If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you probably know who Joni Eareckson Tada is. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you probably know a bit about her story. In the summer of 1967 at the age of 17, she was swimming with some friends in the Chesapeake Bay. At one point, she took a dive into waters that were more shallow than she expected. She fractured some vertebrae in her back, becoming a quadriplegic. Here she was, an active 17 year-old girl, facing the prospect of never walking again.

In the early days of her injury, “she experienced anger, depression, suicidal thoughts and religious doubts.”^[1] Yet, the Lord has worked greatly in her life. Far from becoming bitter about her accident, she has become a model to many millions of Christians as to how to suffer well. It started after rehab, as Joni stopped feeling sorry for herself, and learned some productive skills, like learning how to draw with her mouth, or writing a book about her life. Her book, entitled, “Joni” came out in 1976, it sold over 5 million copies.

The book was such a hit that three years later (in 1979), a movie came out about her life entitled, “Joni.” in which she starred as herself. The message of the movie was her story, and how Christ has given her hope beyond the wheelchair. In the movie, the gospel is clear as to how Christ has been the one to strengthen her through her difficult trials in life.

The same year the movie came out (1979), Joni began a new ministry called, “Joni and Friends.” giving help and hope for those with disabilities. God has really blessed this ministry. This is why you know about Joni Eareckson Tada. Soon after the ministry began, she made recordings for the “Joni and Friends” to air on the radio. Soon, she was traveling the world, casting a vision for disability ministries. Her ministry has reached globally. Here’s a picture of her speaking in Budapest with the Billy Graham Association. She has worked with President George Herbert Walker Bush, as well as with President George W. Bush.

In 2014, Joni and Friends celebrated giving away their 100,000th wheelchair through their “Wheels for the World” initiative, focusing mostly on poor countries, and people who can’t afford a wheelchair for their own.^[2] She has received countless awards. She has received a handful of honorary degrees. She has recorded music. As of today, she has written more than 50 books. Indeed, the Lord has blessed her ministry. That’s why you know about Joni Eareckson Tada.

I want to read from her book, “Beside Bethesda,” which is a 31 day devotional, focused on spiritual healing. I want to read from Day 1, entitled, “Do Not Pass Me By.”

If you spend any time at all with me, you will know that I love the old hymns. I love to hear them, and I love to sing them. But for me, it’s something more than nostalgia or enjoying a particular style of music.

I don’t just sing hymns because I want to.

I sing because I have to.

I remember darker days when I was first injured and in the hospital. I wanted so much to cry—and to just go on crying for the rest of my life. Instead, I would stifle the tears and comfort myself with one of the old hymns of the church:

Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry; While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.

When I sang those words, or even hummed the melody softly to myself late at night in my hospital room, it always reminded me of the pool of Bethesda in John chapter 5.

When friends visited me at the hospital, I often asked them to read that passage to me.

John speaks of one man who had been there, lying beside that pool, for thirty-eight years. The account goes on to say that “when Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time” (verse 6), He approached the disabled man and asked him a question.

I can’t tell you how many nights I would picture myself there at the pool of Bethesda, on a blanket, perhaps lying next to the paralyzed man on his straw mat. In my mind’s eye we would lie there, waiting. He would be waiting for an angel to stir up the waters. Then, somehow, he would inch himself over to the pool and slip into it for supernatural healing.

He was waiting for an angel but I was waiting for Jesus.

I knew that the Son of God Himself would be coming, stepping out of the bright morning light, slipping under the shade of the colonnades and standing for a moment, looking out at the desperate, nearly hopeless little band of disabled men and women waiting at the water's edge.

In my fantasies, I would see Him pausing by the pool, His disciples puzzled by the delay and eager to keep moving toward the temple. And I would cry out to Him, not wanting Him to leave, not wanting Him to miss me, lying on that pavement in the shade of a pillar.

“Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Don’t pass me by. Here I am! Heal me! Help me! Don't leave me here like this!”

And the truth was, though I couldn’t see it at the time, He had seen me all along. He had known me. He was aware of my fear, my sorrow, my despair, my longings, and my crushing need. He would not—did not—pass me by. He never has passed me by. And He never will, not in all eternity.

Jesus’ ceaseless watch-care and compassion for us is no fantasy. In Psalm 77, the psalmist reflected on the Lord’s presence during some of the darkest, most turbulent moments of his nation’s history. “Your path led through the sea,” he recalled, “your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen” (verse 19). In other words, “We couldn't see You or feel You in those heartbreaking, terrifying moments, but looking back, it’s very clear that You led us and protected us every step of the way.”^[3]

Beautiful. This is classic Joni Eareckson Tada. This is how all of her books read, very devotional, very touching. I commend her books to you. Well, let’s read this story that Joni is talking about, the story that inspired her to write the book, “Beside Bethesda.”

