<Jn. 5:2-9, From Absolute Despair to Absolute Hope ②>

<Jn. 5:2-9, From Absolute Despair to Absolute Hope ②>

5:2-9, 2.Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3.Here a great number of disabled people used to lie-the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.  5.One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6.When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" 7."Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."8.Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9.At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

<Sermon>
The most terrifying thing for a person is not suffering itself, but the thought that “nothing will change now.” The man who had been ill for 38 years lay there for a long time, and there was no one to help him. Yet, something amazing happened. He did not go to Jesus; rather, Jesus came to him. This is the Gospel. When we lack the strength to seek God, God comes to us first.

1. Even in the midst of absolute despair, the Lord is watching over me(6)
“When Jesus saw him lying there”(6). Although there were many sick people at Bethesda, Jesus specifically looked at the man who had been ill for 38 years. People may have passed him by, but Jesus was watching him. We, too, sometimes think, “No one knows my situation.” However, even if people do not know me, Jesus knows me. Even if people do not see me, Jesus is watching me. From a redemptive-historical perspective, this sick man illustrates the human condition of being unable to save himself due to sin. Ephe.2:1 states that we were beings who were “dead in trespasses and sins.” Therefore, salvation does not begin with humans, but begins with Jesus coming to find us. The most terrifying thing for a person is not suffering itself, but the thought that “nothing will change now.”

2. The Lord asks, “Do you want to be healed?” in the place of despair(6)
Jesus asked, “Do you want to be healed?” (V.6). Thirty-eight years of despair had shattered not only his body but also his mind. He answered, “There is no one to put me into the pool.” In his eyes, he saw only problems and circumstances. However, Jesus did not ask about the magnitude of the problems. He asked if he wanted a new life. We, too, may have become accustomed to wounds, failures, and the past for a long time and think, “This is just how I am.” But the Lord asks us today, “Do you really want to be renewed?” We must not become accustomed to despair, but look toward the new future that the Lord gives us.
3. The moment we hold onto the Lord’s word, absolute despair turns into absolute hope (8). “Rise, take up your mat, and walk” (Verse 8). As soon as Jesus spoke, the man who had been ill for thirty-eight years was healed immediately, picked up his mat, and walked. What raised him was not human help, but the words of Jesus. The command, “Take up your mat and walk,” is very important. Previously, the bed held him captive, but now he has lifted it. Previously, wounds, despair, and the past dominated him, but now the words of Jesus have come to dominate his life. From a redemptive-historical perspective, this holds significance beyond a mere healing. Jesus is the Son of God who gives new life to humanity amidst sin and death. Our true hope lies not in the waters of Bethesda, but in Jesus Christ.
Application&Resolution/① Let us surrender the place of despair to the Lord. Let go of the thought, “It’s impossible now.” Even 38 years of despair is not the end before Jesus.
② Let us look to the Lord’s Word rather than our circumstances. Do not wait only for human help; hold fast to the Lord’s Word. ③ Let us take a step forward in faith today. If there is someone you need to forgive, forgive them; if there is a sin you need to break, break it; and if there is a prayer you have been putting off, start it again. Faith is listening to the Word and taking a step forward. Concluding Remarks — From absolute despair to absolute hope: The final chapter of the life of the man who lay in bed for 38 years was not “I lay in bed for 38 years.” “I met Jesus, rose, and walked.” Beloved saints, we too may have long prayers, tears, and despair. However, when Jesus comes to us, it is not the end. Today, the Lord speaks to us: “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Rise from despair. Rise from discouragement. Rise from the past. And hold fast to the Lord’s word and walk by faith. Even in the place of absolute despair, when Jesus comes to us, absolute hope begins.  Resolution/“Lord, I entrust my 38 years of despair to You. I will hold fast to Your word, not my circumstances. Today, I will rise by faith and take a step forward. I will look only to Jesus, who saves me and raises me up. Amen.”
Prayer/Lord, thank You for coming to us when we were lying in the place of despair. When we cannot rise by our own strength, please raise us up with the word of life. Help us to look to Jesus rather than our circumstances, and enable us to walk by faith today in obedience to Your word. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.


