John 5:1-17: Two Things That Will Keep You From Jesus - Sin and Religion

John 5:1-17: Is It Sin or Religion That’s Keeping You from Jesus?

Please open your Bibles to John 5. If you’re using the Story Bibles we provide, that’s on page 738. For those of you who are visiting with us this morning, we’ve been systematically going through the Gospel of John passage by passage. And today, the passage we come to is John 5:1-17: 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. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” 

One of the things I’m convinced is hereditary in my family is the personality trait of stubbornness. I don’t know if it’s the Italian blood or the German blood, but we tend to be stubborn people. My dad is stubborn, I can be pretty stubborn, and my kids are stubborn as well. One of my kids actually missed a meal one time because of his stubbornness. We were in the process of trying to teach him to say “please” when he wanted things. So one day during lunchtime, we told him that he had to say please before we’d give him his lunch. And you know what? He wouldn’t say it. If I remember correctly, his lunch was on the table, ready to be eaten, but he wouldn’t say please. And even after he went without lunch for a little while, he still wouldn’t change his mind. So, he just didn’t get lunch that day by his own choice. That’s what I mean when I say stubbornness runs in the family. 

And in a similar way, because of our fallen condition, we all have a natural tendency to be very stubborn when it comes to one thing in particular. And that one thing is Jesus’ call for us to embrace him. Jesus invites everybody in this world to embrace him no matter who they are or what they’ve done—his call goes out to everybody. But so often, instead of embracing Jesus, people stubbornly cling to one of two things. And those two things are illustrated in our text this morning. This text in John 5 shows us how some people are kept from Jesus by their sin, while others are kept from him by their religion. That’s the main thing to get. Some people are kept from Jesus by their sin, while others are kept from him by their religion.

Some People Are Kept from Jesus by Their Sin

So first, let’s look at a man who was kept from Jesus by his sin. In verse 6 of our text, we see that Jesus approaches the paralyzed man and asks him, “Do you want to be healed?” Not a very difficult question to answer. And the man answers 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.” Now there’s a debate about what exactly this means. As some of your Bibles state in a footnote, there was a legend of an angel occasionally coming down to stir up the pools of water, and whoever was the first person to get into one of the pools when the angel did that would be healed of his disease. Now, I’m pretty sure that’s just a legend, but it is a bit unclear what exactly this guy’s talking about. But regardless of what he’s referring to, Jesus says to him in verse 8, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And with those eight words—which are actually seven words in the original language—Jesus demonstrates his power and supremacy over this man’s paralysis. Verse 9: “And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.” Remember, this man had been paralyzed for 38 years, it says. But in one instant, Jesus enabled him to walk. 

Now, just think: if that were you Jesus healed, how would you respond? I’m guessing you’d be jumping up and down, praising Jesus, thanking Jesus, and showing Jesus your gratitude in any way possible. That would be an appropriate way to respond to just being healed. But this man doesn’t do that. In fact, he demonstrates an incredibly ungrateful attitude. Look what happens. First, in verse 11, when the Jewish religious leaders ask him why he’s doing something that was forbidden on the Sabbath, he takes the easy way out and blames the person who healed him. Then, in verse 13, we see that he hadn’t even cared enough to get the name of the person who healed him. And then, in verses 14-15, when Jesus tells him he better stop sinning, the man runs off and tells the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who healed him. Surely he knew that doing that would cause problems for Jesus, but he did it anyway, presumably to make life easier for himself. So this guy is a real piece of work. 

And apparently, there was a pattern of sin in his life that was quite significant. That’s why Jesus tells him, “Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you”—presumably referring to his paralysis. Now we have to be careful here because not every physical affliction is a result of a person’s sin. That’s very clear from what Jesus says about the blind man in John 9. So it’s not as though everyone who has a handicap is being punished by God. Hopefully we all understand that. However, sometimes they are. And it appears as though that was the case with this man here in John 5. His paralysis was the result of some significant sin in his life. So Jesus warns him that if he doesn’t stop sinning, something even worse than paralysis will happen to him—probably referring to hell. 

