Bible Reading
John 5:1-17 “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, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
[29:34]Mark 2:27 “And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
[52:14]John 5:18 “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”
[59:18]Observation questions
- What details in John 5 describe the setting at Bethesda and the people gathered there? [36:14]
- How does the disabled man answer Jesus’ question about getting well, and what solution does he seem focused on? [41:20]
- What does Jesus command the man to do, and what happens immediately afterward? [45:00]
- After the healing, what do the religious leaders focus on, and what important event do they fail to recognize? [50:32]
Interpretation questions
- Why might Jesus ask a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years whether he wanted to get well? What does the man’s answer reveal about where he had placed his hope? [41:04]
- The man believed someone else was always getting ahead of him. How does Jesus’ healing challenge the idea that God’s mercy is scarce or must be earned by being first? [43:16]
- Why is it significant that Jesus commands the man to do what he could not do on his own? What does this show about the relationship between Christ’s commands and Christ’s power? [48:17]
- Why does John connect the healing to Jesus calling God His Father and making Himself equal with God? How does Jesus’ identity change the meaning of this miracle? [59:11]
Application questions
- Where might someone be settled on one narrow solution to a problem—perhaps in a relationship, work situation, health struggle, or future decision? What could it look like to ask, “Jesus, what is the plan?” instead of only asking God to bless an already-settled plan? [42:20]
- When another person receives an opportunity, healing, answer to prayer, or blessing, is there ever a temptation to feel as though that person received something meant for you? How can God’s abundant grace reshape that response? [42:55]
- What is one area of life where you feel stuck or unable to move forward? What is one faithful next step you can take in response to what Jesus has already made clear? [48:06]
- The man once lay on the mat, but later carried it himself. What “mat” in your own story reminds you of something Christ has carried you through or given you strength to face?
- When someone begins following Jesus or returns to church, are you more likely to celebrate God’s work or immediately notice what still needs to change? What would gracious encouragement look like in a real relationship this week? [53:02]
- Is there any physical suffering, limitation, or painful circumstance that has led you to blame yourself or someone else too quickly? How does the truth that we live in a fallen world help us respond with both honesty and compassion? [56:23]
- In what ways can a person want Jesus mainly to change circumstances, while avoiding a deeper relationship with Him? What would it look like this week to seek the healing that matters most—a life that knows and follows Christ? [01:00:39]
