April 19 2025

John 5:1-18

38 YEARS AGO

Download the “Quiz on the Year 1983.”

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You can play any number of ways. Each question is multiple choice. You can have the group move around the room and eliminate students who get the questions wrong. You could also have students write down their answers and see who can get the most answers correct.

1983 was a long time ago . . . 38 years.

It wasn’t in the quiz, but two interesting things were discontinued in 1983. Maytag discontinued its hand wringer washing machine, and the last hand crank telephone was discontinued for about 400 people in a small town in Maine. Some things change, sometimes for the better and sometimes too quickly.

This week’s Bible study is about a man who had been sick, and an outcast, for 38 years. The Bible describes him as an invalid. This often means that someone is stuck indoors or in one place, but if you take the word apart it could also indicate “in-valid” or worthless. That’s probably part of the reason we no longer use that term for people with disabilities any more. Today we are going to learn what Jesus does when He encounters suffering. There are several types of suffering in this story—physical, social, and spiritual. Jesus helps free this person from all of them! Let’s dive in.

Let’s look at some of the setting of this passage. Read John 5:2-5.

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.

We have no idea how long the rest had been there, but sometimes John gives us fun details (like at the end of his gospel he tells us the disciples caught 153 fish) and here we learn that this man had been there for 38 years.

Now Jesus asks one of the most absurd-sounding questions. Read John 5:6.

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?”

OK, so the answer should be easy, right? Of course he wants to be healed. But, I wonder how often Jesus asks us that same question. Are there maybe times when we don’t want to be truly healed? Or are so scared of change that we might not want to be healed? Why might that be? Why might a high school student feel that way? (Think beyond physical healing.)

Read John 5:7-9.

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.

First of all, we see that there is a superstition about the pool and other gospels say that an “angel” would come and stir the pool. The first one in would get healed. I think we can assume that people had some reason for this thinking. Perhaps it had happened before. We don’t know. But I don’t think that some lucky race to the pool in a first-come-first-served healing sounds at all like God, the same God who sent His Son for all. I think it is important for us to judge even popular beliefs about God with the historical character of God. If something doesn’t feel consistent, make sure to examine it further.

So far this story has been fun and refreshing, but now we get to see some real conflict. Jesus “broke” some “important” rules with this healing. Read John 5:9-10.

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.”

Poor man; I’m not sure what your attitude would have been at this point. You would think people would be happy that you were better.

As we close today I want to come to one final thing about Jesus that might be the best part of this story. Jesus knows that this man is still hurting, and is getting grief from the priests. Look what He does. Read John 5:14-16.

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.

16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.

I hope this story challenges us in several ways:

This story should move us to look for those who need us. This man couldn’t make it to the synagogue; he was stuck at the pool while everyone else was in church.

John 5:1-15

LEADER’S NOTE

For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.

You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.

Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.

Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.

DOWNLOAD THE HANDOUT

As we start this new quarter, it doesn’t really feel like much of a beginning. We continue to delve into Jesus’ works and ministry during his three most active years on this earth. As we take a dive into the four different chronicles of Jesus’ life and times, we see an event that becomes a common occurrence: miracles­—specifically, miraculous healing. In today’s story, we see Jesus heal a man who had been suffering an illness that left him unable to move for thirty- eight years. As Jesus walked by the infamous pool of Bethesda, which was said to have healing powers, he casually asked him a very important question, “Would you like to be healed?” The man replied that no one was around to push him in the pool in the “active moments.” Jesus simply replied, grab your mat and walk, and the man did so and was instantly healed. Afterwards, a curious thing occurred. The Temple leaders, who were known to be Jesus’ enemies, told the man that he was not allowed to carry the mat on the Sabbath, because it was considered work. As a way of defending himself, he told them what Jesus had said. They were angered and demanded to know who this healer was. But when the man turned around, Jesus was gone. To end the story, Jesus approached the man and cautioned him to stop sinning, or something worse could happen to him.

Every day, Jesus asks us if we want to be healed. You see, the healing that Jesus did and continues to do is not just physical, its spiritual. When He asked the man if he wanted healing, He was not just asking him if he wanted to feel better, He was asking him if he wanted to be freed from his sins. All the man needed to do was have faith and follow Jesus’ instructions, and he would be healed. When others tried to attack him, he could be in peace knowing that he had done right by following Jesus. Today, all He asks us to do is to want to be healed, to have faith that he can heal us. If we do that, we are freed, and never face the enemy alone again. Let us pray that God helps us to take the initiative for healing, and that we stay in His path, protected from the dangers the enemy places around us.

Have you ever heard a story about a modern-day miracle?

Read 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. [4] 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.

Jesus’ healing of the lame man serves a very important lesson for us today. Although we can see many miracles around us, we are more than capable of being healed as well. You might be facing different sufferings, different problems which require God’s healing. Whatever the case may be, Jesus is waiting there, asking you if you want to be healed. And once you accept, and do what he says, you are free; free from sin by the blood Jesus shed for you and me. Today, we must heed the warning, the admonition to stay next to Christ to avoid needing reparation again. If we stay with the Mighty Healer, all will be just fine.

The story of the lame man includes various lessons for us today. If you are looking to be healed just like he was, Jesus is still ready and willing to answer your pleas. Below are some ideas for you to use in applying this story to your own life.

Get to Know You Cards
By Steve Case

These cards contain 52 questions designed to help the youth and young adults in your group get to know each other. Your group will have so much fun that they will want to use these cards many times! An easy and fun way to begin meaningful friendships.

Two sets of cards come in each package with 52 cards in each set.

Sample questions:

PURCHASE