When Rules Miss The Miracle

What if the story you trust is the very thing keeping you stuck? We head to the pool of Bethesda in John 5, where hope gathered in porches, legends swirled around stirred waters, and a man lay waiting for 38 years. Into that crowd, Jesus asks a piercing question—Do you want to be well—and breaks the spell of superstition with a word that makes bones, tendons, and courage come alive.

We walk through the geography of Jerusalem, the Sheep Gate, and why that matters for seeing Jesus as the Lamb of God. We unpack the debated “angel stirring the water” line, exploring how scribal notes and translation history can shape what people expect from God. Then we turn to the heart of the narrative: the man’s response full of reasons and delays, and Christ’s sovereign command that bypasses rituals and queues. The healing exposes how easily we cling to methods and miss the Messiah, and how grace confronts our habit of explaining rather than receiving.

From there, we trace the collision with Sabbath traditions. The mat in the man’s hands becomes a test case for how added rules can overshadow mercy. We reflect on the purpose of Sabbath as rest in God, fulfilled in Jesus, and how legalism can train us to ask the wrong questions. Along the way, we consider our own prayers—are we begging for God to stir “our” water, or asking to see what He is already doing? Drawing on John’s eyewitness voice at the cross and empty tomb, we invite you to trade folklore for living faith, to notice quiet miracles, and to carry the evidence of grace with humility and joy.

If this conversation sparked something in you, share it with a friend, subscribe for future messages, and leave a review to help others find the show. What “pool” have you been waiting beside, and what step of faith do you sense Jesus calling you to take today?

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.

Belief Versus Urban Legends

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome to Come On Up, the radio ministry of the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

There are people in this world that actually believe things that are not necessarily true. They're urban legends and so forth. And it sounds really good to believe, and they believe it. Sometimes people actually believe these things rather than believing the truth of the Word of God. Have you seen that in your life? It's possible, isn't it, that people would believe something so much even though it's not necessarily true.

Introducing Pastor Carl

SPEAKER_00 0:48

I used to binge watch TV shows that dove into fascinating documentaries about searching for aliens, UFOs, the Loch Nest monster, and all sorts of quirky mysteries. It's interesting how folks sometimes put more faith in these ideas than in what's written in God's Word. It's like the enemy has thrown a fog over people's eyes, making it tough for them to grasp the real essence of the gospel. In today's message, Pastor Carl invites you to lift that blindfold and welcome Jesus with an open heart. And now here's Pastor Carl.

