Sick for 38 years and healed by Jesus, John 5:14
We can read below from the NKJV about a very sick man in Jerusalem who was healed by Jesus (at the Sheep Gate) despite that the man had been very sick for 38 years. The text describes a pool, or a reservoir, with porticoes where large numbers of sick people were waiting for the chance to get down to the healing water in the pool. It was not only a matter of getting down to the water itself, because the water could potentially only heal a person if it was stirred in a certain way.
John 5:2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”7The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”8Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 10The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”11He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ”12Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. SIN NO MORE, LEST A WORSE THING COME TO YOU.”15The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
What could be worse than being sick, such as being paralyzed or bedridden for 38 years? Yet, Jesus warns the healed man that unless he stops sinning something worse til happen to him. I does not necessarily mean that the man could not afford to sin one more time in his life before he would be doomed to hell for eternity, because there is always a chance to repent, be forgiven and cleansed. Still, if someone believes he can serve two masters (by mixing sin with righteousness) and still be saved, he is fooling himself. He has not truly repented. Jesus words show us that it is better to have a saved soul than a non-functional body, if you really must choose. Most people must not choose either or (and this man had no choice when it comes to his body) but if there must be a choice a person’s soul is the most precious thing to take care of. It will last for eternity.
Matt. 16:26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Not all of us will get really sick such as this man, but many of us will grow very old and might have to endure increasingly more pain, and even loneliness (which is also painful albeit not physical pain). These scriptures provide assurance of that something better is in store for us. Something that is not temporary but will be a permanent home:
2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
Matt. 619 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
1 Peter 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
2 Peter 312 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
1 John 217 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.—16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Psalms 39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Rev. 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.–4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
There are occasions where pain and suffering might cause a person to seek God more passionately. Read the story about Job.
The Donkey and the Stallion – A Fresh Holy Week Perspective
28 mars 2024
Philosophy
Religion
Spirituality
christianity
bible
5+
Photo by Toni Cuenca on Pexels.com
Much like when I shared my experience of Advent back in December, Holy Week is something of a new experience for me this year as well. Growing up in a non-denominational (Evangelical) Christian church, of course I experienced the recognition of Good Friday and Easter, and even Palm Sunday to an extent, but they were such sanitized and domesticated recognitions of the traditions which placed them so loosely into their historical origins that the only takeaways were, in essence, that Jesus died for our sins and then rose again and then, like virtually everything else, it became a story that was ultimately about the afterlife. The reasons for Palm Sunday, the reasons for the “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem, and the reasons why the Passover event that set off Holy Week occurred when it did in the first place were at best, glossed over and, at worst, not addressed at all. And events like Maundy Thursday (a term I just heard for the first time about two weeks ago despite spending my whole life in the Christian church) went entirely unmentioned. Now, I understand that these are all traditions that originated hundreds of years after the events of Jesus’ last week of life, but given that they are fundamental traditions to the Christian faith since their origination, I find it unusual that they were so ill-defined (or completely absent) in my upbringing.
Before I go further, I want to get out in front of the inevitable comments and criticisms and state the following: in no way am I saying that those who celebrate Holy Week because of Jesus dying for them and rising again are wrong or that they should not continue celebrating that if that is how they recognize Holy Week. My purpose in writing about the evolution of my understanding of Holy Week is to discuss historical context that I find fascinating and that makes Holy Week even more of a special recognition, not to discourage anyone from recognizing this week in a way that is meaningful to them.
Understanding of the significance of Holy Week is predicated on an understanding of the historical context in which Jesus entered Jerusalem for Passover. Jews gathered in Jerusalem in massive numbers every year at Passover to recognize their liberation from slavery in Egypt. Of course, here they were again under the thumb of a different empire, not necessarily slaves again, but still oppressed. Rome asserted authority over their occupied territories via taxation and threat of violence, and would hire Jews to tax their own fellow Jews – hence the outrage from many Jews that Jesus selected Matthew, a Jew who was hired to collect taxes from fellow Jews, to be one of his disciples. These tax collectors were authorized to harass people for tax money and tax them on the spot, with the support of the Roman sword behind them to punish failure to comply. And if someone were incapable of paying, they would be given a loan and then charged extremely high interest on it until repayment, which was unlikely to ever happen at the interest rate. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever taken out a student loan or purchased a home, it probably does.