And you don’t have to read very closely between the lines to get the idea that, whatever this man’s sin was, he probably didn’t stop it after this encounter. Because right after Jesus tells him that, he knowingly causes trouble for Jesus. Think about that. His heart was so steeped in sin that even a miraculous healing doesn’t persuade him to let go of his sin. How tight does your grip on sin have to be for you to be relatively unphased even by Jesus healing you? But that’s how tenaciously not just this man but many people are holding onto their sin. And because of that, their sin keeps them from Jesus and from everything Jesus offers. Maybe it’s an immoral relationship they’re holding onto or an addiction of some kind or a consuming desire to get rich or obtain power or gain prestige. You fill in the blank—the list is nearly endless. All of these things are things that keep people from Jesus. 

And the reason so many people fall for these things is because they make such wonderful promises. I’m sure at one time or another, most of us have received an email from someone claiming to be the widow of a recently deceased Nigerian prince—or someone similar. And this widow supposedly has more money than she knows what to do with but unfortunately has no way to get it to where she wants to move it. So if you’ll just help her by letting her use her bank account to transfer her massive fortune, she’ll richly reward you by giving you thousands of dollars. Sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it? Except it’s not. Because we all know that rich Nigerian princess doesn’t really exist. She’s actually some middle-aged guy sitting at his computer in his underwear licking Cheetos cheese off of his fingers as he tries to find more people to steal from. The whole thing is a scam. And pretty much everybody knows that. But here’s what I can’t figure out. Why is it that we’re smart enough to avoid those email scams but not smart enough to avoid sin? 

The Bible tells us that all the promises sin makes are empty promises. It tells us that instead of making you full, sin always leaves you painfully empty. Instead of giving you an abundance, it always leaves you impoverished. Instead of making you happy, it always leaves you disappointed. But what do we do? So often, we chase after it anyway. And even when Jesus comes along and offers us something infinitely better, we often keep holding onto our sin as if it could give us what we’re really looking for. 

And that’s true not only for non-Christians but also in some sense and to some extent for Christians as well. I wonder how many Christians are missing out on the indescribable pleasures of a close relationship with God simply because they’re hesitant to give up a particular sin in their life? Listen to me: Every time God brings a sin to your attention, you stand at a crossroads. You have a choice to make: sin or Jesus? Now you might be tempted to think that it’s just a small sin. You don’t really have to give it up if you don’t want to. You can just quietly hide it in a corner of your life while at the same time enjoying a relationship with Jesus. But there’s a big problem with that. Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” So every time God brings a sin to your attention, you stand at a crossroads. You have to choose one or the other. 

Think about the husband whose wife catches him cheating. Let’s say she unexpectedly comes home from work during lunchtime and finds him in bed with another woman. Not a good situation. And let’s say the husband tells her, “Honey, I know I shouldn’t be doing this, but I only do it once every couple of months, and I try everything I can to not let it interfere with our marriage.” How is the wife going to respond to that? She’s not going to be happy, is she? She’s probably going to throw something at him and sleep somewhere else that night at the very least. Because cheating on your spouse is kind of a big deal. And in the same way, sin is a big deal as well. And when we act as if we can quietly tolerate sin and have Jesus too, we’re just as mistaken as that knucklehead husband. Because God is a jealous lover, and he won’t tolerate any rivals. In many of the Old Testament prophetic books, when the Israelites are worshipping idols, God actually refers to the nation as a “prostitute.” He also calls her an “adulterous wife” and describes her sin in very graphic sexual terms—terms that are so graphic that I don’t even want to repeat them in mixed company. And if you’re a Christian, that’s how God views your sin—as spiritual adultery.

Some of you here are addicted to pornography. Others can’t seem to stop yourselves from gossiping. Other may give God a little tip in the offering basket, but inwardly, your heart’s filled with greed. Others have compromised your integrity in some way, either at the workplace or in your personal relationships. Some husbands aren’t loving your wives the way Jesus loves the church. Some wives aren’t submitting to your husbands the way the church submits to Jesus. And I bring up all of these things not to beat anybody up but to lovingly call us as a church to something higher—a way of living where we experience everything God has for us in Christ. What a tragedy to be like Esau and forsake our birthright as Christians for a bowl of stew. Don’t do that. Don’t let sin keep you from Jesus.