So, if you haven’t done so already, I invite you to open in your Bibles to John, chapter 5. We will be looking at the first 18 verses of this chapter. Now, as we have come to a new chapter, I want to review where we have been in pictures. We got the pictures from Tom Lach’s excellent book entitled, “The Stories of the Gospel of John.” If you are interested in getting a copy of this book, just talk with me. We have a few copies left.

You remember in chapter 1, we dealt with the beginnings of John’s gospel. The Prologue, or, as I called it, “The Overture,” which gave us a preview of coming themes in the gospel of John. We saw John the Baptist, who was baptizing people in the Jordan River. We also saw Jesus call his first disciples. Then, in chapter 2, we saw two events: The wedding at Cana, where Jesus turned the water into wine. The cleansing of the temple, when he overturned the tables the threw out the moneychangers. In chapter 3, we saw the main event was Jesus speaking with Nicodemus about the new birth. Also in that chapter were the last words of John the Baptist. In chapter 4, we saw Jesus speaking with the woman at the well and the story of how the Samaritans came to faith in Jesus. Not included in our picture was the healing of the Royal Official’s son that we looked at last week, when Jesus healed the boy, with a word, from afar, immediately.

This morning, we come to chapter 5. Do you remember what the picture represents? It represents a man on a wheelchair. Of course, there were no wheel chairs during Bible times, but a wheel chair represents a lame man, which is why I introduced my message by talking about Joni Eareckson Tada. With these pictures in mind, let us read our text this morning: John 5:1-18.

John 5:1-9
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

Again, as is our custom, let us remind ourselves why these words were written in the first place. "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:30-31). I’m praying for you all to believe, that you all might really live! having life in the name of Jesus.

My message is entitled, “Do You Want to be Healed?” because, this is the question of application that the text asks of us. It speaks about Jesus healing the invalid at the pool of Bethesda. It shows that Jesus has the power to heal. We will see this as we work our way through the text: Our text begins with these words,

John 5:1
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

That is, after the events of chapter 4. If you remember as far back as last week, when we read about “The One O’Clock Miracle,” when Jesus was in Cana but healed the boy in Capernaum. This week, we are looking at the invalid, who took up his pallet and walked. This is the third sign in the gospel of John, which John wrote that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that by believing, we might have life in his name.

The events of chapter 4 took place in Galilee, in Cana and Capernaum. According to verse 1, we now find ourselves in Judea, in Jerusalem again, at “a feast of the Jews.” We aren’t told which feast, which means, it doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, is that “a feast” means large crowds in Jerusalem. What we read in verses 2 and 3 would happen at every feast. John identifies for us where some of the crowds were.

John 5:2-3
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

At every feast, there were “a multitude of invalids” at the pool called Bethesda. As we shall see, they gathered there in the hopes that they would be healed. The blind were hoping to see again. The deaf were hoping to hear again. The lame were hoping to walk again.

Now, for centuries, the location of this pool in Jerusalem was unknown. It led to some to doubt whether this story was even real or not, claiming that John made it up. Then, in 1871, a large reservoir was discovered in Old Jerusalem, just north of the Temple Mount, which led some to think that it may be the pool of Bethesda. Then, near the turn of the century, more evidence was discovered that matched with John’s description exactly, a pool with five colonnades. Today, the scholarly world is convinced that the pool of Bethesda existed in the days of Jesus. They have located it just north of the temple mount. The discovery of this pool is one of those many times where people doubt the Bible because the archeological evidence doesn’t exist. But over the course of time, with more digging and searching, the Biblical record is confirmed.

Anyway, at this pool there were “a multitude of invalids,” the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. Verse 4 tells us why they were there. So, look at verse 4. If you have a modern translation, this verse is probably not in your Bible. It may be footnoted. It may within brackets. It’s because the majority of our oldest and best manuscripts don’t have this verse. Further, are a bunch of manuscripts which include this verse, with something like an asterisk, communicating that the verse probably shouldn’t be included in the text, but to be treated more like a study note, as it gives explanation for why so many invalids were by this pool. It’s almost as if the study note at the bottom of the page somehow found itself in the pages of the Bible itself.

Anyway, here’s what the footnote of the ESV says,

Some manuscripts insert, wholly or in part,

John 5:4
waiting for the moving of the water; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had

The tradition of the day was that an angel would come and stir the water “at certain seasons,” like feast days, and the first to get to the water would be healed. Whether or not this verse was written by John himself, we know that this was the belief of the day, as the lame man refers to this very belief. That’s why, at the feast, there were many invalids gathered at the pool.

