July 11, 2011
Sabbath: The Rest of God Wk 2: Wholeness
Posted by Rob
Learn:
John 5:1-15
1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Main Idea:
The Sabbath is a day for restoration. The busy and stressful lives that we lead often leave us exhausted and broken, but God has provided the Sabbath as the place where we can find wholeness in Him. In the story from John 5, we see Jesus encounter a man who has been infirmed for almost forty years. We should consider the significance of the question Jesus asks: do you want to get well? Like the man at the pool, we are infirmed (not just physically, but spiritually as well), and require the help of Jesus in order to bring about our restoration. If we believe that we are capable of thriving on our own, then we will never understand the wholeness that a Sabbath provides.
Know What: By keeping the Sabbath, we are able to connect with the healing and realignment that God graciously provides.
So What: We can never fully know the wholeness that God intended for each of us without the restoration of the Sabbath.
Now What: This week, set aside a period of time (no matter how small) to intentionally commune with God for the purpose of wholeness and healing. Then ask God for wisdom on how to work towards a day of Sabbath.
Discuss…
1. Why did Jesus ask the man at the pool if he wanted to be well if the man was already at the pool to seek healing?
2. What aspects of your life do you feel need restoration?
3. What do you think our speaker Jim Keller meant when he said it “takes rest to run the marathon of life”?
4. How do you feel that a Sabbath can provide wholeness in your life?
5. When Jesus speaks to the man after the healing in verse 14, he identifies sin as part of the man’s problem. How might our spiritual lives be affected by repentance of sin?
6. At times we tell ourselves, “as soon as I finish this week (or month, or year) then I will keep a Sabbath”, but next week comes and we are still busy. How might we go about setting aside time for the purpose of communing with God?
Next Steps…
In this story from John 5, we see Jesus heal on the Sabbath. Examine other instances of Jesus healing on the Sabbath (Matthew 12, Mark 2 & 3, Luke 13 & 14). The story from Luke 13 (10-17) in particular indicates that Jesus healed on the Sabbath for an important reason: to alleviate the burdens of the people he was healing. Not only, then, was Jesus providing healing, but he was providing an important lesson: the Sabbath should be a day where burdens are lifted and healing occurs. As you approach your Sabbath this week, consider the parts of your life (physical, mental, spiritual) that need the healing Jesus offers. Bring these burdens before our Lord, and express your desire to be whole.
