Who Thinks Himself Better

He who thinks himself better than his brother is not seeing the two in God's eyes, and is thinking his own thoughts. A man who seeks his will over another does not seek the will of God, but serves himself.

He Took Up His Bed And Walked -John 5:1-9

John 5:1-9 ESV
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty- eight years. 6 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?” 7 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.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
Now that day was the Sabbath.

The feast of the Jews is Passover, to celebrate the freeing of the Israelites from Egypt. The blood on the door frames toward off death symbolized the blood of Jesus that would soon be spilled on behalf of the world.

Bethesda means house of mercy. Jesus later would say His sheep would know His voice. Here were a multitude of invalids, in a state of unease with blindness , sickness, or being crippled with one malady or another. They have been waiting for healing, just as Israel had been waiting for the Messiah. Both would be answered in the coming of this man.

Jesus singles out a man who had lain sick for 38 years, about the same length of time the Israelites journeyed in the desert before reaching the promised land, and He asks what seems to be an odd question. “Do you want to be healed?”

The man's answer indicates yes. It also reveals that he is unable to help himself and needs help to find healing. Because of this answer, Jesus heals the man. He was ready. Our patience can be in short supply and our longing intense, but He will come.

By no coincidence does this healing take place on the Sabbath, the day of rest. Jesus has brought God's rest with Him, the healing and forgiveness of God's grace.


βηθεσδα, η [Aram. ‘house of mercy’; cp. next] indecl. Bethesda J 5: 2 v. l. for βηθζαθα.
βηθζαθα, η [Aram. ‘house of olive (oil) ’] indecl. Bethzatha, name of a pool in Jerusalem J 5: 2. Cp. prec. entry. CGEL

Deuteronomy 16:1
1 “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.

Zechariah 11:17
“Woe to my worthless shepherd,
who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
and his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
his right eye utterly blinded!”

Proverbs 8:34-36
Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord,
36 but he who fails to find me injures himself;
all who hate me love death.”

Romans 8:26-29
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

James 5:7-8
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Psalms 142:4-5
Look to the right and see:
there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living."

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

Comfort My People -Isaiah 40:1-2

Isaiah 40:1-2 LXX
παρακαλειτε παρακαλειτε τον λαον μου λεγει ο θεοσ 2 ιερεισ λαλησατε εισ την καρδιαν ιερουσαλημ παρακαλεσατε αυτην οτι επλησθη η ταπεινωσισ αυτησ λελυται αυτησ η αμαρτια οτι εδεξατο εκ χειροσ κυριου διπλα τα αμαρτηματα αυτησ

Isaiah 40:1-2 ESV
1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.

Isaiah speaks of the time when Israel no longer suffers from their punishment from the hand of God. The Hebrew word that is translated here as "warfare" refers to their sad relationship to God the Father, one of enemies and hostility. The Septuagint uses the Greek word ταπεινωσισ, which carries the meaning of rejection and humiliation. She lost her favored status before the Lord. Both expressions are the opposite of giving glory to God.

The word for "comfort" appears twice. Israel had received double for her sins, but now God tells His people that the time will come when the punishment is done. It may remind us of when Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times after Peter's denial of Jesus. It brings closure to the act. The Greek word παρακαλειτε represents a call for Israel to come back to God, to come along side the Father for comfort and peace. The hand that delivered punishment would now shelter and tend to them.

The Septuagint adds the word καρδιαν, or heart, with the word Jerusalem. Though His Spirit has departed from the temple, God's heart remains in that city. Jesus would weep at the gates of Jerusalem before entering the city. He would sacrifice Himself to make a heart able to house the Holy Spirit, His new dwelling place, the New Jerusalem.

Comfort
παρακαλειτε
παρακαλεω [παρα, καλεω] – 1. ‘call to be at one’s side’
2. ‘hearten in time of trouble’, comfort, console


Warfare
ταπεινωσισ, εωσ, η [ταπεινοω] – 1. ‘experience of reversal from higher to lower level’, humiliation Ac 8: 33; Js 1: 10. – 2. ‘condition of being of little or no account’ – a. low status. CEGL







Psalms 85:8-9
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Zephaniah 3:18-20
I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 66:13-16
As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bones shall flourish like the grass;
and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants,
and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.
Final Judgment and Glory of the Lord
15 “For behold, the Lord will come in fire,
and his chariots like the whirlwind,
to render his anger in fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment,
and by his sword, with all flesh;
and those slain by the Lord shall be many.

The Man Believed -John 4:46-54

John 4:46-54 ESV
46 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. 47 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. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 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.” 53 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. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.


There are various stages of belief and it changes with our experience. This account of the official speaks to that common element in our lives. Our experience informs our thinking, at times confirming and at other times disproving our suppositions. We are sometimes exposed to new ways of thinking. It is a work in progress at best.

This man believed enough to seek Jesus out, to leave his dying son in a desperate attempt to save him. When Jesus told him his son would live, we are told "The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way." The official had to be going home with a higher level of belief and trust in Jesus than was present than when he first sought help. He met Jesus and heard His word. From this personal encounter came a peace and healing that can only come from Jesus.

On his journey home, he learns that his son is recovering and confirms his trust in The Lord. His belief in Jesus is made even stronger as he hears then see for himself that his son lives.

Our story is similar. We grapple with various struggles and issues which can open our eyes and lives to Jesus, and which reinforce and confirm our trust in Him. We can waiver and weaken in a given moment, but He tells us He'll always be with us. In time we see this to be so.

Belief is not a static thing, but a living thing. The breath of life shares life through belief.


Psalms 40:17
As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!

Psalms 107:20-22
He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

Acts 2:39
For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

And We Know -John 4:39-45

John 4:39-45 ESV
Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

The townspeople believed at first on the testimony of the woman. Her testimony was not based on a miraculous healing or sign, but His knowledge of her. He could speak to her of things of her heart. His acceptance of her was complete and without reserve, and this is perhaps the greatest miracle for us all. We know because He knows us and the word of God. He brings us together.

They go to Him and more believe when they hear for themselves as He spoke of the love and forgiveness of God. There was no doubting His word. The day of salvation had arrived and they received it with joy.


1 John 4:13-14
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Mark 6:4-6
And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.
And he went about among the villages teaching.

1 Timothy 4:10
For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2
1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Hebrews 4:13
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Luke 4:32
and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.

Known By God

[ESVi] 1Cor. 8:3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

It's not who you know, but who you love.

Dwells In Me -Romans 7:14-25

Romans 7:14-25 ESV
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.


Not understanding actions of the flesh implies a spirit that has come alive to God. Though the spirit is reborn into life from above, the body remains unchanged. It is only when we rise to meet Christ will we be made whole in new bodies. Paul admits to this condition of weakness and his struggle. In his heart and mind he agrees with God, yet he finds himself straying from time to time from the very God Who has delivered his soul. He delights in the law of God, but finds another factor at play inside his skin. We are born again, but residing in the old body. The pattern of the younger inheriting the blessing is repeated.

Two entities exist in this one body, often referred to as darkness and light, heaven and earth. The light has come into the world and the world is not able to comprehend that light. This is the fallen earth and world which we must overcome. We are unable to do this ourselves, but it can be done if we unite with Christ. He has made a way and is the way.

Psalms 1:2
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Galatians 5:17-18
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

1 Timothy 1:8-11
Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

John 3:6-7
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again. ’

Psalms 119:172-176
My tongue will sing of your word,
for all your commandments are right.
173 Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, O Lord,
and your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.

Galatians 3:21-22
Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.