Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien
November 13, 2022
INTRO (SLIDE 1)
Good morning! It’s good to be back. We are continuing our series in the gospel of John called “Full of Grace and Truth” and today we are going to look at a series of passages that are all tied together by the issue of authority.
We are living in a culture that has trouble with authority. Authority is almost a bad word. There are lots of reasons why this is the case in a broad sense, but when it comes to religion and worldview there is a crisis of authority and a crisis of truth in our culture.
ILLUST — Lesslie Newbigin, who was a missionary in India and a leader in the evangelical church in England 50 years ago, is one of the most insightful people when it comes to understanding the cultural moment in which we live.
He said that something we take for granted today is the assumption that there is a difference between “facts” and “beliefs”. In popular culture today, facts are viewed as universally accepted public truths, whereas beliefs are viewed as personal opinions based in myth or tradition. Supposedly, beliefs are private and are not to be brought to the public square.
A few hundred years ago this wasn’t the case. It is a modern invention to make facts irreligious, and to limit religious beliefs to your private life so that they can be more easily dismissed.
Newbigin says that this false distinction cannot stand. Here’s why: The statement “Jesus Christ is Lord” is a public truth, it is a claim that touches every sphere of life, it is an assertion of authority and kingship with cosmic and eternal consequences.
ILLUST — My family just got a puppy. (SLIDE 2) We were fortunate to get a beautiful Golden Retriever from a litter that Michael and Melody Haege recently had at their house. Since I was the main hold-out to getting a puppy, I got the privilege of naming him, probably so that I would like the puppy more. I named him Kuyper, after the the turn of the century Dutch Reformed Theologian Abraham Kuyper. (SLIDE 3a) He’s not nearly as cute! A few people have said, “Of course you’d name him after a theologian! You nerd!”
Abraham Kuyper was famous for saying this, (SLIDE 3b) “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
If this is true, then there is no such thing as a mere private belief in the Lordship of Jesus Christ! If this is true, then we are confronted with a powerful question about his authority: How do you approach Jesus? Do you approach him on your terms? Or do you approach him with humility and surrender, coming under his sovereign authority and loving care? (SLIDE 4)
This is what we are going to learn from our passage today: Jesus alone is the trustworthy authority, he is the key to history, he is the one the Scriptures point to. To truly be his disciple, you must first accept his authority, then and only then can you come to understand him and love him and obey him.
Let’s jump right in and read our text today. Open with me to John 4:43-5:47. We are going to read three related accounts. There are two healings and then a confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. All of them relate to Jesus’ authority, so we will read them all together. READ John 4:43-5:47.
ORG SENT — Here’s how we will tackle this: First, we are going to see a contrast between the men who were healed and the Jewish leaders (4:43-5:18). Second, we are going to learn from Jesus himself about his unique authority (5:19-47).
MAIN 1 — Contrast (4:43-5:18). (SLIDE 5a)
Let’s make sure we know where we are: Jesus had just spent two days teaching in Sychar, a town in Samaria. This is where he met the woman at the well.
What is so striking about these two days in Samaria is that the Apostle John never records an overt miracle by Jesus. Instead, 4:39 says that these people who were considered by the Jews to be inferior “believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony.” Jesus said that they were ripe for harvest, and these people showed greater faith than the Jews at this point.
This contrast continues into our passage this morning. Jesus is now going back to Galilee, back into his Jewish homeland where you would think that the people would accept his testimony just as heartily. But even though they initially welcome him, we are going to see that’s not the case. In fact, John continues this theme of people who were thought to be inferior being the ones who most eagerly receive Jesus.
Let’s look at a few key features of the two healings:
Healing 1 — The Royal Official’s Son (SLIDE 5b)
This “royal official” was likely a Jewish elite who was serving in the government of Herod Antipas who was ruling the region of Galilee from 4 BC to AD 39. (SLIDE 5c) He was a son of Herod the Great who had ruled over the province of Judea at the time Jesus was born. Herod Antipas was recognized by Caesar Augustus as Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, which means that he was a ruler on behalf of the Roman Empire.
