Bible ReadingJohn 5:1-91. After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
[36:27]2. Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes.
3. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; 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.
6. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?”
[37:31]7. 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.”
8. Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.”
[37:47]9. Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
[37:51]Mark 2:9-129. “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’?”
[01:21:18]10. “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,
11. “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.”
[01:21:45]12. And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
[01:21:48]2 Kings 5:10-1410. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.”
[01:12:46]11. But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’
12. “Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.
[01:12:51]13. Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
[01:13:19]14. So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.
[01:13:41]2 Corinthians 12:8-98. Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
[01:27:10]9. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
[01:27:15]Observation questions- What details in John 5 show that Jesus noticed this particular man in a very large crowd, including what Jesus knew about his condition?
- When Jesus asks, “Do you wish to get well?” how does the man answer? What does his answer reveal about what he believes he needs? [01:01:48]
- What does Jesus command the man to do, and what happens immediately after the man responds to Jesus’ word?
- In both John 5 and Mark 2, what connection is made between Jesus’ power to heal a body and His authority to forgive sins? [01:21:45]
Interpretation questions- Why might Jesus ask a man who has suffered for thirty-eight years whether he wants to get well, rather than simply healing him immediately? What heart-level issues can that question bring into the open? [56:31]
- The man at Bethesda is focused on the pool, timing, and needing another person’s help. What are some present-day “pools” that people can become convinced they must have before their lives can change? [01:05:16]
- Naaman wanted God’s healing, but he resisted because God’s instruction did not match his expectations. Why can a person want God’s help while still resisting the way God chooses to work? [01:14:00]
- Paul asked repeatedly for his thorn to leave, yet God answered with sufficient grace. How does this help a believer understand that God’s “no” to immediate relief is not a lack of love or power? [01:28:23]
Application questions- Is there an area of hurt, fear, bitterness, unhealthy thinking, or spiritual paralysis that has become so familiar that change feels difficult or even frightening? What might an honest answer to Jesus’ question, “Do you wish to get well?” sound like? [58:45]
- Where have you been giving God a detailed plan for how He must solve a problem? What would it look like to bring that need to Him while releasing your demand for a particular outcome? [01:11:25]
- Jesus sees people others overlook. Who is someone in your daily life, church, neighborhood, workplace, or family who may feel invisible? What simple step could you take this week to notice and care for that person? [43:11]
- Is there a prayer you stopped praying because it has been a long time and you assumed nothing could change? How can you begin asking again with faith while still trusting God’s wisdom and will? [01:01:24]
- Christ’s command carries the strength needed to obey it. Is there a clear command from Scripture that you have been treating as impossible to obey—such as forgiving, speaking truth, resisting fear, serving, repenting, or reconciling? What faithful next step can you take? [01:16:13]
- When a difficult circumstance remains, do you tend to believe peace can only come after the problem is fixed? How might you ask Christ for peace in the middle of the storm this week? [01:18:11]
- Physical healing is a gift from God, but forgiveness and a restored relationship with Him are the greater healing. How does remembering the eternal healing of the soul reshape the way you pray about bodily needs and present troubles? [01:24:47]