The Pool Of Bethesda Explained

Was The Angel Story Authentic

Superstition, Faith, And The Christmas Candle

Jesus Meets The Man Of 38 Years

Sovereignty, Healing, And Response

Sabbath Controversy And Manmade Rules

Who Healed Me And Why It Matters

SPEAKER_02 1:28

All right, let's get into a study of God's Word. We're in John chapter 5. If you have your Bibles, turn to John chapter 5. And it starts out like this. After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. They were up in the Galilee region, and now it's uh I think there are like three or four feasts that folks were required to come to Jerusalem to celebrate, and they're coming down to one of these feasts, and John didn't tell us exactly which one it was. Verse 2. Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheepgate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches, and in these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water. Then whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well of whatever disease he had. All right, let me give you an introductory look at what we're doing here. A map of Jerusalem, and up towards the top, here you go, up towards the top is that pool that we're talking about, the pool of Bethesda, and it's right next to, right here is the sheep gate. And the sheep gate was the gate that they used to bring the sacrificial animals in for sacrifices at the temple. So they come in this way. And Jesus oftentimes himself would come through that sheep gate, being the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the earth, the world. But of course, when he came in on uh on Palm Sunday, he came in the east gate here, the triumphal entry. And that's where the Messiah would come in through that east gate. And he did at that time, and he will again. You know that gate has been uh cemented shut. You can't get through. There's no doors, it's just a wall now, trying to prevent the Messiah from coming in. Do you think that'll stop him? I don't think that'll stop him. So that that's where we are, and this is what the the pool of Bethesda would look like. And uh depending on how you count it, there are five porches here. So you got you got one, two, three, four, and then one in the middle. The way this is is actually two different pools put together, one is higher than the other. And so I would count, you know, seven. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. So five or seven. Um, either way, this is how they got the five porches. And in these porches is where all these people that were sick would wait, and these would be filled with water. Uh, these were reservoirs that that collected the water after rainstorms, and that's how uh it filled up. And so you had all these folks in here just waiting for the opportunity to jump in the water and uh and be healed. And uh let's read that section again. Verse 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into a pool and stirred up the water, then what whoever uh stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well of whatever disease he had. Now, this is a very interesting explanation in the word. And and so there are different things we need to do with this. First, we need to recognize that in the King James uh version of the Bible, uh, the King James was translated from a later transcript of the Bible. There are some other versions of the Bible that you will not find this in because they're from an earlier translation of the Bible who did not have those verses in it. So the question is, why is this verse here? And it very possibly could be because a scribe had made a note on the side explaining what people were believing. Why were these people there trying to jump in the water? This is why, because there was this saying that an angel went down into the pool and stirred up the water, and if you jump in first, you would get healed. And so it could be that as they translated, they they integrated some of those notes into the translation, and then it became part of the King James Bible and that version of the translation there. And so if if that is the case, then we go, well, God had seen fit to put it in here. Why did he put it in here? And and there are two possibilities from what I can tell. One is that this is an explanation of what actually happened. There were times that uh God moved in some strange ways to accomplish his purpose is to heal people. I mean, in the book of Acts, you see Peter walking by, and people are healed by going by his shadow touching them, and that's that was a strange thing. You go back to Elijah. You read some of the stories of things that God had him do, and they were really strange. And it's like, wow, that doesn't make any sense. So this could be that an actual angel would come and stir up the waters, and and the first one in would actually get healed. So that could be one explanation of it, that this actually did happen that way. Another explanation would be what I hinted to at the beginning, is that this is an explanation of why the people were there, because there was this saying, this idea that people believed. Now, I don't know about you, but there are people in this world that actually believe things that are not necessarily true. They're urban legends and so forth. And it sounds really good to believe, and they believe it. Sometimes people actually believe these things rather than believing the truth of the word of God. Have you seen that in your life? It's possible, isn't it? That people would believe something so much even though it's not necessarily true. And so it could be that that was the case, and and people were hoping that something would happen, and but something must have happened because you have all these people there. You have all these people that are believing that they can find healing and they'll go and and and hopefully jump in. It's kind of like going to to the casino over in Cherokee and and starting to gamble and hoping that maybe, just maybe, I'll win a bunch of money. Instead of realizing the truth of it, you're helping them become very rich in what they're doing, right? And so something must have happened, though. And and so if the if the water is stirred up and there's a great multitude of people, so hundreds of people maybe are there by the side, and and something stirs up and they all jump in at the same time. Who was the first one to get in? Did somebody really get healed? Somebody said that Aunt Melba jumped in there first and she got healed. So people must be getting healed, but they don't really see the results of people getting healed. Or maybe somebody did get healed, but it was uh kind of circumstantial. Maybe they didn't get healed by jumping in, but they happened to be the first one in, and uh their body was getting better anyway, and and now they're healed. So it's an interesting thing that we're dealing with. And this this kind of reminds me of one of my favorite movies. Have you had anybody ever seen Max Lucato's The Christmas Candle? If you haven't, I suggest you do. It's a it's a neat story about