Others Are Kept from Jesus by Their Religion

So that’s one thing we see in our main text in John 5. This man Jesus healed is holding onto his sin so tightly that even a miraculous healing doesn’t persuade him to let go of his sin. His sin keeps him from Jesus. However, he’s not the only character in the story. We also see how the Jewish religious leaders respond to Jesus’ miracle. Verses 10-17: “So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.”

Isn’t that amazing? Jesus performs an incredible miracle, healing a man who was paralyzed for 38 years, and the only thing the Jewish leaders are concerned about is that fact that Jesus performed that miracle on the Sabbath. Are you kidding me? And by that we see that, while some people are kept from Jesus by their sin, others are kept from him by their religion. The Jewish leaders were so obsessed with the “do’s and don’ts” of their religion that they totally missed their Messiah. Now, just so you know, Jesus was not truly breaking the Sabbath. What had happened was that the Jewish leaders had such a desire to display their righteousness that they had taken it upon themselves to add some other Sabbath regulations in addition to the ones God had given them in the Old Testament. And we don’t have time to get into them all, but suffice it to say that they could be a little ridiculous. But the Jewish leaders were so obsessed with keeping these man-made external regulations, they became blind to their inward sin and consequently blind to their need for a Savior. 

I wonder how many people in our community attend church every Sunday and dot all their religious I’s and cross all their religious T’s but, in reality, are a lot like these Jewish leaders.  There may not be a lot of obvious sins in their life, so they like to think of themselves as good people. But that’s actually part of the problem. They’ve never seen the cesspool of inward sin that exists within them. And because of that, they’ve never truly come to realize their need for a Savior. Psalm 36:2 describes them well when it says, “In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.” And if you can’t “detect or hate” your sin, you can’t be saved from it either.

It reminds me of someone who has stage 4 cancer, but they don’t know it yet. Everything seems to be normal. They have plenty of energy, a healthy appetite, no pain, no unexplained weight loss—nothing obvious that would suggest cancer. They can look at themselves and think everything’s okay. We can look at them and think everything’s okay. But the reality is that everything’s not okay. I think of a former coworker I had, whose name was Karen. Forty-two years old, plenty of energy, seemed to be doing fine. But one day she gets a cancer diagnoses, and less than a year later, she dies. You can feel fine, but that doesn’t mean you are fine. 

Let me beg you to examine your life. These Jewish leaders were so busy going through the motions of their religion that they never saw their need for Jesus to save them. They thought so highly of themselves that they never noticed the spiritual cancer that was metastasizing within them. Could that be you? Could that be you? Has God ever humbled you and brought you to the realization that there’s something within you every bit as serious as stage four cancer? Has he ever opened your eyes to see that you’re actually not a good person and that you desperately you need Jesus to save you? Religion can keep you from Jesus just as easily as sin can. 

Conclusion

But…it doesn’t have to. Not only does Jesus offer us something infinitely better than sin or religion could ever give us, he offers it to us freely. It’s freely available. Kind of like when someone gives you a gift card to a restaurant. Everything’s already been paid for. It’s all taken care of. As long as you have that gift card, you can just sit down and enjoy your meal and leave without paying a dime. Likewise, with salvation, you don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to perform to a certain level to get it. The only thing you have to do is let go of whatever you’re holding onto—the things that are keeping you from Jesus—so that your hands will be empty and you’ll be able to receive what Jesus wants to give you. He offers you such joy, such fullness, such life in relationship with himself that there’s really no comparison. 

That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 13:44, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” He doesn’t begrudgingly sell all his possessions to buy that field. He does it joyfully because he knows that field is worth far more. Then Jesus continues in the next verse, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” This merchant knows a good deal when he sees it, and when he sees it, he takes advantage of it. Just imagine, knowing what you know now, you were transported back in time to 1976, and this nerdy guy named Steve Jobs asked you to invest some money in a new company that he wanted to start called “Apple Computers.” If you knew all that Apple would become, I guessing that you would sell your house, your car, and everything else you could sell that didn’t have sentimental value in order to invest in that company. It would be a no-brainer. That’s what Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like. It’s worth giving up everything in order to obtain. Don’t let sin hold you back. Don’t let religion hold you back. Reach out your hand and take what Jesus freely offers.