Rise, take up your bed and walk

 

 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.  

 

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.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 

 

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."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.   

 

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."   Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

 

- John 5:1–18 

 

Yesterday we read that after spending two extra days with the Samaritans, Jesus departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

 

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  According to my study Bible, Church Fathers teach that this feast is the Old Testament Pentecost (also referred to as the "Feast of Weeks").  It is the celebration of the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.  The references to the Law of Moses later in this chapter seem to confirm this interpretation. 

 

   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.  This double-basin pool, which was believed to have curative powers, has been discovered about a hundred yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate.  My study Bible explains that the water for this high-ground pool came from underground springs and it was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  So this pool functions as a type of Christian baptism.  (A biblical "type" is an Old Testament event, person, or institution which foreshadows a greater reality revealed the New Testament.)  Under the old covenant, my study Bible notes, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it.  The waters were special in that they were a way to indirectly participate in the animal sacrifices of the temple, since the animals were washed with the same water.  But its grace was limited to the first person to enter.  Under the new covenant, baptism is given to all nations as a direct participation in Christ's own sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6) without the mediation of angels.  So, therefore, baptism grants healing of the soul and the promise of the eternal resurrection of the body, and its grace is inexhaustible.  

 

 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  According to St. John Chrysostom, Jesus singles out this man who had waited for thirty-eight years in order to teach us perseverance, and also as a judgment against those who lose hope or patience in much lesser troubles lasting a shorter time.  

 

 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.   Christ's question is relevant for many reasons, according to my study Bible. First, it made public the fact that the sick man kept his faith even in a situation which was seemingly hopeless, for how could a paralytic ever be first into the water?  Second, Christ draws attention away from the water and toward the need we have for a man to help us.  This need is fulfilled in Christ, who became a Man to heal all. Finally, my study Bible notes that not everyone who is ill actually desires healing.  Sadly, some may prefer to remain infirm in order to have license to complain, to avoid responsibility for their lives, or to continue to elicit the pity of others.  The healing of this man is the third sign of seven given in St. John's Gospel.

 

 And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  My study Bible comments that although the Law itself doesn't specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, this is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22 and is explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  That Christ is Lord over the Sabbath is made clear here both by His commands and also the man's obedience (see also Matthew 12:1-8).  As is often the case in John's Gospel, my study Bible reminds us, the term Jews is used here to refer to the leaders and not to the people in general (for all the people in the story are Jews, including Jesus and the author of this Gospel).  It asks us to notice the malice of these leaders, because they focus solely on the Sabbath violation, asking the man, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed'?" but ignoring completely the miraculous healing.

 

 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."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  That this man was found in the temple shows his great faith, my study Bible notes, for he had gone there directly to thank God for his cure rather than going to someone's home or to the marketplace.  Jesus tells him, "Sin no more."  My study Bible comments on this that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), this connection is not always one-to-one, for the innocent frequently suffer, and the guilty are often spared earthly sufferings (see also John 9:1-3).  However, sometimes our sins do lead directly to our own suffering. According to St. Chrysostom, this was the case with the paralytic.  But Christ's warning here is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body.  My study Bible comments that the only hope is to flee from sin altogether.  The man doesn't report Jesus to the leaders  of the Jews in a way that is malicious, but rather as a witness to the goodness of Christ.  Although these leaders are only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, this healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well, and says nothing about carrying his bed.  

 

 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."   Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  When Jesus declares God to be My Father, my study Bible explains, the Jews (the religious leaders) clearly understand that it implies total equality.  In the following reading, Jesus will continue expressing the truth of the nature of the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

