John 5:19-21 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”
 
THE Jews were trying hard to kill Jesus (John 5:18). Their charge was that Jesus had blasphemed – discredited – God because he had called God, “My Father.” Now Jesus defends his words.
   Firmly Jesus begins his defense with, “I tell you the truth.” The Word, who “in the beginning was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) spoke directly from heaven to his people. No prophet, rabbi, priest or teachers would dare say, “I tell you the truth.” This would be to say, in effect, “I am God.” All words from God were to begin with, “The Lord says.” or some reference to the spoken Word originating with God. “I tell you the truth.” is the Lord directly speaking to his people. Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity completely responsive to the Father. As one God, whatever the Father does the Son also does.
   See also how this is a love relationship. “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” Love unifies the Son with the Father and the Father with the Son. This love within God becomes a uniting truth for our faith walk. The Father loves Jesus. Jesus loves us. We see what Jesus does. We do as Jesus does. Beautifully, the Lord defines this relationship in John 15:10 “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” 
   Jesus then elevates his work to resurrection. Jesus’ saving work is to create new life for us who are dead sin our sins. The Son has seen the Father repeatedly form new physical and spiritual life on earth. From Creation, the ark against the flood, the exodus, the return of the exiles and the Savior born in Bethlehem, the Father’s purpose has formed new life. The Son has seen the Father. And in response “the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”
   Thus begins Jesus’ true teaching on his relationship with the Father. See the Father-Son love. This love leads to life. Think of this: Doing as Jesus does, you will bring joy to the Lord. John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, that you have faithfully loved the Father. I pray my love is as yours. I pray my love brings joy to you. Amen.
  

John 5:15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
 
HOW often have you said, “It was Jesus”? “It was Jesus who saved me. It was Jesus who convicted me of my mistakes. It was Jesus who changed my life. It was Jesus who made my family whole. It is Jesus who fulfills my life today. It is Jesus who has blessed me with his forgiveness, peace and joy.”
   We hesitate to use our Lord’s name in this way, don’t we? Possibly a new acquaintance will choose to avoid us if we confess, “It is Jesus who guides my life.” Maybe our friends at church will think us self-righteous if we so personally speak of our lives connecting with Jesus.
   To see our hesitation another way, might we be afraid, “It was Jesus…” will disgrace our Lord? Could our motive for silence be to protect Jesus? For example, to say, “It was Jesus who changed my life.” could cause people who know us to think, “Jesus doesn’t seem to have much influence over him.” Or, “Jesus didn’t do a very good work on him.” Might we feel our confession discredits our Savior? As we will see, the healed man’s confession created conflict for Jesus among the religious authorities. Could we feel our silence is possibly a help to Jesus?
    Let’s put aside our human weaknesses – and pride – to look at God’s strength. Yes, we are far from perfect. But our Savior does not want us to dwell on our mistakes. Let’s confront them. Know what we must change. Then look to Jesus to understand how he can become a vibrant, life-changing power in our lives. Put your eyes on God. Consider the wonder of his saving grace: Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
   It was the Father who sent Jesus to earth to save us. It was Jesus who came to preach the good news of salvation. It was Jesus who died for us when we were far from perfect, even dead in our sins. It was the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the grave. It was Jesus who said to his imperfect disciples: Matthew 28:19-21 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” It was Jesus who said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-17 the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:15-17)
   Faithfully testify of Jesus’ work in your life. Be a bold, loving disciple. Yes, recognize you aren’t perfect, but it is Jesus who saves you to be new in him. It is Jesus who has shown you the path to grow into the Father’s ways. Confess, “It is Jesus who saved me. It is Jesus who draws me closer to him every day.”
   Speak up and praise the Lord. We only discredit the Lord when we remain silent. It is Jesus who wants you to speak his name.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that it is Jesus who has shown me the way to eternal life. It is in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

