The link - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%205&version=NIV
Questions to get the ball rolling:
The man who was healed at the pool had been an invalid for 38 years. Is it comforting to know that God keeps a record of the duration of our afflictions?
Jesus tell him later, "stop sinning or something worse may happen to you". What does He mean?
What do you make of the last half of the chapter, about the authority Jesus has been granted by the Father?
What verse or verses from John 5 will you memorize this week?
I have memorized John 5:17 - In his defense Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working." It goes well with the verse I memorized last week from John 4 - verse 34 which says, "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."
ReplyDeleteMay it be so for us all.
Sherry B.-It is very comforting to know that God keeps record of the duration of our afflictions. Often times when I am going through a battle I wonder if God hears me, does he see me, and why hasn't he intervened. But as I read how the invalid man was healed two thoughts crossed my mind. The first thought is how this man instanly followed instructions. The second thought that crossed my mind is what if Jesus came sooner...would he had gotten up instanly and walked. Not that I want to suffer for 38 years but this is comformting. Jesus will appear when the time is right.
ReplyDeleteI agree Sherry B., I am comforted by the fact that God knows exactly how long we suffer. This is one of those statements that can be interpreted many ways-
ReplyDeleteIt could mean that our sin brings afflictions to our life (i.e. this man could have been maimed during a crime or he could have acquired some type of disease while sinning.
Others might take this to mean that we suffer afflictions unrelated to our specific sin.
And, this could be interpreted as a reference to the eternal affliction (hell) which results from sin.
The verse that I want to remember is verse 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”
-Sometimes I forget that God is ALWAYS at work. He literally never takes a break.
I was struck at Jesus's outrageous question in verse 6, "Do you want to get well"...why would he? He's been trapped in his paralytic state for 38 years?! I've recently been confronted with the fact that Jesus wants to heal me, he wants to rescue me and comfort me. But Unless and/or until I want to be comforted, or rescued, or healed he won't. I have often lived with an attitude of "everythings ok right now" when in reality I'm the lame man waiting to be rescued from my parlytic state, but too proud to say "yes I want to be healed".
ReplyDelete