Cable Channel 4
Time 7:00 PM
Saturday Evening Worship Service:
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott, NY
Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church
Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship
6:30 PM Worship Service
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2012
Speaker: Rev. Brown Naik,
Special Music by Laureen Naik
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