faith, but it's also a story about fantasy, and it's about this old English uh town that was known for its special Christmas candle. You see, uh every ten years an angel would come and would visit the candlemaker's shop, and he would touch one of those candles, and that would be the Christmas candle for that decade. And that Christmas candle to whoever it was given to, the miracle that that person asked for would happen, would come alive. Does that sound familiar? And and so at the beginning of the film, you have the the candle maker, and and it happens, and the the angel comes and shakes everything up, and and then there is the one special candle, and the candle maker grabs a hold of it and he drops it and he loses it. Are you following me so far? He loses the Christmas candle, the miracle candle, he loses it. And what are they gonna do? Because they're counting on him to have the Christmas candle because this was the year it would happen. So the candle maker and his wife decide we're gonna give them all away. And everybody we give a candle to, we're gonna say, This is the Christmas candle, but don't tell anybody else. And you know, a funny thing happens. A lot of miracles happen in that town. And uh at the end of the movie, you you have a time of testimony where people are standing up and sharing what God did through them with the use of the Christmas candle. But it they all realized that they didn't have the Christmas candle because everybody was told they had the Christmas candle, but all these miracles were happening with the candles that they had. And they realized they were putting their trust in the candles, they were putting their trust in the Lord, and the Lord was working in their lives and working in the community of faith, and and God was glorified through it. So, can God work in the midst of superstition to work something true in their lives? I think God can, and in his grace, he does. We don't want to stay in superstition, we want to move toward the truth, and God in his grace moves us toward the truth, revealing himself to us. He is the answer to our problems, he is the healer, he is the one that brings hope and new life and forgiveness in our lives. And uh this is just a great movie to consider. I just one one commentary. I thought if if I were to remake the movie, I would not let you see the angel doing any work. I would not bring in any fantastic sparklies when when things were happening. I would make it real natural, so that it would leave in the mind of the viewer, is that really happening or is that not happening? Because a lot of things that that happen in our lives happen in the natural. And sometimes there are things, is God really doing that, or is that something else? Which forces us to go back into the Word and see what God is actually doing and what God wants us to learn from it and grow in it. All right, that's the background of some of the things going on there. You pray about it and you come up with a conclusion yourself. Was there really an angel, or was it just a bunch of people coming to um, they believed this story, so they were there. The point is there were people there, and so is Jesus. And at verse 5, this is where the miracle really comes in. Now, Jesus, now a certain man was there who had an infirmity for 38 years. And when Jesus saw him lying there, he knew he had already been there in that condition for a long time. And Jesus said to him, Do you want to be made well? A real simple question, isn't it? Of course, he's the one that can answer that question. You don't need to wait for the angel to come and stir up the water. I'm the one that created all things. I am here, and I'm giving offering you healing. I'm offering you to be well. Do you want to be well? How do you think the sick man answered that question? And this is very interesting. He didn't say, Wow, are you the Messiah? Are you the one that can make me well right now? Yes, of course I want to be made well. That wasn't how he answered, is it? The sick man answered him and said, Sir, I have no man to put me in the pool. When the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, yet another steps down before me. Now this man believed that this story about the angel was true. And he's been waiting for a long time to jump in, but he never is able to jump in quite on time. It seems like the strongest of the weak were the ones that got in first and were healed. Does that make sense? I think the Lord said something about in your weakness I made strong. Without me, you can do nothing. So if God is rewarding somebody who who pushes everybody out of the way and they're just strong enough to get in there to be healed, that's the first one to be healed. Does that align with the gospel and how he does things? But Jesus is coming to the man and saying, I'm offering you healing right now. And the man, this is kind of strange, and and you might want to take some time and and and study through this and ponder on it a little while, but he's been there for 38 years, and he doesn't say, Yes, I want to be healed. He says, Huh, I can't be healed, because every time I try, I can't make it. Nobody's here to help me to get in there. And I've read commentators that say, This guy was just a complainer. He kind of liked the place he was at, which is kind of strange. Sin does weird things to us. When we're stuck in our misery, sometimes we love to be there. Don't help me out of my misery because I'm suffering a little bit here. It's kind of like I hate myself, and so all I could think about is myself and this bad place that I'm in. When the word says no man hates himself, but loves his own body, and in a strange way, when we're miserable, we love ourselves because our focus is on ourselves and we're not thinking about other things, and and we just we're stuck here and we're comfortable here in a strange sort of way. So maybe this man was there for 38 years and he didn't find healing, maybe because he kind of liked the state he was in, kind of liked the attention because people would would help him out, give him money and stuff, but he never quite got into the water fast enough to be healed. But it was, I don't know, maybe. Maybe that was the case. Well, here's what Jesus said. He said to him, Rise up and take up your bed and walk. And immediately the man was made well, and he took up his bed and walked. Now, this is interesting. Did you hear the man say, Yes, please heal me? Did you hear the man say, I believe you, I believe. Now, would you I believe I'm ready to receive that healing? This shows the sovereignty of God, doesn't it? Jesus didn't even start a counseling session with the guy. He just said, get up. He didn't give him a choice. He said, You will be healed. And this reminds me of, you know, Paul on the road to Damascus. The Lord knocked him off his horse and blinded him. It's time for you to follow me. Not who you thought I was, but the reality, you are persecuting me right now, and I want you to be on my team and work with me. God in his sovereignty told Paul, I've got