Leaving a Sinful Life: John 5:1-15
Focus Passage: John 5:1-15 (HCSB)
One of the strangest conclusions to all of the miracles and healings that Jesus ever performed comes at the close of the healing by the pool of Bethesda that John includes in his gospel. In this healing, Jesus comes to a pool where sick people gathered, singles one person out who had been there for a long time, heals him, then disappears into the crowd before the healed man could thank Him.
However, one of Jesus’ instructions for the man was to pick up his sleeping mat, and that upset the religious leaders in the area. The main reason was that the day this healing happened was the Sabbath, and it was to be a day of rest – and carrying one’s mat was not resting.
But with all this said, the last two verses of this event conclude this story in a strange way. John tells us, “After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, ‘See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.’ The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.” (v. 14-15)
After Jesus had healed him, this man goes and basically rats Jesus out for being his Healer. This doesn’t make sense, but even more confusing are Jesus’ final words to this man. “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” (v. 14b)
Perhaps the man believed that disobeying the religious leaders was sinning, and he felt he was obeying Jesus by communicating to the leaders that Jesus healed him. Or perhaps Jesus’ message was meant as a challenge for moving forward.
We don’t know anything about this man before or after this event. Implied in Jesus’ words is that the man was sick and/or disabled because of a past sinful life. Jesus’ final message to him is to stay away from that sinful life so that something even worse doesn’t happen to him.
In this warning and challenge Jesus gave this man is a theme we can all use in our own lives. While avoiding sin doesn’t stop bad things from happening to us, avoiding sin does stop a good percentage of bad things from happening. The principle Jesus is communicating is that who we associate with will either bring us health or will bring us harm. The quality of our friends determines the quality of our lives.
This man was given a fresh start after 38 years of illness. He had the choice whether to return to his old life, or start a new one. Each of us doesn’t have to face 38 years of consequences in order to choose to turn our lives around. This miracle teaches us that a new life with Jesus can begin today.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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