Jn. 5:2-9, Bible Study Material/From Absolute Despair to Absolute Hope ②
1. Observing the Text

Question1. Who were the people gathered at the Pool of Bethesda, and who was the person who stood out among them?(2-5) Answer: At Bethesda lay many sick people, the blind, the lame, and those with withered limbs. Among them was a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years. He had been in a desperate situation for a long time.
Q.2. What did Jesus ask the sick man, and how did he answer?(6-7) A: Jesus asked, “Do you want to be healed?” He replied that there was no one to put him into the pool when the water stirred, and that while he was moving, someone else would go down before him.
Q3. What did Jesus say to the sick man, and what happened as a result?(8-9) A: Jesus said, “Get up, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately, the man was healed, took up his mat, and walked.

2. Interpreting the Text/
Q1. What spiritual state of humanity does the appearance of the man who had been ill for 38 years illustrate? A: He could not rise by his own strength. This illustrates the human condition of being unable to save himself due to sin. Humans, who were “dead in trespasses and sins” in Ephe.2:1, cannot come to life without God’s grace. Therefore, salvation does not begin with human effort, but with the grace of Jesus coming to us first.   
Q2. Why did Jesus ask, “Do you want to be healed?”(6) A: He was not merely asking about the possibility of physical healing. It is a question intended to awaken his heart, which had resigned itself to 38 years of despair, and to awaken the faith and hope to move toward a new life. Jesus enables us to look not at our past, but at the new life that will be realized in the Lord.
Q3. What is the redemptive-historical significance of the words, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk”?(8) A: Jesus is not merely one who heals illnesses, but the Son of God who gives new life to humanity in the midst of sin and death. The sick man rising at the word of Jesus is a sign demonstrating that Christ, through the cross and resurrection, will break the power of sin and death and give life to His people. Our ultimate hope lies not in the water of Bethesda, but in Jesus Christ.

3. Application to Life/
Q1. What problem am I looking at right now, thinking, “Nothing will change now”? A: I must reflect on my long-standing wounds, failures, relationship issues, and prayer topics. However, even 38 years of despair is not the end before Jesus. I will look to Jesus, who comes to find me, rather than to the problem.
Q.2. Am I, like the sick man at Bethesda, looking only at my circumstances, thinking, “There is no one to help me”? A: I must hold onto the Lord’s word first, rather than waiting for human help. I will obey the word given to me today, rather than waiting for my circumstances to change.
Q.3. If Jesus were to say, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk,” what is the one step I must take today? Answer: I will forgive those who need to be forgiven, break the sins that need to be broken, and resume the prayers I have been putting off. Faith is hearing the Word and taking a step of obedience.

4. Making a Resolution/① I will surrender the place of despair to the Lord. I will let go of the thought that “it can’t be done anymore” and entrust even my 38-year-old despair to the Lord. ② I will look to the Lord’s Word rather than my circumstances. I will not wait only for human help or changes in the situation, but will hold fast to the Word of Jesus. ③ I will take a step forward in faith today. I will not dwell in the past but will start a new life with forgiveness, love, prayer, and obedience. “Lord, I entrust my despair to You. I will hold fast to Your Word, not my circumstances. Today, I will rise in faith and walk with You, Lord.”

5. Sharing Together 1. What is the oldest ‘38 years of despair’ for me? 2. What have I relied on until now to solve that problem? 3. What is one thing I will put into practice today while holding fast to the Word of Jesus?

6. Prayer/ Lord, thank You for coming to find us first when we were lying in the place of despair. Please come to us with the Word of Life when we cannot rise on our own. May we not look only to our circumstances or to people, but to Jesus, who knows us and comes to us. May we entrust our old wounds and despair to You, Lord, and obey Your words, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Grant us the grace to take a step of faith today, rise from sin and despair, and walk the path of new life. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.