So, here we go!! I am going to post some scripture and some questions. Please respond to questions!! You can also respond to someone else's comment, if you want. If that makes you think of another question, please post that for us to ponder, as well!! Hope this will get us all thinking!!!
If you have trouble, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! I think I've got it set up right, but I'm still learning so, we'll see!!
Please read John 5:1-15
As you read; ask God to open your eyes to what He wants you to see in this passage.
I'd also like you to think about the possible sights, smells and sounds that were happening in this passage. We read that this pool was near the Sheep Gate (shoooo weeee); there were many disabled people (which would mean lots of things.... blind, lame (can't walk), mute, mentally challenged, etc)
The next thing I'd like to ponder a minute was the length of time this man had been 'invalid'.... 38 years!! That is a LONG time... your whole life plus a lot. Almost my whole life!! This was a lame man (Jesus saw him lying there; later Jesus said, "Get up!!" We don't know WHY he couldn't walk, just couldn't!) What would it mean not to be able to walk? How would that affect life?
Here is how this pool worked. The water was still in the pool and at different times, the water would begin to stir. When the water would begin to stir, the people would scramble to get into the pool, because the first one in would be healed of whatever their ailment was. (Some versions of the Bible have a verse that explains that an angel of the Lord would stir the water.) So, we learn of this man who had had some kind of issue for 38 years ~
We see in verse 6, Jesus saw him lying there and learned he'd been in this condition a long time, then he asks a question. Re-read that section and think about that question.....
Alright: Now that you have a good idea of maybe what the scene looks like, lets get to the questions..... Comment on one or all, but please participate!!!
1. Verse 3 tells us there were a 'great number' of disabled people surrounding this pool. What kind of people do you think these were? Do you think this was a pleasant place to be? Do you think there were people who were not disabled there? What kind of risk was involved in going here? (For both disabled and non disabled people?)
2. Verse 5 says, "One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years." Define invalid for me. How does a person come to be an invalid? What does valid mean? What do you think, in Jesus day, it meant to have a physical or mental difference? Do you ever feel like an invalid? Do you see others around you that perhaps feel like an invalid?
3. In verse 6, Jesus asks the man, "Do you want to get well?" Why do you think He asks that question? Wouldn't one assume if this man is at the pool he would want to get well? (Do you think the man wanted to say, "DUH... I'm here aren't I?')
4. Is the man giving excuses or reasons that he is unable to get into the water? What is the difference? Do you think if a person gives reasons for doing/not doing something others can see that as excuses? Is it our business? Does it matter? What did Jesus do? (WHether it was reason or excuse, Jesus just healed the dude. It didn't matter to him, apparently.)
5. The man, who hadn't walked in 38 years, got up and walked.... "at once"... that is pretty cool. But, the Jews were focused on what? (verse 10) So, what do you think about that? Do things like this happen now? (Do we see/hear of miracles happening right before our eyes but miss it because we are focused elsewhere?)
6. The man who was healed didn't have a clue who Jesus was!! Can you imagine?? All this dude knew was that he was at the pool waiting for the water to stir, knew he probably wasn't going to get in first, but still stayed there. (Maybe he had no way to get home. Maybe he had no home, and this was his only hope?) THen, this man shows up, asks a question and BOOM, he's walking like nothing was ever wrong!! Then, later, Jesus finds him at the temple and tells him to stop sinning. The passage doesn't say Jesus introduced himself to the man, but after the 2nd encounter, the man says it was Jesus who made him well. Has Jesus ever showed up in your life, but you didn't recognize Him? How do you think this man's life changed (besides the obvious)? When you realize that Jesus has been around in your life, does that change your life? The man by the pool walked differently (obviously), talked differently (didn't understand what had happened, but told people), his whole life was changed in just a few minutes.
What have I left out? What did you see in this passage? What can you take away from this? Have you learned something? WIll you look at people differently? Will you look at yourself differently?
I hope you have a great week. I"m looking forward to hearing from all of you!!