Sometimes, we might observe, telling the truth doesn't solve all of our problems in a difficult situation.  Like the case is with Jesus, the truth about something is often jarring or disconcerting, particularly among an audience that cannot and does not want to accept its ramifications and meanings.  The implication of Christ's words here is perfectly clear to these religious leaders, who know the Scriptures and understand what Jesus language is telling them, but they cannot accept the conclusions that so disagree with their assumptions and what they think they know.  How can this Man, Jesus, possibly make Himself equal with the Father without blaspheming?  Moreover, their exclusive focus on the Sabbath violation -- that is, the violation they perceive this healing to be -- already sets them into their trajectory of hostility toward Jesus.  The Gospel has told us already that these religious leaders have before now become aware that Jesus baptizes more than John, and this was already enough cause for concern and alarm that Jesus departed for Galilee (which meant going through Samaria) to avoid them (see John 4:1-4).  In this case, the truth of who Christ is reveals something which is beyond what they can accept, and they are outraged as a result.  Envy, fear of losing their positions and authority, and a host of other passions play a driving role in the hostility of these men, and the eventual death of Jesus via their machinations.  But for now, Jerusalem, and this time of Christ's third sign of seven given in John's Gospel, the healing of this man, is the place Christ has chosen to reveal these truths about Himself.  The healing as a sign reveals the divine power to restore a person to wholeness, my study Bible says, and we have no reason to doubt that this is also not lost on the religious leaders, and it is something they wish to reject.  Certainly they fear the people should they choose to embrace Jesus as Messiah, preferring His authority to theirs.  For all kinds of reasons, it's often assumed that simply telling or revealing the truth about something will solve problems, take away anger and dissension, resolve arguments.  But Christ's story teaches us that this is not at all necessarily the case.  Far from it, Christ's truth instead, as He has told us Himself, works as a sword (Matthew 10:34-39).  Human beings accept the reality of Christ and His mission of salvation and deliverance, or they don't.  This is the real power of truth on this level, that it bears no compromise.  We can't say that He was "sort of" divine, or that His relationship to the Father was partial, or that the revelations in the Gospels don't really impact spiritual history the way that they do.  Often, the truth in any situation has a similar impact, where the reach of its implications clashes with things people don't want to accept or acknowledge as real.  So it is with the story of Christ, and remains so for us today.  But we should notice that Christ's own mission is gradual.  He does not immediately declare Himself in the fullness of His identity from the beginning, nor does He perform His marvelous signs all at once and on the first day of public ministry.  We should look to this for ourselves in our own lives, for Jesus teaches us discernment in what we do and how we live, in whom we approach and why, and in those whom we do not.  It's a very important and essential lesson to learn for all of us.  As human beings, our truths are always partial; we don't know God in the fullness of who God is.  But Jesus has come into the world to reveal God to us (John 14:9), as we can accept and understand it.  He is here to minister to us, to bring the gospel of grace and love, to save and not to condemn (John 12:47).  But our rejection of what He offers will also have its effect.  Let us look to Him and learn from Him. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.   Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of your keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

- John 7:14-36

Yesterday we read that after the confrontations in Capernaum over His "hard saying" regarding His Body and Blood (see chapter 6), Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. 

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."  We recall that Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot), an eight-day festival.  The Jews is a term used to refer to the leadership, not all the people.  Regarding this passage, my study bible comments that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  Spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize His authority.  St. John Chrysostom paraphrases Christ's teaching as follows:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness:  the anger, the envy, and the hatred which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."

"Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of your keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Jesus speaks of Moses as one who sought the will of God above his own, whose law they claim to keep.   The Law makes certain allowances for the Sabbath (Jesus gives an Old Testament example here), and these men practice circumcision on the Sabbath -- and yet they refuse to acknowledge the same allowance for making a man whole on the Sabbath.  This would be righteous judgment.   Instead they are rigid in their legalism.  (See this reading for Jesus' previous encounter with the leadership in Jerusalem, and the healing He did on the Sabbath).

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  These crowds who claim they know where this Man is from are mistaken in both an earthly sense and in a divine sense.  As a human being, they think Jesus is from Nazareth of Galilee.  But they don't know that He was actually born in Bethlehem (see Luke 2:1-7).  Moreover, they cannot comprehend that He has come from the Father in heaven, eternally begotten before all ages.  Therefore His divine "origin" remains unknown to them as well.

Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  According to my study bible, His hour is the time of Christ's suffering and death.  He is the Lord over time, an authority which is possessed by God alone.  Jesus comes to His Cross of His own free will and in His time, and not according to the plots of human beings (see also 8:20; 10:39).

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"   Jesus refers, in His statements here, to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  This is where they cannot come.   They think perhaps He's speaking about going among the diaspora; among the Greeks means among the Gentiles, or Greek-speaking populations.  My study bible calls this an unwitting prophesy (and it will not be the last) which points to the time after Christ's Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by apostles.

What does it mean that Christ would go among the Gentiles, that this is an unwitting prophesy?  In the position of these men who are leaders, particular that of the chief priests, is a certain type of authority that exceeds individual identity.  That is, in their role as chief priests, "unwitting" prophesies come regarding Jesus.  Here is one such example in today's passage, in which as they discuss among themselves they prophesy what will indeed happen.  Caiaphas, as high priest, will make another such prophesy when plotting Christ's death after the raising of Lazarus, when He says to the Council, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish" (see 11:49-52).  John's Gospel gives us transcendent meanings and values that exist side-by-side, even within the daily, "earthly" understanding of events and expressions.  It teaches us to look more deeply at words and sayings, to understand Jesus as One who gives us meanings -- imparts them to the substance of creation, of which He is Lord.  As such, to be both divine and human teaches us about the truth of creation, of the world around us, and what it is made for.  The sacraments He teaches us link the world and God together, link us together with the divine from which we also came as creatures, giving us adoption by God as children, as heirs.  In today's passage, Jesus points to the central way of knowing and living this truth, to seek and to try to live the will of God.  This involves humility, but also tremendous joy and even glory in God's love.  It will be exemplified in His own sacrifice, but in our own lives and the experience of countless faithful, it is an exchange of fulfillment, joy, exultation.  When Jesus says, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him," He gives us a formula for our own growth and fullness of personhood.  Moreover, He teaches us how we find discernment, when He says to the leaders, "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority."  Jesus sets the example, but we are to follow and find this experience in our own lives, within ourselves, in prayer, in a lifetime of practice and growth in the virtues of humility He teaches.