Sermon Archives

March 3, 2010
Pastor Judy Bangsund

"Vital Signs Leading to Life:
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man on the Sabbath"
John 5:1-18

In a book with the intriguing title, Adventures in Missing the Point, Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo tell of quick errand to a local store. You may have had a similar experience, having run in, looking for some thingamajig, but you can't find an employee who will help you. Instead, they are busy with other things: building a display; answering a phone; conversing with coworkers. No one is paying attention to you, or to your difficulty in finding your thingamajig. Soon you find yourself, in frustration, yelling these words in your mind: "Hey! Take your eyes off that display! Forget the boxes! Come down off that stupid ladder and put down the phone! I'm the customer! Is anyone paying attention to me?"

Of course, you don't say those words out loud. But perhaps, in your frustration, you begin to wonder if you are even a blip on their radar screen. And the truth begins to dawn on you; you are just an irritation. You are an interruption in their day. They'd rather you would just leave so they could get their work done. They have forgotten that they are in the business of assisting you, the buyer. They have missed the point.

In a variety of ways, people in the story we've read tonight have missed the point. They missed the point of the miracle, a word that in John's Gospel, is more often called a sign. They missed the point about the Sabbath, a day blessed by God. And they've missed the point about who Jesus is. They've missed the point and they've missed the blessing.

Last week Pastor Jim told us that there are varieties of signs: those that razzle dazzle and those that carry meaning. Today we find a sign that is given, but is unseen. A man is healed, but who sees it? Who is even aware that it has happened? Jesus simply disappears into the crowd, and even the man who was healed doesn't know who healed him. And when he attracts attention, it isn't because he has experienced miraculous healing; it isn't because a man, paralyzed for 38 long years, is now free. He attracts attention only when the Jewish religious leaders, see that he has broken the law. They notice him because he is carrying his mat, which is against one of the many laws that had burdened God's original gift. The event quickly becomes a sign, not of healing or mercy or compassion or blessing, but a sign of breaking the Sabbath law.

They all missed the point. But the Gospel writer, John, tells this story because the sign points to faith in Jesus, and tells us more about him. Not only that Jesus has supernatural power (which we learned when Jesus turned water into wine - the first sign). We learn, not only that Jesus has compassion and the desire to heal (which we learned last week in the healing of the official's son). Today John points to Jesus, the Son of God, who brings mercy and blessing - even on the Sabbath.

This story, though short, tells us much about the heart of God. The sign shows us first, that God gave us things like the Sabbath to make life better - not more difficult. The Sabbath was given that we might have rest, not more rules. Second, the sign shows us that people often miss the point, thinking that God wants rules to be kept, rather than relationships to be shared. People sometimes think that God wants to punish because laws are broken, rather than to heal in order to bring new life. They have missed the point. Tonight I believe God has something for you and me as well: mercy, where mercy is often denied. He frees our spirits as well as our bodies from the bondage of sin; and he removes the burden of law from the Sabbath so that it can be, once again, a blessing.

I don't know if you noticed the setting. This sign occurs, not in Cana, not in the outlying area of Galilee, but at the heart of Judaism: in the Temple in Jerusalem. It is no coincidence that this sign was given at the Pool of Bethesda, which means "House of Mercy." Here, no mercy had been shown to this paralyzed man for 38 long years. There was no one to help him into the healing waters; no one paid any attention to him. Mercy had largely disappeared from the Temple courts, which had become a House of Rules, a House of Meaningless Sacrifice. But when Jesus walked into the Temple that day, he quietly healed this man, giving a sign that points to the God of Mercy, not a God of rules. Jesus gave mercy in the place where mercy had been long denied.

Mercy. Mercy is at the heart of God. The prophets told the people that God desired mercy and not sacrifice. That the worship most pleasing to Him is to show mercy where it is needed, to show mercy where it is not deserved. How often have you and I heard that God is merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness? Didn't Jesus say, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy?" Above all other things, Jesus showed mercy, and by doing that, he showed us the heart of God. And he gave us the gift that we desire the most: mercy.

