Wow! Talk about ungrateful. What do you suppose was happening here? Let's first take notice of an anomaly in this scriptural passage - namely, the lack of a Verse 4. The original Greek editions did not include the ending clause of Verse 3 and all of Verse 4. Apparently, later scribes created this "extra" addition as a means of explanation. They wrote, "...waiting for the water to move. 4 Sometimes an angel would come down to the pool and stir up the water. Then the first one going into the water after it had been stirred up was cured of any sickness."
Well, that's interesting and all, and I guess that would help to explain why the man was there, but is it really relevant to the main context of his interaction with Jesus? So, why did Jesus heal this man? What could have drawn Jesus to him? Did the man show penitence? Did he show belief? Did he exhibit faith? As it turns out, the man did not even know who Jesus was! Indeed, upon hearing Jesus' question about wanting to be cured, the man immediately became defensive and began to complain, offering an excuse instead of emphatically saying "YES!" to Jesus' query.
And then Jesus promptly healed the man and sent him on his way. No declaration of repentance, no indication of belief, no exhortation of faith! Why? Why did Jesus heal him? Surely another choice could have been found among all of the sufferers there at the pool, including those who knew Jesus and his message.
We pulled up in the left lane of cars stopped by a red light at a major intersection. My friend, who was driving, looked out his window and grunted. "Look at this," he said, shaking his head. Then I saw her. In a halting, limping step, she made her way slowly down the grassy boulevard between the lanes leading from the busy intersection. I was sure she would trip and fall. She tightly clutched the small, cardboard sign with both of her long, thin hands, holding it tightly to her unclean top. The only word I could make out was "HELP," written crudely with a black marker. "What is she doing?" asked my friend.
I looked closer at her face and noticed that her eyes were closed. Her thin lips were moving, as if in prayer, and I wondered. Her head was sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking no, seemingly in tune with her words. Was she crying as well? I couldn't tell, but...maybe. Her face was framed with dirty blonde hair tied back into a short ponytail, a few strands gently blowing in the breeze of passing cars. Her face also seemed distorted in pain and sorrow.
"
Well, she's not getting anything from me. She'll just spend it on drugs or booze. I give to charities - let her go there and find help. That's what it's for!"
A typical reaction, I thought as the light turned green and we pulled past her. I looked back at her and saw that she hadn't noticed that the column of cars was now moving and her opportunity for this cycle was over. Indeed, it appeared that the people in the cars were ignoring her as well. And I felt concern for her well-being - and compassion.
Compassion! Jesus was demonstrating compassion for the man in our scripture this morning! Was there judgment involved? A preconceived notion of who should receive blessings and who should not? Are our ministrations meant only for those who profess faith and repent of their sins?
Are only Christians eligible for healing?
These can be tough questions, my friends, but I believe that Jesus is giving us the example of how we should use the power of the Holy Spirit that we have received. It is not our place to judge or to assume, but to reach out to show the compassion of Christ to all who need it - regardless of who that person is and whether they would accept it. We never know how the seed will blossom, if ever, but it is our task, our calling, to sow.
Jesus marked himself with the Jewish authorities by the healing of this man who did not know him or of him. Later in John 5, the man meets Jesus and tells him not to sin anymore, lest something worse should happen to him. But the man was oblivious. In fact, he makes a point of letting the Jewish authorities know that it was Jesus who healed him - on the Sabbath, no less! Now Jesus is in trouble for breaking Sabbath laws. He tells the authorities that as his Father continues working, so shall he! Now they want to kill him for blasphemy.
Compassion is a key component of mercy, strong qualities that Jesus possesses in abundance. It is for us to model ourselves to his shining example accordingly and let the strong light of these qualities within us light the path for others to see the Way to God.
As Bishop Desmond Tutu observed,
"God's dream is that you and I and all of us will realize that we are family, that we are made for togetherness, for goodness, and for compassion"