In this way, this place may have been a bit like Guadalupe, Mexico, where reports of visions of the Virgin Mary have appeared from time to time. Many Catholics travel to this shrine in Mexico, believing that there is healing power in that place. This is similar what those invalids gathered at the pool were seeking. They were seeking healing. So, every feast day, the disabled would be gathered together at this place, believing that they could receive healing at this place.

It also might be a bit like the experience that Joni Eareckson Tada had at healing service of a faith healer. She writes this in her book, “Beside Bethesda,”

Not long after I was released from the hospital in Maryland, my sister Jay and I attended a Kathryn Kuhlman healing crusade in Washington, DC, at the Washington Hilton ballroom. The ushers escorted me to the wheelchair section, where I sat amongst dozens of other men and women with a variety of physical challenges. When the organ crescendoed, Kathryn Kuhlman swept out onstage in a spotlight, and everyone in our section got so excited. It seemed that people were getting healed around the auditorium, and I remember feeling like I was back at the pool of Bethesda, shouting, “Jesus, come over here! In the wheelchair section! Heal us, too!” But then the meeting was over, we were escorted out, and I found myself in a long line of disappointed people on crutches and in wheelchairs, waiting at the elevators. What now? How could I go on like this? Why hadn’t He healed me? All too soon, a bitter root—an angry, negative spirit of complaining—began to get a grip on my heart. In the midst of all the sulks and bitterness, Christ the Healer seemed so far away, so distant from me.^[4]

This was most often the experience of those who came to the feast and sat at the pool, awaiting the angel to stir the water so that they might be first into the pool. So they might be healed!

Since the tradition was that only one could be healed at the feast, if there were healing that took place, there would be many who would leave in the same condition in which they came. John focuses his attention upon one of those invalids who had assembled near the water.

John 5:5
One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

Perhaps this man had some sort of birth-defect which prevented him from walking all of his life. Or perhaps, he had the experience that Joni Eareckson Tada had, of some accident which prevented his legs from working. But what we do know is that he was an invalid for thirty-eight years! We have no idea of the hardship that this would bring. Listen to a portion of what Joni describes later in her book.

Just this morning, in those in-between moments of waking from sleep but not yet opening my eyes, I had a decision to make. Can I face this day? Do I have the energy? Can I muster the strength? In those fleeting seconds, I had to choose what kind of day it would be. Would it be a good day? Would I place my trust in the Lord for strength?

If you’re not sixty-four years old and quadriplegic, it’s difficult to explain. But when you lie in one position all night, unable to move, it makes the whole prospect of waking up so ... unappealing. Some days it seems like scaling a mountain, and my mind shrinks away from it. Sometimes I simply don’t want to face one more day of paralysis and chronic pain.^[5]

If Joni Earechson Tada has such difficulties, where she has the modern resources all around her, of Hoyer lifts and electric wheel chairs, and people who love her to care for her, we can only imagine what this man might have faced every day. Not merely getting up, but even moving around. It’s hard to fathom the pain that this man experienced. But Jesus chose to have compassion on him.

John 5:6
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

What a strange question? Of course this man wanted to be healed! He was at the pool of Bethesda, where those who were seeking healing were gathered! But what a great question! Because, there are many who are sick who claim to want to get better, but their illness has become so much a part of them that it’s really difficult to fathom being healed. In fact, being healed would change so much about their lives, that they would rather stay in the comfort zone of being sick. Now, we don’t know the details of this man, but I would suspect that he was a beggar who would seek handouts. For thirty-eight years he begged people for money. It’s all he knew. But to be healed would mean a different way of life. There would be some scary changes in his life if he were healed.

This is a great question for many today in America. Because, sometimes there is a financial incentive to be sick. I have seen some hold out on their sickness, until they get their payout from their former employer. Then, they get better again once they have received their payout. It’s difficult in America because our government gives handouts to those who are disabled. For whom it is their advantage to stay sick and disabled. Because, if they would get well, it would mean a change of life. They would rather receive the SSI check each month, than face the prospects of the scary changes ahead of them if they would ever get off of disability.

“Do you want to be healed?” It’s a great question. But it’s also that sort of question that can have a deeper meaning, not just referring to physical health, but also to spiritual health. “Do you want to be healed?” “Do you want to be healed of your sin?” There are so many in our society who would say “No.” “I would like to continue just like I have been. “I like my sin. “I don’t want my life to change. “I’m satisfied right where I am.” Further, there are many in our society today who don’t even know that they are sick. There are many today who don’t even see their sin! They don’t see their need of a healer! The reality of the book of John is this: The healer is at hand! The healer is ready to heal you.

