- John 5:7-12
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- John 5:7 (KJB)
- The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is
troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth
down before me.
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- The man states his condition is such that he is unable to get himself
into the water plus he has no one there to help him in. It is obviously the
first one in the water is the first one who gets healed and then comes an
extensive waiting period until the angel comes again to disturb or agitate
the water. Since the man is extremely infirm, this same scenario would play
out every time the water was stirred. When the water stirred and he tried to
crawl down into the pool, another would always beat him. This scenario also
points to the situation man is in concerning salvation. He can come to the
precipice of salvation by learning the Scriptures and everything there is to
know about God but because man is spiritually dead, intellectual
understanding does not lead to salvation since salvation is a spiritual
event. Man is as spiritually impotent as the man at the pool was physically
impotent but things were about to change because Jesus was on the scene.
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- John 5:8 (KJB)
- Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
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- Jesus now gives this man three commands within this one verse. The words
“rise, take up, and walk” are all in the imperative mood. First of all, the
command was to rise and after being infirm for 38 years, can you imagine
what may have gone through this man’s mind? All this man knew for 38 years
was to lay by the pool and hope to be healed, now Jesus comes on the scene
and gives three words of command. So the man rose, then he took up his bed.
He no longer would use the bed to lay on as an infirm person but would now
use it for sleeping as a healed person. Then the third command was to walk.
He was no longer among the infirm and was healed, so he was to walk away
from that pool. This describes the Christian when they come to salvation.
First we are to rise from the dead, spiritually dead that is, then we are to
go from the dormant position of spiritual death which is represented by the
sick bed, and then walk in newness of life. The Christian walks through this
life and does not stay inactive.
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- John 5:9 (KJB)
- And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and
walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
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- Whole - Well
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- This impotent man was immediately made well and he followed the command
of Christ to take up his bed and walk. There was no progressive healing as
the man was instantly made whole. This is a great picture of salvation. When
Christ saves a person, they are immediately saved and there is nothing else
to add to a person’s salvation. Salvation is instantaneous but possessional
sanctification is a process. At salvation we have positional sanctification,
that means we as Christians, are set apart from the unbeliever in this world
unto God. Possessional means that we continue to grow in the faith. As we
grow in the faith, we want less of the world and more of God. We can see a
small picture of possessional sanctification as the man takes up his bed and
then walks. The Christian also begins to walk in the faith after salvation,
which is like being raised from the sick bed and resuming or beginning to
take an active part in society. Then this verse goes on to say that it was
the Sabbath and under the law the Sabbath was a day of rest and only special
work was to take place. However, the leaders of Israel for hundreds of years
had added many of their own laws and regulations to God’s law. When Jesus
came on the scene the true law of God was hardly visible under all the
additions.
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- John 5:10 (KJB)
- The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day:
it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
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- Do you notice the absence of something? It was an appreciation of the
fact that a man was impotent for 38 years and Jesus heals him and the only
thing the Jews can say to this man was it is not lawful for you to carry
your bed on the Sabbath. They said nothing, absolutely nothing, about the
fact that the man was totally healed after 38 years of infirmity. This is
the essence of religion, it is cold and hard, and in its finality, leads a
steady path to hell. This is why God hates religion because it does not
represent Him in truth, instead it obfuscates the truth about God,
especially the fact that He is a merciful God.
(Psa 103:8 KJV) The LORD is merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
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- Some things which are taught in Scripture about the Sabbath. First the
Sabbath is a great picture of the rest the believer has in Christ. Just as
the physical bodies rested on the seventh day, the soul of the Christian
finds eternal rest in Christ. This is why the fourth commandment is absent
from the New Testament while the other nine are listed. Secondly, we find in
Mark 2:27 that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.
(Mark 2:27 KJV) And he said unto them,
The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
It was made so they could attend worship in the Temple
and focus upon God and to give their bodies a rest. Works of necessity were
not forbidden on the Sabbath. (Luke 14:5
KJV) And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox
fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
Thirdly, they were allowed to do good deeds on the
Sabbath. (Mark 3:4 KJV) And he saith
unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to
save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
If they refused to do good on the Sabbath, then that means they would be
doing evil by refusing to do good. Fourthly, Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath
and would not lead anyone into sin.
(Mark 2:28 KJV) Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
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- John 5:11 (KJB)
- He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up
thy bed, and walk.
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- Here the man answers the Jews that the same one who healed me commanded
me to take up my bed and walk. Since Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath, He had
the right to command that man to carry the bed because it is lawful to do
good on the Sabbath. This man made sure they knew that he was totally cured
from his infirmity. The Jews did not focus on that but they focused on their
legalism.
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- John 5:12 (KJB)
- Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy
bed, and walk?
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- Now they wanted to know who this man was. They either wanted to have him
punished or to question him about the miracle that happened. One of the
chief accusations made against Jesus was that He taught people to disobey
the law of Moses. (Luke 6:7 KJV) And the
scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day;
that they might find an accusation against him.
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