So, this royal official was a Jewish colluder with Rome! This would have been a highly controversial person, likely despised by his Jewish brothers and sisters. He was unworthy and he knew it.
IMPORTANT — This account reveals Jesus’ power! (SLIDE 5d) Jesus doesn’t have to be present to heal someone! In other words: Distance is no match for Jesus!
When you read the account, it seems that this royal official doesn’t understand deeply who Jesus really is. He is simply desperate for someone to help his son. (SLIDE 5e) He knew that Jesus had the power to help him. He has a simple faith, and that is enough. And he received more than he deserved when his son is healed.
Healing 2 — Man at the Pool of Bethesda (SLIDE 6a)
The pool of Bethesda was fed by large reservoirs called Solomon’s Pools, but there was also a spring that fed the pools and occasionally caused a sudden surge of water that bubbled up from the bottom. (SLIDE 6b) Some ancient writers speak of the redness of the water, popularly thought to be medicinal. The spring likely contained a mineral that caused the red color.
It was believed that this “stirring of the water” was supernatural. It was likely a controversy in Jesus’ day; some believe it was a myth, others did not. But evidently a great many people were desperate for healing and would try anything!
IMPORTANT — This account reveals Jesus’ power again! (SLIDE 6c) Jesus specifically found this man, who had been lying there for 38 years, possibly the longest-tenured paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda. And Jesus proves that he is not too far gone for healing. In other words: Time is no match for Jesus!
But as we read the ensuing conversation between this man and Jesus, we see the same lack of sophisticated understanding of Jesus, but a simple faith from a man who received more than he deserves.
You see, this man was also desperate for help. (SLIDE 6d) But he was desperate for a different reason. He not only couldn’t get into the water by himself, but he also couldn’t get rid of the consequences of his sin by himself. He knew he was unworthy, and yet Jesus saved him.
I want to make a comment about why Jesus says to this man in verse 14, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Why does Jesus say that?
It is likely that this man’s condition was the result of some choice he made, the result of some addiction, or association with the wrong people, or some specific harm that he endured because of the consequences of his actions.
But the royal official’s son was sick, and this was something completely outside of the control of him or his dad.
Both are desperate situations. Both need Jesus. But the key in the text is that sometimes we find ourselves in situations that are outside of our control like the Royal Official, and sometimes we find ourselves living with the direct consequences of specific sins like the man at the Pool of Bethesda.
KEY — There is hope for both! Jesus has the authority and the power to redeem both the things outside of our control and the specific consequences of our sins! That’s good news no matter where you find yourself in life!
So, let’s summarize these two men who receive healing from Jesus: (SLIDE 7a)
They were desperate.
They knew they were unworthy.
They expressed imperfect but simple faith.
The received more than they deserved because they encountered Jesus on his terms.
Now, let’s contrast this with the Jewish leaders, who tend to represent the Jewish people as a whole whom John said in John 1:11, “He came to that which was his own, his own did not receive him.”: (SLIDE 7b)
They were self-righteous.
They believed they were worthy.
They expressed accusations and distrust.
They receive rebuke because they encounter Jesus on their terms.
Now, why were the Jewish leaders so far off-base? This passage is one of the first points in the gospel of John where we see the theme of misunderstanding and rejection of Jesus develop to the point of potential violence or backlash. Their problem centers on whether Jesus is breaking the Sabbath, but it reveals something deeper about their understanding of who Jesus is.
IMPORTANT — In order to grasp the deeper issue here, we need to step back and think about what the Sabbath really is. (SLIDE 8a)
If you go way back into the Old Testament, the Sabbath originated from God’s rest on the 7th day of creation in Genesis 1-2. (SLIDE 8b) It established a pattern of work and rest (SLIDE 8c), and the Old Testament law later reflected this rhythm of work and rest by setting apart a weekly Sabbath day where regular work ceased.
But, the Jewish people began to do what most of us would probably do. They began to ask the question: What counts as “work”? There are generations of debate by the Rabbis and religious leaders about this question, and groups like the Pharisees even made extra rules to protect the Sabbath, like the rule against carrying your mat.