Spiritual healing comes when we believe in Jesus. When we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. For when we believe, we will have life in his name! (John 20:30-31). Believing in Jesus means believing that he died on the cross for your sin. He died for you in your place, that you might live. But it all starts with a “Yes” answer to the question, “Do you want be healed?” For this lame man, he was staring the Savior in the face, and yet holding to his superstition.

John 5:7
The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”

Apparently, this man has seen the water stirred and he has been unable to be the first enter into the water. Perhaps he has seen others healed. God may have healed people at this pool in the past. So, he has hope of being healed! But his hope is in this tradition of being the first one into the water.

He’s so like the woman at the well, thinking about physical water, when Jesus has the living water to give. This man has Jesus before him, who can heal him with a word, and he doesn’t even see it. All he has to do is say, “Yes! Yes, I want to be healed!” He’s like so many today who have a mis-guided hope as to what might heal their sin. Rather than crying out to Jesus, “Yes, Jesus, I want to be healed,” they follow after their own methods. They trust that their religion will heal their sin. Say enough prayers. Go through all of the rituals and all will be well with my soul. Others trust that their good works will heal their sin. Give enough to charity. Give enough hours to volunteer work. Show enough kindness to strangers, and all will be well with my soul. Others search out human means, like counselors, like accountability groups, or support groups, or retreats,

All of these things are good and helpful for us. I encourage you to have a close group of friends to support you. I encourage you in good works. I encourage you to read the Bible and pray. But none of these things will heal your sin. only Jesus can do that. “Do you want to be healed?”

Now, what I love about this text, is that the man didn’t even say, “Yes, I want to be healed.” All that he said was, “I can’t get to the water to be healed" and Jesus heals him without even saying a word. Then,

John 5:8
Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”

And he did!

John 5:9
And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now, of course, his bed wasn’t like our beds, a full on mattress with a headboard. It was the mat upon which the man slept. Much like a foam mat that a homeless man might use. This is the power of Jesus! He will heal even those who don’t fully understand, and are seeking healing in the wrong place.

So, the question, again, for all of us this morning is this: “Do You Want to be Healed?” In this story, we see one man healed among the “multitude of invalids” (verse 3). It’s to show the power of Jesus to heal. To show you a sign that Jesus did. To give you reason to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. But not everybody was healed of their physical sickness in that day. This story of healing is all about physical healing, but there is a deeper healing that Jesus offers. He offers it to all who believe.

I close my message with a quote from a message that Joni gave back in 2013. She said this.

Some time ago, Ken and I had the chance to visit the Holy Land. Ken sketched out an itinerary for us, but since I didn’t really look at it ahead of time, I didn’t know what he had planned. But I was happy he had arranged for us to visit the Old City of Jerusalem. He bumpety-bumped me in my wheelchair down the steps of the Via Dolorosa, through the Arab Bazaar, past the Sheep Gate, made a left-hand turn by Saint Anne’s Church, and then turned us down a cobblestone path.

Suddenly we came into an open area, and I knew right where we were.

“Oh, my goodness, look at this! Oh, Ken—it’s the pool of Bethesda! Oh, sweetheart, you wouldn't believe how many times I used to imagine myself here.”

It was a dry, dusty afternoon, and the place was empty and quiet. Ken hopped the railing, running down into the cistern to see if there might be any water left in the pool.

I leaned against the guardrail, imagining once again the many sick and disabled people lying there, waiting to get healed. Huge tears came pouring out of my eyes, because God was so precious to give me this moment with Himself in the place I had seen so often in my mind’s eye.

“Thank You,” I whispered. “Thank You for the healing You gave me. The deeper healing. Oh, God, You were so wise in not giving me a physical healing. Because that ‘no’ has meant ‘yes’ to a stronger faith in You, a deeper prayer life, and a greater understanding of Your Word. It has purged sin from my life, forced me to depend on Your grace, and increased my compassion for others who hurt. It has stretched my hope, given me a lively, buoyant trust in You, stirred an excitement about heaven, and pushed me to give thanks in times of sorrow. It has increased my faith and helped me to love You more. Jesus, I love You more.”

He didn’t give me the physical healing I had wanted, but the deeper healing I needed so much more.^[6]

That's my message this morning. You may be sick with an illness today. You may cry out to the Lord. You may be one of the other invalids who Jesus didn't heal. But he offers a deeper healing to all who would believe and trust in Jesus. This is our hope and trust today. Trust the healer. Do you want to be healed?

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on October 20, 2024 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joni_Eareckson_Tada.
 
[2]https://joniandfriends.org/about/our-history/.
 
[3] Joni Eareckson Tada, Beside Bethesda (Carol Stream, IL: NavPress, 2014), 3-4.
 
[4] Ibid., 20.
 
[5] Ibid., 45-46.

[6] Ibid., 167-169.