If you have issues, either FB me, or email me (ckmiller5@gmail.com)
I love you! You are precious!!
Krista
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. The people surrounding the pool were diseased and disabled people. I imagine them having very poor hygiene and malnourishment. They were most likely lower class people who lost all they had because of their ailment. The people around the pool were outcasts of their society. It was not a pleasant place to be. Probably very few people there were not disabled or diseased simply because healthy people wanted to stay that way. The only risk the “invalid” people had in going to the pool was that they were not cured; but to the “valid,” they risked becoming an invalid.
ReplyDelete2. The term “invalid” has a few interpretations. I tend to think an invalid is someone who is unfit, outcasted, or below-the-par. Their disabilities and diseases have made the people at the pool invalids in their society. In most cases, the invalids lost everything they had when stricken by disease and disability. Society cast out the disabled and diseased people as if they were incurable or worthless. Granted, some of them were incurable, without a miracle. The man in this passage that was an invalid for 38 years may not have been curable at all; but society wrote him off as if he was no longer human. Our society today is not much different. We classify people on so many different levels that it is impossible to keep track of them all. With every classification, a group is cast out because their beliefs or actions may be a little bit different from most of the societies. It is human nature to be on both sides of the spectrum. Sometimes we feel we are invalid, and other times we make others feel as if they are invalid.
3. &4. This made me laugh because of course the man wanted to get well! But the more I thought about it, the more sound Jesus’ question seems. I could be totally off with my line of thinking here, but what if Jesus was testing the mans intentions? Often times we get so sick of being the invalid in society, that we make excuses for why we should get better. The man in the passage replied that he had no one to help him into the pool. Jesus is the only one who knows our true intentions when we make decisions. If the man wanted to be well because he no longer wanted to be considered an invalid then he was making an excuse. But, he gave Jesus a reason. There are times in our lives where we think we are giving Jesus reasons, but what we are really doing is giving him excuses. When we are faced with decisions, we give reasons and excuses to not only ourselves but Jesus. Even when we can’t decide which are which, Jesus can. That is why we give him our lives to work with.
So apparently, there is a maximum amount of characters you could use. lol So here is the rest...
ReplyDelete5. The Jews were focused more on the fact that the man was carrying his mat on the Sabbath rather than the miracle that just took place. So many times we remain so focused on being politically correct about classification that we are more concerned with maintaining those classifications than we are with the miracles that take place within them. It is a shame because there are incredible things happening around us every day and we lose ourselves with the constant worry about fitting into some sort of rigid classification.
6. We go through phases in life where we get so into life that we don’t recognize Jesus even if he is right in front of us screaming our name. The man at the pool received a miracle from Jesus and did not know it was him until after the fact. His life was changed forever that day. He received a wakeup call that many of us today receive many times throughout life. When we realize again that Jesus is around in our lives, we seem to walk a little taller and be a little stronger. It gives us a confidence in our lives. Even if it is just for a short time before we fall back into the trap of humanity, realizing Jesus is with you in every part or your life changes everything. The first time we realize this our lives change juristically. We reevaluate everything we have anything to do with and adjust to a new path that has been set out for us. There are times throughout the rest of our life that we stray from the path, but our lives change a little more every time we come back.
Man, Balsamo said it all! But I just got out of French class and I feel pretty invalid in that class so I thought number 2 is pretty relevant....
ReplyDelete(2) When I think of the word "invalid" I think of something that is not correct or something/someone that is disabled. Today's society has somewhat defined "valid" or a typical norm and can make people feel invalid if they do not act/believe/look the way society has defined "valid." I think a person can be born invalid, for example a mental disability. But most often people make themselves invalid or someone else can make a person feel invalid. For example, my French class.... I feel totally stupid! But I do have the opportunity to change that. In the scripture the man's only hope was to get in that pool of water, but lets face it his chances were pretty slim. When he woke up that morning I'm sure he didn't think, "Oh today I will be able to walk." This just shows that Jesus can show up when you least expect him. Sometimes you don't even realize Jesus is there until after the fact, like the man at the pool.