John 5:14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 
 
“STOP sinning or something worse many happen to you.” Jesus warned. What could be worse than being crippled for 38 years? The “worse” is eternal suffering in Hell. “Stop sinning.” was Jesus’ warning of God’s eternal wrath on the unrepentant. Only the man’s repentant heart would save him into God’s grace.
   Jesus often connected physical and spiritual healing with forgiveness and repentance. See this in a man’s physical healing: Mark 2:10-12 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins 11 I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” And note Jesus’ command to a woman condemned for adultery: John 8:10-11 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” The Lord clearly speaks his grace and commands obedience. How is it possible stop sinning?
   Let’s consider our attitude toward sin. Are you aware of how you speak and act against God’s commands? If so, how do you respond? Some will mourn their sin and seek God’s help to stop sinning. This is the hear that meets the Lord’s command. With the Holy Spirit’s help, you will overcome your natural desire to sin to become more true to your Lord. Galatians 5:17-18 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
   Others, though, might say of their sin, “That’s the way I am.” They believe there is no solution to a sinful habit, so they accept disobedience as a way of life. Perhaps they like what they are doing and use “the way I am.” as a reason to continue sinning. Or maybe they do not truly believe the Lord will heal their sinful habit.  
   What would have happened to the crippled man and the adulterous woman if they had rejected Jesus’ admonition to “stop sinning”? Their souls would be eternally in Hell now. To accept our sin as unchangeable is to negate God’s redemptive message. Such an attitude must cause you to examine your heart and repent. Constant must be your prayer, “Deliver me from the Evil One, for Yours, Lord, is the Kingdom and the Power and the Gory forever.” Then we must live as if we believe God’s power will deliver us into his heavenly glory.
   If you are again tempted to refer to your sin as, “That’s the way I am.” stop first to pray thanksgiving to God he has come to minister his truth and grace. Receive forgiveness. Be healed. Stop sinning in God’s holy power. Confess, “I am made new in the attitude of (my mind) to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:23-24)  
 
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for teaching us of the Father’s healing ways. Amen.
  
  

John 5:10-13 and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
 
WHEN I began to write on this scripture, I was listening to a song that reflects the wonder of God come to earth. Here are some of the words:
 
“There is a noise. There is a sound. There is a cry from the depths of our hearts. Heaven come down, will not be silenced, can't be contained. The cry of a people, a priesthood, a nation, called by Your name. Out of the darkness, redeemed from the night. Bathed in His glory, reflecting His light. Oh, what a beautiful bride, bearing the goodness, the beautiful mercy of our great I AM. Lover of my soul, glory to the Lord of all.” (“Song of the Beautiful Bride” by Paul Wilbur)
 
   God’s glory broke into Jerusalem, the pool Bethesda and a crippled man’s life. God’s glory made a great noise to command, “Pick up your mat and walk.” The healed man got up to walk. He reflected God’s light of salvation that declared heaven has come down; heaven will not be quiet. The Healer of all diseases, the Husband, came to claim his bride. Indeed, the glory of God shone all around (Luke 2:9a).
   But still, so many were so afraid. “Who told you? Who healed you? How dare it be on the Sabbath?” Why were they so afraid of God’s presence? Why are we this day so afraid of God’s love for us, His bride?
   Yes, our Lord has come to speak in love. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-5) At Bethesda, in the beautiful mercy and goodness of the great I AM, salvation’s light had come to replace sin’s darkness. Still, the darkness would fight desperately to snuff the flame.
  
Prayer: I pray, Father, I see and embrace your light. In Jesus’ name, amen

John 5:7-9 “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.
 
THE crippled man needed help to get him into the waters that might heal him. Where was the compassion of strangers? Would no one help him for the 38 years he lived in this misery? Others’ own desires, apparently, came first. But then Jesus came. With one word, the Lord’s kindness changed a life.
   What do we learn from this? It is essential to first know it is God, not a pool of water, not an icon, nor a physical charm that heals. Instead, it is God’s Word. Psalms 103:1-3 Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. How comforting to know we don’t need particular friends, caring strangers or a pool of water to be healed. Both physical and spiritual healing come from the Lord.
   Do you believe this? Does the Lord heal all diseases? What about the sicknesses that lead to disability or death? What about those born with ongoing illness? Can we believe the Bible when we succumb to sickness even as we pray for them?
   What Jesus taught the crippled man, those watching that day, and what the Living Word teaches us today we can learn from the apostle Paul’s testimony: 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 
   The psalmist and the apostle wrote of God’s sovereign authority to care for his people. Nothing is beyond the reach of God’s Word. In faith, we must believe that God has the power to heal all physical diseases. We must pray in faith for God to heal not only physical diseases but against spiritual sickness that leads to eternal death. God is, indeed, sufficient for our daily and our eternal care.
   In faith, also, we must receive God’s will regarding our prayers. I believe all of us know that God will act to heal physical and spiritual sickness in some, and in others he will not. Yet, we are to faithfully pray, seeking the Lord’s Word as a faithful expectation that his purpose will be done.
   Trust, then, his healing mercy to care for those in need. Believe his healing truth to guide us to live in his commands. Be compassionate, also, to “stir the water” of God’s power into broken lives. Speak his healing words to the sick and weak. Care for the hurting. Be a difference. Bring God’s healing word to a broken world. As the crippled man sought compassionate people to help him to the water. Be kind to help those in need to know God’s healing words for them.
 
Prayer: Lord God, you are mighty to save our souls and heal our bodies. I pray for compassion to care for the many who need a word from you. Amen.

John 5:1-6 Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 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 38 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?”
 
