Answer the Question

John 5:1-18
I remember a scene from the TV show The West Wing that went something like this:

Man: Do you have a watch?

Woman: It’s 2:30.

Man: I didn’t ask you what time it was, I only asked if you had a watch. You should only answer the question that is asked, nothing more.

The story told in John’s gospel today contains a similar exchange in which the answer given does not match the question asked. “When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ 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 making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me’” (John 5:6-7). Jesus asked a man if he wished to be healed. Instead of saying yes or no, the man became defensive, offering excuses as to why he was still sick after 38 years. In other words, the man by the pool did not answer Jesus’ question.

Two things come to mind here. First of all, are we answering the questions that Jesus is actually asking us, or are we answering other, less important questions? When Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” are we stammering on about the terrible weather last Sunday morning, or the unexpected expenses we’ve encountered lately, or how difficult it is to find even a few moments of peace and quiet during the week? When Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” do we mention how much we’ve enjoyed the recent Bible study, or how the women’s luncheon was so lovely, or how the grass at the church needs cutting but that we assume someone else will take care of it? The answer to “Do you love me?” should be a resounding “Yes.” And the answer to “Who do you say that I am?” is “You are the Messiah, the Son of God.” So why have we put ourselves into the position of having to dodge these questions when Jesus asks them? Why do we get so defensive?

But that also leads me to wonder how often our society makes those in need feel as though they must make excuses for themselves. How often do we somehow blame the hungry for their condition, or hold the homeless accountable for living on the streets? How often do we assume those who are poor must have done something (or not done something) that lead to their plight? Do we automatically conclude that those who are sick must have brought it on themselves? Jesus offers no judgment in healing the man by the pool and only calls on him to live a life of righteousness after the fact. Are we not capable of the same mindset, or have our suspicions and our attitudes led us to the place where we cannot see a need without assigning blame to the one who suffers?

I offer those two thoughts today mainly because I am acutely aware of my own failings in this regard. I recognize how often I respond to Jesus’ questions with unrelated answers, and I know I make assumptions and act on stereotypes in relation to those in need. During this season of Lent, perhaps – with God’s help – I can do something about it. Maybe – with God’s help – you can, too.

Prayer: Lord of healing and restoration, help us to answer your questions with honesty and clarity and to meet the needs of our world without judgment or qualification. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Great Place For the Good Shepherd

John 5:1-15
In describing the setting of the story, our gospel reading today offers an interesting bit of information. “Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate,” it says, “there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids — blind, lame, and paralyzed” (John 5:2-3). Personally, I assume that if scripture sees fit to include even the smallest bit of information then we should give it some consideration, and that’s the case with John’s reference to the Sheep Gate as being near the location of one of Jesus’ healings. There is a reason that John shared this fact with us, and I don’t think that it is entirely a matter of location. With just a few words John has also reminded us of Jesus’ role in tending to the people of God –– most especially those in need –– as a shepherd tends to his flock.

References to Jesus as the Good Shepherd are common of course, both in scripture itself and in the worship and devotional life of the church. A familiar motif for stained glass windows in Christian sanctuaries is the figure of Jesus holding a lamb with other sheep gathered around him. This is the Lord we Christians worship, and it is extremely important that we hold this image of flock-tending as close to our hearts as any other when it comes to our understanding of Christ. Shepherding is not glamorous work; nor is tending to the needs of people who have been cast off by their culture. So the Lordship of Jesus reflects the power and authority of God’s Son; but the work Jesus so willingly did placed him in positions of vulnerability and weakness according when viewed in human terms.

As a minister I find myself faced with an almost daily challenge based on Jesus’ role as the Good Shepherd. On the one hand there is the temptation to embrace the prestige that comes with serving a mainline Protestant congregation, perhaps especially in the southern United States. Even in an era when the decline of some denominations has lessened their real or perceived social standing, it is easy to get caught up in the life of the institution. On the other hand, I am called to worship and serve a Lord who walked among the “blind, lame, and paralyzed” of Jerusalem, who offered healing to the least and the lost, who gave of himself in order to save others. I am also called to do this work.

Jesus is Lord of all. But Jesus is also the Shepherd of the flock. As his people we are called to follow his example, serving where we are needed. And sometimes that just happens to be among the sheep.

Prayer: O God, may we faithfully serve where we are needed, trusting in the guidance and grace of your Son our Savior, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Look Up From Your Books

John 5:30-47

Today's gospel reading contains a warning for all of us who take scripture seriously and who trust it to guide us in our lives of faith. "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life," Jesus says, "and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life" (John 5:39-40).

A few years ago I was asked if I believed in the Bible. After some thought I admitted that no, I did not believe in the Bible. "I believe the Bible," I said, "but I believe in God as he is made known through Jesus Christ." In other words, my faith is in that which the Bible itself points toward which is the love and mercy of God. Am I splitting hairs? I don't think so. I think the distinction is clear, especially the way Jesus describes it in John. If we are not careful we may find ourselves so intent on searching scripture - one form of God's Word - that we overlook the real presence of God in Jesus Christ - the Word of God incarnate.

I would contend that many contemporary communities of faith have become so fixated on what they are reading in scripture that they have failed to notice what God is actually doing all around them, touching lives, making men and women whole, anointing with the Spirit of hope and peace. I do not in any way discount the role of scripture as a witness to the saving grace of God, but I do believe it is worth looking up from our texts now and again - our reading about God's work - in order to see what it is that God is actually doing all around us. God may very well surprise us with the life we seek.

Prayer: Lord God, lead us beyond our own feeble efforts to explain or account for you so that we may come to know you as you would be known. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Faith Made Real

Hebrews 9:15-28

John 5:19-29

The Apostles’ Creed says of Jesus Christ that “he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” The truth of this statement is woven throughout scripture, including our readings for today. Hebrews tells us that “Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Hebrews 9:24). The gospel reading for today adds to this understanding. There Jesus himself says, “For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:26-27).

Jesus is no longer constrained to the human condition, and yet, because the Son of Man lived among us, he is able to relate to us. God’s judgment then, while real, is not arbitrary. Nor is it without mercy. In my own faith tradition—as in many others—the confession of sin is preceded by the reminder that God waits with eagerness to forgive our sins even as we confess them. This is the good news of the gospel, that in Jesus Christ–Son of God, Word made flesh–God was reconciling the world to God’s self.

Prayer: God of grace and mercy, continue to forgive our sins. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

What About the Others?

John 5:1-18

Would Jesus really have healed only one person out of many? Would Jesus really have singled out an individual and restored him to health while ignoring others? If we read it a certain way that’s the impression that we might get from our gospel text for today. “Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids — blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?…Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk” (John 5: 2-6, 8-9). That’s great for the one man, but what about the others? What about the other “blind, lame, and paralyzed” people who were there that day?

This is an interesting point to ponder, no doubt, but it is not really what the passage is telling us. The central issue here is that whatever healing took place was done on the Sabbath which caused the religious leaders of the day to be very angry. They could not tolerate the fact that Jesus broke the law of Moses, even if it was for the purpose of restoring fullness to a man’s life. So maybe the real question to ask is why did Jesus not heal the religious leaders of his day of their closed minds and hard hearts? Why did Jesus leave so many people bound to sin and a dependence on the law?

Eventually, of course, that is exactly what Jesus offered to the world when he died on the cross. Jesus gave his life so that those who believed in him - the blind, lame, and paralyzed, along with uptight religious leaders - might find salvation and grace. Turns out there were a whole bunch of folks who needed Jesus’ attention that Sabbath day, some of whom knew it, and some who did not. So which group are we in?

Prayer: Lord, heal us of all that harms us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.