KEY — This turned out to destroy the whole purpose of Sabbath. In the Genesis account, this was a day for blessing and holy enjoyment of the goodness of creation and the glory of God!
ILLUST — Let me give you a better definition of the Sabbath. Andy Crouch, who was the editor of Christianity Today for over 10 years, defines Sabbath as (SLIDE 8d) “The glad contemplation of work well done.”
It is not about parsing out which activities qualify as “work” and which activities qualify as “leisure”. It is about beholding God’s goodness, enjoying the fruit of our labors, and basking in the glory of God through life-giving active rest. That’s beautiful!
So, what did the Jewish leaders get wrong here?
The problem with the Jewish leaders is that they had begun to approach God in a transactional way. They treated the Sabbath as an opportunity to evaluate who was doing the proper things to make God happy, not to be a day of joyful basking in work well-done for God’s glory!
And so, they used their twisted version of the Sabbath as a weapon against Jesus. And this became an attack on the very authority of Jesus as the manifestation of God himself in human flesh.
In other words, if you want to know the whole point of the Sabbath, the purpose of all of creation, the goal of all our work, and the point of all the worship of our lives…Jesus is Lord over all!
This is where we get to Jesus’ own words about his authority, and it confronts us about how we approach Jesus.
MAIN 2 — Authority of Jesus (5:19-47). (SLIDE 9a)
It is incredible to read what Jesus says here. When these Jewish leaders come at Jesus with their interpretation of the Sabbath and with their attacks and their accusations, Jesus doesn’t play by their rules. He goes straight for the ultimate claim: (SLIDE 9b) I am in perfect unity with the Father, and I am the one who brings life and the one who brings judgment. Whoa!
Can you begin to imagine the cosmic significance of the fact that Jesus is the walking, talking manifestation of God in the flesh, that Jesus has the power to cause dead things to come back to life, that he authority to judge all evil, and that he will resurrect everyone at the last day…some to eternal life, others to eternal condemnation?
(SLIDE 9c) This is the most all-encompassing claim to authority that any person has ever made!
And what Jesus does at this moment is say to the Jewish leaders, “If you want to toss scripture at me to tell me that I’m going against God the Father’s desires, think again.” Just read 5:37-40. READ 37-40.
The word “study” in verse 39 corresponds to a technical Hebrew term for studying the Hebrew scriptures and the oral tradition of the Rabbis.
In other words, what these Jewish leaders were doing was pinning their hopes on their knowledge, their obedience, and their reputations. (SLIDE 9d) Its like they were only a click or two away from treating their study of the Bible like a magic trick or a pagan ritual that would produce the desires results if they say the right words and do the right things, treating God like a genie or a vending machine.
APPLY — Friends, this is no way to approach God!
But this is how many of us approach Jesus. We think we can approach him as though we have some authority, as though we can determine if Jesus is right or not. (SLIDE 10, blank)
ILLUST — I need to share how I was confronted with this in my own life.
I remember in high school and college being pretty sure I knew how to figure out the Christian faith. I tested ideas, I talked circles around other people, and I tended to approach Scripture as though I had the authority to tell God what he said in his Word. I wasn’t malicious, but I certainly was arrogant.
I’ll never forget my first semester of seminary. I was taking a theology class, and the midterm assignment was to write a paper on the inerrancy and reliability of Scripture. I wrote a whole paper defending the traditional view of the authority of God’s Word.
But there was a moment when I was done where I felt the Lord saying to me, “Do you really believe what you wrote? Not only do you believe what you wrote, but don’t you want to get to know me, the one who wrote it, the one who all this points to?”
It was this moment where I realized I had approached Jesus as though I stood over him and his Word. I not only needed to sit under the Word, but I realized that I wanted to get to know the person Jesus to whom all the promises of Scripture find their yes!
You see, friends, this is the challenge of our passage today…How do you approach Jesus? Are you ready to approach him on his terms? Not only so, but are you desperate for him, to know the one that the scriptures point to, to believe in the one who sustains the universe and has authority as Lord over all?
He is calling you to humility and surrender, to come to know him and receive more than you deserve as he asks you to have a simple faith. Because there is not a square inch in your life over which Jesus Christ does not say Mine!