JESUS asked the crippled man, “Do you want to get well?” Why? Surely he would answer, “Of course I do.”
   Perhaps not. Consider the man had been at the pool a long, long time. Imagine sitting there 38 years, hoping for some help! Or was he, instead, hoping all would continue to leave him sitting? Had he, perhaps, become too comfortable in his disease? Were his limitations his comfort zone? After all, when little is expected of you, little is required, right? Was he even too afraid of what change would do to his life?
   Jesus asked the question needed for every healing. He wanted to know the man’s heart. Before healing happens one must desire to get well. True purpose and desire are needed for change.
   How about you? Do you desire to get well from worry, despair and gloom? Do you purposefully want to stop being negative and become more encouraging? Is your desire to be healed of pride’s crippling fever, so you will enjoy the balm of humility and forgiveness? Do you really want to remove the sore spots that infect your marriage, finances and faith? Do you truly desire to get some help to get up and purposefully walk into the pool of God’s rich, cleansing promises?
   Sadly, we quietly answer the question, “Not really. No.” We live in our limitations for a reason. If we prefer to lay back, so we will seldom be asked to enter into life. It’s safer, easier on our “mat”.
   Bu if you truly answer, “Yes, I want to be well in you, Lord.” to be healed of the things that cripple your life, then know you must seek Jesus’ help. Pray to the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to strengthen you to get up. Get up and step into the pools of God’s knowledge, wisdom, discipline, submission and repentance. Get up and learn his Bible. Go out to live what you learn. Get down on your knees and pray for strength. Get up and walk into new places often, so you will experience God in new, meaningful places. Get up and find a mentor. Listen to instruction. Follow the path to change. Be eager to get up, throw off your limitations and receive the sanctifying – life changing – power of God.
   Is this what you want? Do you want to be well?   
 
Prayer: Holy Spirit, I want to be well with God. I pray for your help to stand up and walk into a transforming faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.

John 4:49-54 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.” 53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his household believed. 54 This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.
 
OUR Lord has returned to Cana. Recall how he had powerfully willed with simple instructions, “Fill the jars with water; so they filled them to the brim.” (John 2:7b) Now in the same manner he has healed a royal officer’s sick son from his deathbed. “You may go. Your son will live.”
The son was miles away in Capernaum. In God’s will, God’s life power came into his creation as if it were the first week of time. “And God said.” (Genesis 1:6a)
   From Genesis on the Bible has many illustrations of God’s eternal salvation spoken to his chosen servants. Noah is instructed to build an ark; Abraham is called from a pagan life to become God’s own. Moses is commanded to free Israel; Samuel is appointed to redeem God’s people.
   God’s spoken, written laws also point to God’s life power through sacrifice, atonement and forgiveness. Obeying God’s Word, Israel found life safe and secure in the Lord’s presence. The prophets’ words, too, steadfastly projected God’s eternal promises into Israel and Judea. Then Jesus, the Son of God, came to speak and to demonstrate the Father’s will of his eternal life promise. Hear Paul’s words teaching this in Ephesians 1:9-10 And Jesus made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment — to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
   God’s will fulfilled the wedding feast with the best wine. God’s will fulfilled a sick boy with new life. These miracles were not done to glorify Jesus. Jesus did them to show the signs of God’s will to fill our cup to overflowing with his goodness, mercy, salvation and life. These are the signs that a new, transformed life awaits God’s people in his eternal kingdom to come.
   At the wedding feast and on this day, people took Jesus at his word. They trusted his seemingly simple directions to discover the fullness of God’s will. In faith they watched the Lord God fill their lives with his life promise.
   What is the Lord’s will for you? Do you trust him enough to do as he says?
 
Prayer: Father in heaven, I pray your will is done in my life as it is in heaven. Amen.  
  
 

John 4:45-48 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there. 46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. 48 “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
 