This Passover celebration was the reason for Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at this time, though the manner of his arrival was anything but routine and almost certainly premeditated. Many who know the story will remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. The four Gospel writers’ accounts that we have confuse this detail a bit by their inconsistent recollection of whether this was a young donkey or a young horse, but scholars who have done the work of translation generally agree that this was a young donkey. We actually get a delightfully amusing image from Matthew, always the literalist, of Jesus riding into town straddling both a donkey and a horse somehow! There are depressingly few visual representations of this image, but here is one I rather enjoy:
Matthew seems to have taken literally a poetic passage from the prophet Zechariah in which he refers to one “seated on a donkey, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass” to come to this conclusion. Thank you, God, for the well-intentioned gaffes of so many earnest, human biblical authors who provided us with these wonderful bits of comedy to enjoy thousands of years later. It’s strangely comforting to know that Matthew was just as susceptible to surface-level reading of the prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible as we are today (a blog post for another time).
Getting back to the donkey. It is generally agreed that Jesus arrival on the back of a donkey was a symbol of humility despite being a King. This is how I learned this story as a child, and I was satisfied with that conclusion. I now find that this is a small corner of the whole picture. While I think it is true that the choice of a donkey was a communication of humility, it wasn’t really Jesus’ style to ride into town on anything, humble or not, up until this point. I never wondered, as a child, why Jesus decided to ride into town in this one situation only. My understanding of Jesus arrival into Jerusalem astride a donkey with the fanfare of the palm branches and the resounding Hosannas was simply that Jerusalem was worshipping him as their Messiah who came to save them from their sins. This is simply not how the Jewish people viewed him, at least not en masse.
Jesus was, in fact, arriving into Jerusalem from the east as a counter-procession to another significant arrival into Jerusalem from the west – that of none other than Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea, arriving in Jerusalem as the Roman authorities always did to maintain order and to discourage riots, as the Passover celebration always drew such massive crowds. Jesus arrival at this moment, using this means of transportation, was no coincidence. This was nothing short of a political protest. Jesus’ arrival on the back of a donkey to profess the Kingdom of God – a kingdom marked by peace, equality, equitability, humility, and love – simultaneously with the arrival of the Roman state, on the back of a stallion, sword in hand, to profess the kingdom of power, marked by authority, subjugation, wealth, and military strength. The Jewish people, eager to celebrate Jesus’ arrival rather than that of Pilate, laying their cloaks and palm branches on the ground before him (in all likelihood an act of treason against the Roman empire, as the palm branches were a symbol of victory) unfortunately didn’t fully grasp Jesus’ intention in this situation. They celebrated his arrival not because they were eager for Jesus’ implementation of his peaceful and humble kin-dom, but because they thought that his arrival was the beginning of the revolution – that Jesus was at last going to lead them in rebellion to overthrow their Roman oppressors.
Even Jesus’ closest followers still didn’t understand that his goal was not to turn the tables on Rome and give the Jewish people the power, but to teach them that his kingdom is not one of power. Jesus’ anti-empire messaging was never quite grasped by those who followed him. Its difficult to be critical of them for that though, as we still don’t grasp that message today. Our understanding of kingdom is still one of empire – at a time where the rising popularity of Christian nationalism is a looming threat, it is impossible to deny this. When we are presented with a “God Bless the USA Bible” from someone who has promised power and influence to American Christians and so many are eager to accept that power and influence, its clear that 2,000 years hasn’t been long enough for us to finally be ready for Jesus. There are still two processions on their way into town – power and peace. A stallion and a donkey. Are those who would follow Jesus finally ready to embrace his vision for the kingdom of God on earth? Holy Week is a perfect time to consider that question.
Best wishes for a meaningful Holy Week,
Nick
References:
https://ehrmanblog.org/did-jesus-really-have-a-triumphal-entry-into-jerusalem
http://evidenceunseen.com/theology/historical-theology/tax-collectors/
https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/hosanna-maybe
https://catholicismpure.wordpress.com/2022/10/28/pope-john-xxiiis-competition-with-padre-pio-a-theory-as-to-why-pope-john-xxiii-opened-the-3rd-secret-before-our-lady-requested/
https://thecatholictrumpet.com/the☩trumpet/f/the-latin-vulgate-the-sole-authentic-bible
Father Paul Kramer.
https://www.youtube.com/live/7YJ0kVxmOM0?si=L1UT87zQHhkJYDMh
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