ESOCS Devotional 8 December 2023 – Thou Art Made Whole
MEMORY VERSE: “Jesus saith unto him, go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.” John 4: 50 KJV
TEXT: JOHN 5:1-18 (KJV)
After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
For thirty-eight years this man had this infirmity. There were many there at the pool, blind, halt, and withered. Why this certain man? Why his case? And why now? And what about the other sick folk? No telling how long some of them had been sick; some more and maybe some less. They were all sick. They were all waiting. But of all those there, it was this certain man’s case that Jesus would deal with that day. It was his day. I wonder at the care and length that God would go for just one person. I know it’s God so loved the world. But it amazes me how God could single out a certain sinner. The hunter invests much to track down and win his prize.
The impotent man said I have no man. But Jesus said I am that man. I can’t help but think that this is just about where every sinner gets when he or she is about to get saved. You come to a point where no man can help you; no man on earth at least. But there is a man in heaven, with nail-pierced hands and a wound on his side, that can help your lonely condition. 1 Timothy 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; That poor impotent man got the helping hand he so desperately needed that day. Christ, the man, is our mediator, our helper. He is our heavenly advocate. Full of grace, he is able to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He is our appointed counsel, for we could not afford one on our own. He wasn’t paid to do the work he did. He didn’t work pro bono either. Instead, he paid a great price to be our gracious advocate. I thank God I can say I had no man, but now I do.
When the Jews told the healed man that it was not lawful to carry his bed, (John 5:11) He answered them, “He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.” That man that was healed at the pool answered simply I’m obeying him that made me whole. And that is what God’s people long to do.
Once Jesus found the man, his message for him was this: “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14) . A stern prescription from the Great Physician who healed this man. This teaches us one sure thing; that sin will always have consequences.
This healing at Bethesda reveals the nature of sin. The man, crippled and unable to get to the water, demonstrates the hopeless and helpless nature of the sinner and the dark disease of sin. The man had no ability to heal himself or get to the possible remedy. Only Jesus could provide healing both physically and spiritually. This shows that through the picture of this healing, one gains understanding of the gospel and the forgiveness of sin that will make them spiritually whole once again.
- Do you want to be whole? We all have things in our lives that hinder us and keep us from the life God wants us to live.
- Lord, thank You for making me whole in Jesus name
FURTHER READING: Genesis 9:1–17; 42:18-28; Revelation 6:1–8
ESOCS Devotional 8 December 2023
