Creating a Caring Community
C.B. Samuel 16/08/2009
Joh 5:1-15 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (2) Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. (3) In these lay a multitude of invalids--blind, lame, and paralyzed [waiting for the moving of the water;] (4) [for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.] (5)
One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. (6) When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" (7) 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 going another steps down before me." (8) Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." (9) And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. (10) So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed." (11) But he answered them, "The man who healed me, that man said to me, 'Take up your bed, and walk.'" (12) They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" (13) Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. (14) Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you." (15) The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. (6) When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" (7) 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 going another steps down before me." (8) Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." (9) And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. (10) So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed." (11) But he answered them, "The man who healed me, that man said to me, 'Take up your bed, and walk.'" (12) They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" (13) Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. (14) Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you." (15) The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
- 1. we have a God who cares
- 2. it is a requirement of us
- 3. that means we are Christlike
- 1. Seeing eyes that see differently
- 2. Learning heart
- 3. Listen ears
- 4. Hands and feet to respond
The passage described a person who had been invalid for 38 years. We can conclude he was not born that way unlike the man who was born blind. It could be due to something that happened in his life. Jesus told him not to sin anymore. This suggested it was something he did later on his life. He desired to be healed. There was a practice that angels would stir the water and anyone who went into the water would be healed.
This man was there hoping to get help but no one stop to help, in fact the Bible told us they went ahead of him. Jesus stopped to help.
The first thing we noticed is that Jesus saw the man. This is a remarkable characteristic of someone who cares. They have the time to care. To create a community of care, we need people to see. When we come to a great city, we see billboards trying to grab our attention. They wanted us to see things differently, to see things we don’t have, to see things we can have, to have things to make us feel special, to get the things that if we have we will belong to a different class. But NO ONE advertises the needs around us. This makes us forget about the needs.
In Malaysia, we read a lot about A flu. But in India, there are more people dying from TB, malaria or due to birthing complexity than A flu. But the media doesn’t pay attention to this. The diseases of the middle class got all the coverage. The news of the important people spans 3 pages but the news of the poor got no coverage. Information has been controlled to make us believe what is not real.
We can drive from KL to PJ, we may not see any poor people. All we could see are mobile phone advertisements as thought that is all there is to it. When CB went to US, the people there express sympathy on the poor people in India but they failed to see the poor in their own country.
To create a community of care, we need to teach the church to know the things that break the heart of God. CB has bells palsy in a youth camp. No one noticed except a camp director whose husband had it a few years before.
James told that favouritism in the church. James was not looking at the seat but the setting arrangement. He noticed who sat where and who was greeted. He was trained to see the things that break the heart of God.
Jesus saw. A compassionate person sees. In India, the people get used to seeing poor people. Poverty is not normal. It breaks the heart of God. Being poor is not sin but perpetual poverty is a sin. When the society has lots of money but there are still people starving, it is a sin. We think when we don’t have choices we are poor. We think if we have to walk we are poor. If we have a phone without a camera we are poor even though we hardly take pictures without our mobile phone. This is a crazy world.
The people who care are people who see in God’s perspective.
In verse 6, Jesus looked at the man and knew he had been there for a long time. The Bible doesn’t tell us how Jesus knew. It could be knowledge from God or Jesus spoke to the people around the place. People who care are people who have a learning mind.
The media reports what they are interested in. There is a big difference between a Christian response and a non-Christian response. The former is moved by emotions while the latter is moved by knowledge.
In India there are doctors who function without knowledge (quacks) and doctors who function with knowledge. The quacks may give wrong treatments. The church can sometimes be a quack social worker. We have the passion but we don’t bother to learn.
The church of Jesus Christ see differently and they have a learning mind. Jesus found out that this man had been there for many years.
Jesus then did something incredible. He asked him whether he wanted to be healed. Jesus asked him not for Jesus but for the others around him. People are judgemental. The poor are poor because they are lazy, they don’t give their all and they don’t work hard. The man told Jesus he had tried to be healed. Not only that the people didn’t help but they also got ahead of him. Jesus wanted the people to hear from the needy. Before we jump to conclusion that the needy deserve to be the situation they are in, listen to them. Jesus has a listening heart.
To create a community of care, we need to get the church to go into the community to listen to them.
Jesus responded to the man’s needs. He met the felt need. His response was appropriate. He didn’t carry a tract in his pocket. After the healing, he didn’t give him a tract. The man needed to be healed and that’s what Jesus gave. Jesus met the need completely for that time. Jesus met him the second time in the temple. He told the man to sin no more. He is concerned he doesn’t fall back into the same problem.
Care is more than welfare. It’s not a onetime action. It is transformational. It gets people out from their need problem and ensuring they don’t get back into the same problem. It is both materialistic and spiritual. Care is holistic.
All of us like Christ should show care.
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