In his mercy, Jesus freed the man from 38 years of paralysis. For the first time, this man was now free to go where he pleased, to stretch his limbs and relax his muscles. But physical freedom from bondage was easier to achieve (it seems) than spiritual freedom from sin. And so later, Jesus came back to show his concern for the spiritual well-being of this man, saying, "See, you are well! Stop sinning," stop missing the mark. Focus, not on the waters, but on Jesus. Be free from your sin, even as you are free in body.

Paralysis of the spirit - sometimes we call it bondage to sin. It's a strong image. Sin paralyzes; doubt and fear can be paralyzing. And only God can free us from that kind of paralysis. In this sign, Jesus gives us yet another insight into the heart of God: his desire to set us free. It is a sign that points to the cross for, as the inscription on a Korean War memorial in D.C. reads, "Freedom is not free." Someone has to pay the price for our liberty. Jesus points this man to freedom, knowing that the cost will be paid later, by his own life, given on the cross.

Jesus has shown mercy, where no mercy had been shown. He has pointed to freedom from sin, while freeing a man's body from paralysis. And finally, he restores the blessing of the Sabbath - a blessing we should continue to enjoy today in both worship and in much-needed rest.

Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, a fact that does not go unnoticed. In fact, in this very quiet sign, it is the only feature that is noticed. Not the fact that this man could now walk after 38 years of immobility; not the fact that Jesus can heal or that he had mercy on this otherwise helpless man. Rather, all the attention is given to the fact that Jesus broke the Sabbath law.

You know, it's so ironic. Sometimes I wake up in the morning already tired and think, oh how nice it will be to lie down again. (Maybe you can relate. ) Sometimes at night when I first stretch out on my bed I think, "Oh, this is the best moment of the day!" Not because I don't enjoy the day or that I don't love my job; because I do. But I need the rest. Don't you? We live in such a work-worry world that rest becomes a precious commodity; it's something we can never get enough of. And God must have known that about you and me from the get-go, because one of the first gifts he gave us was Sabbath rest.

You have already heard, this evening, how the Sabbath is understood throughout Scripture. In creation God gave it as a gift. In the very first week, after 6 days of working, creating all this vast universe, God rested on the 7^th day. It must have felt good, because he set it aside and blessed it. And he commanded that it should always be set aside for the purpose of resting and remembering Him; remembering who He is in relationship to you and me; remembering whose we are. Later psalms, like the one we read earlier tonight, were sung specifically on the Sabbath day. Songs of joy and gratitude, songs of praise to God for all he has done for us.

The Sabbath was never meant to be a burden. But that's what it had become by the time Jesus came on the scene. It was so overlaid with rules and regulations, it had become heavy instead of light. Instead of a schooner that soared, it had become a barnacled barge, sinking low because of its weight. Jesus broke the Sabbath again and again, showing acts of mercy, healing people and exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. "You don't understand," he said at one point. "The Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath." It is a gift to be enjoyed, not a burden to be borne.

You may have watched scenes like the one in Fiddler on the Roof, or read stories that reveal joy in Sabbath rest. Hurrying to have everything ready before sundown, and then - sitting back to enjoy a day of real rest. A relaxing meal with the family. A day to worship, to read, to pray and to sing. How many of us experience a real Sabbath rest, I wonder - whether it be on Sunday or Tuesday or Saturday? Not so many, I think. And yet, how many of us need it? God has given us this gift for our enjoyment, so we get the rest we need, and find peace in the midst of a work-worry world.

I love the season of Lent. Some find Lent a burden, but I find that these Lenten evenings give an additional occasion for Sabbath rest. Together we enjoy some soup and fellowship around the table. We set aside a few hours for nourishment in body, soul and spirit as we then move into the sanctuary for worship, listening to God's word and singing his praise. Here we find sanctuary from life's turmoil! In confession and forgiveness, we experience freedom of the spirit. Mercy is freely given where mercy is needed. It is God's blessing. It is God's gift, begun in creation, and continued throughout our lives, in relationship with him.

Tonight, we have seen and experienced this vital sign leading to life: a sign of mercy; a sign of freedom; a sign of the Sabbath rest that God gave as a sweet blessing. Don't miss the point. Believe in Jesus, God's Son. And enjoy the gift. Amen.