“His Mercy Endures Forever”
Text: John 5:1-18
3-30-2022
Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. In ancient cultures there was a tradition that seems to have been lost in our modern world. That is, names for people and places had significant meaning and were chosen carefully. A child or a city or some other significant place wasn’t given a moniker simply because you liked the sound of it. Rather, the name was descriptive and full of symbolism. Such is the case with the Biblical location that we’re going to examine tonight: Bethesda.
The definition of that word is very important and sets the stage for what takes place in our reading from John’s Gospel, so please take special note of it. Bethesda comes a Hebrew compound word. Beth, means “house.” The “esda” part of the name requires several words to define it. Usually it’s just translated as “mercy.” It’s the word that shows up in the refrain of Psalm 118 in our responsive reading earlier. But that Hebrew word can also mean “steadfast love” as you heard in our reading from Joel 2. And some places words like “kindness” or “pity” are used. All those words are the foundation of its meaning when we’re talking about God’s mercy. So, the most common, simplest meaning of Bethesda is: “House of Mercy.”
Okay, so understanding that we need to ask why this place in John 5 came to be called that name. The history of it will give us the answer. In the 8th century B.C., a square pool was dug in the stone just north of the Temple that would be used as a reservoir for rainwater. An underground spring also fed water into it. About 600 years later, the High Priest commissioned another pool to be dug just below the upper one where the water could be released as needed. He also had columns erected around the outside of the pools that supported a roof for the perimeter. On page 9 of your bulletin there are pictures of what remains of that site. As you can see, some of these pools were about 42 feet deep. But there were steps built into them so that the water could be reached depending on the level it was at.
There is some dispute over what the initial purpose was for these pools but the location and John’s description give us some good clues. Remember that these were just outside of the Temple, near the “Sheep’s Gate.” That’s where the sacrificial lambs would be brought through. It seems likely, then, that these pools were originally used to wash the sheep to prepare them for entry into the sacred Temple area. However, when the colonnade was added later it appears that it was for the benefit of pilgrims who traveled to Jerusalem for worship. At many holy sites in Israel there were ritual baths provided for the people to purify themselves of any spiritual uncleanness before entering and the pilgrims probably used one of these bathing areas for that purpose.
Well, by the time of Christ a superstition had arisen about these pools. People believed that an angel would periodically stir the waters and the first one in the water would be healed. That explains why the sick and lame would camp out around those pools, waiting. Most likely people were just seeing the water occasionally bubble up from the underground springs and a myth was born. The problem is that there’s no evidence that anyone was actually healed by it. But superstitions die hard. Regardless, because of the supposed curative power of those waters it became known as Bethesda, The House of Mercy. And so, that name was chosen because of the rich symbolism of what this place represented to the people. However, in our Gospel text Jesus added a much deeper meaning to what Bethesda symbolized. And it illustrated what His saving mission in coming here to earth really was.
John tells us that Jesus approached a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. That’s a long time and it removes any notion that he might have been faking it. Jesus selected him because he was probably the worst case that was waiting there at the pool. When Christ asked the man if he wanted to be healed you can hear the sad resignation in his voice. He didn’t have anyone—neither family nor friends—who would show him mercy by helping him into the water. Due to his disability he was unable to help himself. He was forced to rely on someone’s mercy towards him. Please notice, though, where his focus was. He was looking for God’s merciful healing in a superstition. Jesus dispels the myth by turning the man’s attention to Himself. He was the true source of God’s mercy in the flesh. So it’s no a coincidence that Jesus chose this location, known as the House of Mercy, for this healing miracle.
But the magnificent difference with the mercy that Christ came to bring becomes clear in the remainder of our text. Later on, when Jesus caught up to the healed man, He said, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” Jesus had shown God’s mercy by curing the disability of his body. However, the suffering that man had endured for 38 years was nothing compared to the torment in hell awaiting all unbelieving, unrepentant sinners. There was an important, merciful healing of his soul that Jesus didn’t want him to miss out on. Sadly, the Jewish leaders in our reading had refused the mercy Christ was offering. Instead, they sought to kill Him. And because of their obstinate unbelief, their eternal fate was going to be far worse than being a bodily invalid here on earth.
I hope the deeper meaning of this event is clear to you. Our souls are paralyzed by sin. We are spiritual invalids. Like that man, with sad resignation we have to confess that due to our disability we are unable to help ourselves. We are forced to rely on someone else to show mercy to our sin-sick souls. A terrible fate awaits us otherwise. Thankfully, God has provided for us a Bethesda, a House of Mercy, right here. You may have been physically carried here as a baby or emotionally brought here by the gentle invitation of others. Healing waters awaited you at the Baptismal Font. But they weren’t curative by virtue of some angel supposedly stirring them. Rather, Jesus, your angel of mercy brought healing to you in the water and the word.
This is also your Bethesda because God’s mercy is regularly spoken to your sin-sick soul here. In response to your confession that you are a poor, miserable sinner, Christ declares that you are healed. And in His Word and the Sacrament of the Altar His wondrous mercy flows freely for you! In various ways He announces that His undeserved, loving-kindness has brought you spiritual health. Sick and desperate souls come here seeking a merciful healing from God. And that’s precisely what Jesus provides.
That blood-bought mercy was paid for with the innocent, suffering and death of Jesus. What a strange juxtaposition! Our angel of mercy, Jesus Christ, was shown no mercy. Mercilessly He was beaten and mocked. Mercilessly the crown of thorns was smashed onto His holy head. Mercilessly His hands and feet were nailed to the cross where He was hung to die. And yet, amazingly, in His agony He never forgot His mission of mercy. As you heard from the Luke 23 reading, Christ’s heart of mercy prayed for the forgiveness of those who were showing Him no mercy. Now, through His precious blood, He has won for us God’s mercy. As we gather here at this Bethesda and ponder on the cross of Jesus, may our healed souls be filled with gratitude for God’s mercy that endures forever. And may we now show mercy to other paralyzed sinners by bringing them to be healed by our merciful Savior. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!