a different plan for you. And sometimes the Lord works in dramatic ways like that. Which gives me, you know, some encouragement because it's not always based on what I believe. And yet, when God moves and does something dramatic like this in our lives, there's many uh times where people were healed in the Bible and they walked off and they went off and did their own thing. There is this idea that when God does a miraculous thing in our lives, we ought not just let that be and continue on in our old lifestyle, but it should do something in us, motivate us to say, whoa, something is changed here. And I need to grow in this faith. I need to grow in this savior. I need to grow in realizing what has just happened and allow the Lord to work in my life. May we have that heart, may we have eyes around open to see God working around us because it's so easy, especially today, to get discouraged with everything that's going on. And yet God is at work and we don't notice it. He was speaking to this one man. There were hundreds all around. And he he just spoke to him and said, get up, take up your mat and go. And may I say, probably nobody around him noticed what happened. A miraculous thing. This guy was down for 38 years. And you just imagine that. If you've been in a bed for a week or two, you know how hard it is to get up and learn to walk again. It takes a while. 38 years he couldn't walk. And Jesus says, get up. And immediately strength came to his legs, and he had to get up. He didn't have any choice in this in this matter. He he had to get up. He was healed and he was blown away. And the Lord said, Take up your mat and go. And what do you do when somebody just healed you like that? You obey what they said, right? So he took up his mat and went. And very few people noticed what happened. Again, when God is working around us, many times we don't notice because we got our eyes on what concerns us. Nobody's going to help me get into the water. But look at what God is doing over here. He's doing something totally different than you could even think about. Lately, my wife and I, we've been talking about, you know, maybe we're praying the wrong kind of prayers. Because we have concerns in our lives, and we pray directly to those concerns, but maybe we're praying in the wrong way. Maybe we need to back up a little and say, Lord, help us to see what you are doing and the things that you want us to see, and the words that you want us to pray in this situation. Maybe take that away from this example here. And did you notice that last part of verse 9? It says, And that day was the Sabbath. And if this was a movie, you'd almost hear a dun dun dun dun. It was the Sabbath. Our Lord healed somebody on the Sabbath. And our Lord told somebody to get up and take his math and walk away. The Lord told this guy to work on the Sabbath. And verse 10: the Jews therefore said to him who was cursed, It is the Sabbath. It's not lawful for you to carry your bed. Now, the truth to this is that it was, according to the oral tradition, the added law that they created to help people understand what the law is saying. When the Lord in the Ten Commandments says, uh honor the Sabbath, this is what it means. 128 rules or something like that that apply to the Sabbath. So you'll be sure that you never break it. Carrying a mat on the Sabbath is one of those rules that was not part of the original heart of God. Of course, the Sabbath was created for man because the Lord knew that we needed rest. Ultimately, our Sabbath is in Jesus, who causes us to rest from our works to try to please God because He's done the work for us. And now we just need to believe and trust in Him to find life and rest in Him. All right, verse 11. When they asked Him, you know, what are you doing carrying that thing on the Sabbath? He said to them, Well. He who made me well said to me, Take up your bed and walk. And some commentators again were saying this is again him him complaining or pushing the blame and not taking responsibility for himself. But at the same time, he is he is declaring the truth of what has happened. The irony of if somebody has healed me of 38 years of paralysis, tells me to pick up my mat, shouldn't I follow him? Isn't that person of God? Because can only God heal in this way? And you would think that maybe some of the Pharisees would see that and go, oh wow, this is different. But they're they're so stuck on the rules that they made up for the sake of the goodness of the people. They really had good motives, theoretically. And now, you know, they're they're blaming him for taking up his mat and walking on the Sabbath, and he's saying, This is way, way beyond the Sabbath. I mean, I am so free and rested now because I can walk. What do you guys think? Well, then they asked him, Who is this man who said to you, Take up your bed and walk? This is crazy. Who is this guy? And you know, the one who was healed did not know who he was, for Jesus had withdrawn a multitude being in that place. So Jesus had come, found that man, healed that man without that man's permission, told that man to go, and he went. And he never told the man who he was. How interesting, isn't it? But afterward, after this man had been talking to the the the leaders there, Jesus found him in the temple, which was a great place to be. The religious leaders were questioning him. He's saying, I don't know. And then he goes to seek God in the temple.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

That's Pastor Carl on Come On Up. You know, the Gospel of John was written by one of Jesus' original disciples. He's referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved. What a sweet and intimate way to refer to the closeness and friendship that was had between John and Jesus. After all, so many of the events mentioned were witnessed firsthand by John. He was there for the transfiguration, and he was the only disciple of the twelve mentioned to be at the cross as Jesus died. He was also one of the first people to see that the grave was empty. John had an opportunity and a privilege to write about all the things that he saw and witnessed with his own eyes. He saw miracles. He was the recipient of Jesus' love and care, and he was eager for others to see and experience knowing Jesus too. That's why he wrote it all down in this wonderful book of John. Like the author, we hope that you'll take note of the ways that God has intersected your life and brought about amazing stories to tell. Write them down, share them with others, and don't be afraid to tell people about the greatest love of all, so that they can also claim that they are disciples whom Jesus loves. An easy way to share Jesus with people is by letting them know about this radio program. The Mountain Cross is a group of believers in Jesus who seek to grow in faith by simply teaching through the Bible. We meet on Sundays beginning at 10 a.m. To learn more, go to themountaincross.com. That's all for today. Come on Up is sponsored by The Mountain Cross, a Calvary Chapel fellowship.