JESUS returned to great excitement among the people of Galilee. This is home to him. He grew up in Nazareth, a small village in Galilee. As any Jewish man, he had attended synagogue, associated with friends and relatives, and worked as a carpenter with his father Joseph. People personally knew him. Even though John has warned a prophet has no honor in his own country Jesus is warmly welcomed here. Was John mistaken?    
   See, though, why people welcomed Jesus. “They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast.” What Jesus had done there is recorded in John 2:23b many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. The signs of healing stirred the people to great excitement. They believed in the miracles. But John also wrote in John 2:24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men.
   What was wrong? The Jews did not realize the healings were only a sign of God’s saving eternal life. The physical healings stirred a “physical faith” – a belief in God as long as God did amazing work. This limited view of God’s work restricted their “spiritual faith”.   Very quickly, then, the people of Galilee and Cana came to welcome Jesus. “Welcome him, Miracle Man!” But they seemed to have little or no expectation to say, “Welcome, Son of God, our long-awaited Savior.” Jesus’ first recorded encounter on his return is with a man whose son is dying. The man is right to seek Jesus for such a great need. Certainly, we would and should seek the Lord’s healing. Jesus, though, wants his people to seek the eternal God.
   In the coming months and years, many people of physical faith in Galilee would come to hold Jesus accountable for what he did and didn’t do for their health. He would lament their continual desire for signs as they missed his eternal life power: Mark 8:12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.”
   Many Jews then and too often the church today base their faith on the “Miracle Man” in heaven. Do you hold God accountable for what he does and doesn’t do? Rejoice, instead, he has given to you life forevermore. As you call him, “Lord and Savior”, humbly praise the Lord for his eternal sign in your redeemed soul. Celebrate the signs of the cross, the empty tomb, the ascension and the gospel. See your repentance, confession and baptism as the Spirit’s miraculous signs in your life. These are the only signs that matter.
 
Prayer: Lord God, forgive me for the times I have held you accountable to my desires. I pray my only desire is you. Amen.

John 4:43-44 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)
 
DOES verse 44 seem a bit odd to you? In prior lessons we have read of God’s remarkable saving work in a Samaritan village. People came from their homes to urge Jesus to stay and teach them. They believed his words and testified of their faith. Why, then amid this revival in Samaria, would John insert this negative phrase into his gospel narrative?
   Perhaps it is a warning for the reader. Let’s again recall the apostle John was writing to the Jews some 60 years after these events had occurred. John is fully aware of how the Jewish authorities rejected Jesus and his ministry. He has further watched Jesus’ new church struggle through the decades against the Jews’ deadly persecution. As Jesus’ disciple, John himself has been ostracized from his culture. He has lived in exile, too, isolated from his own family and fellow disciples. John’s brother James and his cousin Peter had been brutally martyred. John personally knew how very, very difficult it had been to declare the gospel of grace to God’s “home”, the Jews. They are the people of promise God had formed to be the Savior’s own nation. Yet, they rejected Jesus and those who followed him.
   This sentence then, is one we must heed as we read of Jesus’ ministry. Our Lord will continue to seek and to serve those who are lost. Yet, antagonists will constantly confront him. John will portray Jesus often as a solitary figure, culturally opposed and Spirit empowered as he demonstrates God’s eternal love for his own.
   How do you respond to those who preach and teach God’s Word? Do you enter Jesus’ “home” – his church – eager to challenge or willing to hear? Are you humble to receive the speaker and the spoken Word? Is your heart willing to say, “I must listen to my Savior, receive his wisdom and confess my sins.”
   Jesus would find many hard hearts in his “hometown”. Let’s pray he finds open, soft hearts for his teaching in us and in his church today. 
  
Prayer: I pray, Father, my heart is soft to hear your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.

John 4:39-42 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
 
JESUS is recorded to say in Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” This account of Jesus with the woman at the well in Sychar, Samaria is one glorious picture of Jesus’ seeking, saving mission accomplished.
   He entered Sychar that day on his way to Galilee, where he will do most of his earthly ministry. But before he went to his earthly home region, he entered this foreign land. God’s people Israel had separated from each other to form the two nations Israel (Samaria) and Judea. Then Israel separated from God. The people of God’s promise living in a promised land had turned from their benevolent God. Kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord led Israel into ruin, exile and total separation from God – almost.
   But then Jesus, the Son of God, entered Sychar, Samaria. The Good Shepherd went that day to find some of his lost sheep – his children of Israel. The glory of the Lord God entered Sychar to declare he had come to save his people.
   In God’s power, the lost rushed to the Shepherd. First, the lone woman at the well heard the Christ. The Spirit stirred her spirit. She then exclaimed wonder at his testimony of her life. Excitedly she ran to her village to testify of her experience with the Messiah. Her testimony stirred other lost, thirsty hearts. The separated Samaritans heard Jesus’ saving words for themselves. In faith they proclaimed, “Jesus is the savior of the world.”
   No longer was he just the Messiah to come only to Samaria or even to the Jews. Now these wayward souls have heard and seen the Truth. He is the God of Israel, the Way to eternal life, come to declare Psalm 46:2 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
   God’s kingdom had come; God’s will had been done on earth. He welcomed them to hear and learn his word available to all: Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” And the Lord pointed them to the true sanctuary, “the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. (Psalms 46:4b)
   This is the beginning of Jesus’ saving ministry. His work continues to this day. Have you rushed to meet him and learn from him? Have you welcomed him into your life? Do you proclaim Jesus “really is the Savior of the world”?
   I pray his mission to seek and to save the lost is accomplished in you.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for seeking and saving me. I pray you seek and save those I love who do not know you. Amen.