The House of Kindess
IN THE HOUSE OF KINDNESS
(John 5:1-16) 1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
THE TROUBLED MASS
The world is a troubled mass of people, all pushing, bustling, running headlong… either in a mad pursuit of the trivial, or in the desire to distract themselves from the current state of life.
In order to deaden ourselves to the emptiness of life so many live vicariously through our FANTAST HEROES.. in the gods of SPORTS, in the gods of HOLLYWOOD. In whatever we can to give our life meaning…..
Crippled souls liming trough life, blind souls, powerless and impotent, each with questions as to what indeed is life about.
SHEEP MARKET…. by the sheep market a pool
It is interesting the place where those who were not whole resorted to.. the SHEEP MARKET. In this world in which we live, we are like sheep, bought and sold, falling prey to wolves, herded about by powers greater than we are.. we
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
In this Sheep market these “Sheep” huddled, looking for some shard of hope, some ray of light.
BETHESDAS POOL ( House of Kindness) a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches
It is here that the troubled mass congregate, by the pool of the HOUSE OF KINDNESS.
Whether we admit it or not. We live and breathe, we have the breath of life within us feel the sun’s gentle warmth, feel the breeze upon our faces because of the GOODNESS OF GOD.
The GRACE OF GOD to us is above what we can ever reckon. We live by the pool of the House of Kindness. (Note that the number of porches is FIVE, the number of GRACE)
What we would expect of those whop willingly reject Him, who break His laws and live in arrogance and rebellion. We would expect swift and strong judgment... Yet we find the GRACE of GOD extended to us.
He extends His loving care towards us in that OUTSTRETCHED HAND.. Showing us the invisible things of God CLEARLY.
Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
IMPOTENT, BLIND, CRIPPLE…. lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered,
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:10-18 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Can any boast of his goodness.. who can say I have made my heart clean?
Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Who indeed can boast of their essential goodness… none… none … none…
Each inside wants to be CURED, to be ABSOLVED, to be FREED, Each KNOWS there is a PURPOSE but that which can make them whole evades them…
WAITING FOR A MIRACLE waiting for the moving of the water.
Most folks are WAITING for a MIRACLE, some burst of SUPERNATURAL LIGHT to BURST upon them and they are vaulted from the mundane to the SUBLIME.
They are WAITING for A MOVING OF THE WATER… a FEELING, to be OVERWHELMED.
They are waiting for LIGHTNING and THUNDER to be convinced of the reality of GOD. Some people will not move unless they FEEL IT.
How mankind looks for a moving of the water, a surge in public opinion, a THRILL, an UNUSUAL EVENT. When some event disturbs the placid surface of our lives…
UNUSUAL VISITATION
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water
A Certain SEASON….. Upon that certain season an angel would trouble the water. No one could tell WHEN it would be, just at a certain season… waiting for the unexpected to strike…. WHEN?, perhaps today.. perhaps years from now….such little hope
This was certainly an UNUSUAL situation not your every day occurrence but man will look to even the slightest of hopes.
Like Ruth who saw the Grace of God in the lives of a backslidden, bitter family. In a world of little hope, this was more than enough to bring many to the edge of the pool.
Friend this is why so many of the cults and charlatans dupe so many. People are hungry for something to hope in. This odd situation that exhibited again the Grace of God brought many to the edge of a pool already crowded by those expectant of any ray of hope.
A CHOSEN FEW: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
Some who were not as bad off as others could make it to the pool, could enter into the pool, first… even among the cripples, the blind and the halt the race was to the strong. So few could hope many would watch as a chosen few, stronger than the rest gained their precious miracle while their hopes were dashed.
A CERTAIN MAN:
. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.,
Fr a long time he had lain there… waiting, hoping, with each passing day his heart growing heavier, and his body growing weaker…. PINING AWAY while a chosen few gained a blessing and He sat there helpless.
THE LORD’S VISIT
6 When Jesus saw him lie, , he saith unto him
One greater than the angel was stopping by….
They didn’t need to wait for a MIRACLE…a Miracle had come to them…. He had the power to raise the dead, to forgive sin, to make the blind to see, to restore the broken, to make whole… A MIRACLE HAD COME TO HIM
Friend the God of all Glory passed by his place… found him, looked down in pity upon the miserable state he was in…. and SPOKE TO HIM IN HIS NEED.
Friend the Lord of Glory is NEAR… GOD WITH US.. He has COME to the SHEEP MARKET, He stands in the House of KINDNESS. He came LOOKING FOR YOU, He Has an eye of pity for us…
Psalms 103:13-14 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
We do not need to wait on a FEELING or a certain SEASON.. HE IS HERE NOW…
2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Compassionate and Personal and knew that he had been now a long time in that case
How wonderful, our LORD Knew his state, He knew his ailment and plight before speaking a word with him… How wonderful that the Lord has taken an interest in YOU PERSONALLY and of all of the surging flood of humanity can look down and see YOU, is interested in you and has compassion upon your soul.
We see here that He does not FORCE his way upon the man, but simply ASKS and as always asks the right question….
Asked
Wilt thou be made whole?
The question is offered in sincerity and with all the authority to back it up… The question stands alone… Encompassing all the need of this man, cutting to the quick of the matter, laying bare all that was needed in an instant. What better question to open the floodgates of pent up emotions, to bring to surface all the pain and anguish suffered all through the years, the disappointment and discouragement, the heartbreak and helplessness of a troubled soul.
What say YOU, to this same Lord of Glory …. Wilt thou be made whole?
The Man’s confusion
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
How like us to see only the impossibility of the situation, to dwell upon the human agent… I HAVE NO MAN…
Who can Help…. Oh that there were a DAYSMAN… oh that some man cared for my soul, Oh that there were ONE ….
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
See Him stand forth, see Him venture out on our behalf..
Who will REDEEM US, who can pay the aweful price of Sin who can meet the exacting Holiness of God? Who can BRING US TO GOD, Who can gulf the chasm between life and death.
I HAVE NO MAN……..HE can do better than hoist one into a pool… He can HEAL the WOUNDED SOUL with a WORD….
The Lords Power
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
You do not need a POOL, you do not need an angel, you don’t have to be one of the chosen few, or one of the stronger cripples… you don’t have to wait for a certain season, you need not have dashed hope… FOR JESUS HIMSELF has come by you, has condescended to you upon your lowly bed, amid the SHEEP MARKET, by the pool in the HOUSE OF KINDNESS, He has come looking for you… Wilt thou be mad whole……
YES!
12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
Oh but God just wants something from me!!! He didn’t ask anything of this man, but came to HIM AFTER… IN THE TEMPLE… for no doubt the man was giving GLORY TO GOD.. a Healed soul will find his place to the house of GOD and Give God the GLORY.. and it is THERE that JESUS will reveal HIMSELF more fully to the healed soul.. will INSTRUCT HIM in the way… SIN NO MORE… for your own good….
THE LORD’S WILLINGNESS TO COME TO YOU.
You and I are of no different nature than that poor man who for THIRTY EIGHT years pined away wallowing in darkness by a helpless and hopeless pool…..
He has found YOU… you with little hope, who are in need, HE comes to YOU…He asks wilt thou be made whole?
ARISE…..BE WHOLE…
FREQUENT the HOUSE OF GOD, LEARN of HIM , HEED HIM
The world will not like it, the RELIGIOUS CROWD will despise HIM for it..
WILL YOU LOOK to the ONE who has found you in the house of KINDNESS amid the sheep…. Will you BE FOUND of HIM.