Bible Reading
John 4:46-54 “So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, 'Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.' The official said to him, 'Sir, come down before my child dies.' Jesus said to him, 'Go; your son will live.' The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, 'Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.' The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, 'Your son will live.' And he himself believed, and all his household.”
[39:05]John 5:1-18 “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, that man 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 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.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.' 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.”
[42:19]Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.”
[48:40]Observation questions
- In John 4:46–54, what does the royal official ask Jesus to do, and how does Jesus answer him?
- What does the official do after Jesus tells him that his son will live, and what later confirms that Jesus’ word was true? [41:43]
- In John 5:1–18, how does the man at Bethesda explain why he has not been healed, and what does Jesus command him to do instead? [44:46]
- After the man begins walking, what concerns the religious leaders more: his healing or the mat he is carrying? [56:24]
Interpretation questions
- Why might Jesus choose not to go with the royal official to Capernaum, but instead call him to trust a word spoken from a distance? What does this reveal about the kind of faith Jesus desires? [52:13]
- The man at Bethesda sees the pool as his only possible path to healing. How does Jesus’ command challenge the limits the man had placed on God’s work? [52:49]
- Jesus’ question, “Do you want to be healed?” can sound surprising. How might the question expose the difference between wanting Jesus Himself and merely wanting life to improve on one’s own terms? [01:00:04]
- Why do the religious leaders respond to a man’s healing with concern about Sabbath rule-breaking? What does their response show about how rules can become more important than the freedom and mercy God intends? [01:03:36]
Application questions
- Where is there a situation in life where the group member is asking Jesus to work according to a specific plan, timeline, or outcome? What might it look like to take Jesus at His word even without controlling the process? [52:36]
- What old assumption about God, self, healing, success, or spiritual growth may be keeping the group member captive? How could that belief be tested against the words and actions of Jesus? [53:34]
- The royal official had status and influence, yet neither could save his son. When has personal ability, planning, money, connections, or control proved unable to solve a deeper need? How did that experience affect trust in Jesus? [50:29]
- Is there an area where the group member has quietly reduced God to a means for getting life back on track—asking for help but wanting to remain in charge afterward? What would it mean to confess that Jesus Himself is the salvation needed? [01:00:53]
- The man at Bethesda believed that the pool was his only hope. What “pool” might the group member be waiting on—a person, program, circumstance, habit, or perfect opportunity—while Jesus may be inviting a different step of trust? [01:02:22]
- When has the group member been tempted to focus on religious fine print, personal preferences, or someone else’s failure rather than celebrating God’s work in a person’s life? What would a softer and more joyful response look like? [01:03:25]
- Jesus is not a manageable good-luck charm or a cosmic genie; He is the God of heaven and earth. What part of the group member’s picture of Jesus needs to become bigger, truer, or less controllable? [01:07:47]
