Crowds of the sick lay by the pool of Bethesda, waiting years for the water to stir, and one of them had waited thirty-eight years, never reaching it first. He is the one Jesus picks out of the crowd and heals with a single word, asking nothing in return (John 5). The sermon shows how our firm convictions, religious ones included, can hide the good God is doing right beside us, just as they hid it from the guardians of the Sabbath. Listen if you are waiting on a God who comes in his own way rather than ours.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- What was life like for the man who had been ill for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda, and why might Jesus' question "Do you want to get well?" have sounded strange to him?
- Why did the religious leaders fail to rejoice at the healing and notice only that the man was carrying his mat on the Sabbath? What was Jesus showing them with His words in John 5:17?
- Jesus healed the man not through the water of the pool or by meeting conditions, but by the power of His word. What does this difference say about how God comes to people today?
- Jesus tells the healed man, "Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you." According to the sermon, what could be worse than 38 years of illness, and why is salvation more important than health?
- In what situations do your strong convictions, rules, or expectations of God and of loved ones make it hard for you to see the good happening around you?
- Where this week can you put a person above the rules, or trust Jesus when He works differently than you expect?
