May 26, 2019   “Rise, Take Up Your Pallet, and Walk”             

In our gospel reading this morning, Jesus heals a lame man by the pool of Bethzatha. The pool is identified as being near the Sheep Gate, which is the poorest of entrances, where the sheep are watered. Actually, the name Bethzatha, has a double meaning, it can be interpreted as a place of shame – for the crippled who gather there, and a place of grace – for those healed by it’s waters. The local legend is that from time to time, an angel stirs up the water in the pool, and when that occurs, if someone with an illness enters the water, they will be healed. The man in our story is either crippled or paralyzed. He has been brought to the pool each day for 38 years, and perhaps he has seen many a miracle, but when the angel stirs up the water, there is no one to help him, and others rush in to be healed.

Now there are three interesting parts of this story, which actually continues on till verse 16.

The first is that the man never enters the pool. Jesus asks him if he wants to be made well, the man answers with his story of not being able to get in the pool. At this response, Jesus doesn’t engage in conversation, but simply says, “Rise, take up your pallet and walk.” At this word from Jesus, the man does so, and is healed.

Perhaps the simplest example of this might be found in the healing of an alcoholic, or an overeater, or a drug addict. There are programs a plenty to help people with these problems, some include 5, 10, or 12 steps. But perhaps the most direct route is not to drink, overeat, or take drugs -today, and then the next day, and then the next. It may sound harsh, but Jesus doesn’t allow us to make excuses, or to indulge in feeling sorry for ourselves. Jesus knows what we know, either we do what we need to do or not, and that’s why he tells the man to “rise, take up your pallet, and walk.”

The same thing goes for us. We all know our own lives, our shortcomings, the things we need to do, and the things we need to cease from doing. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are not our own Lord’s, choosing what is best for us. We have a new Lord, who commands us, and we obey.

The second is that the Pharisees make a big fuss about Jesus healing on the Sabbath. It’s not right, Jesus is not following their law, he must be a heretic or a false prophet.

Now we have all heard this nonsense before. Your not catholic, so your not a true believer. You not protestant, so you are going to hell. Heck, there are some churches in our own community that re-baptize people, because they believe your baptism in another church wasn’t good enough. It’s arrogant, and presumes the power of God for themselves. Now I’m sure I’ll get some flak for saying this, but churches that behave like this aren’t interested in helping to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are interested in helping themselves.

And the problem is this. How many people are turned away from the church, because they are sinners. How many people are turned away because of their race, nationality, sexuality, or politics. How many people are turned away because they haven’t gone through the right rituals in worship, or followed the right religious laws in their lives. We must always be on guard, as religious people, about how we might stand in the way of their coming to Jesus. Or, how our belief in the sacredness of our own rituals, keeps us from coming to Jesus.

Oh, I know, we all say we don’t turn people away, after all we need warm bodies to fill the pews and contributors to meet the budget. But how many people do we turn away with our attitude about whether they can help us or not, or with our attitudes about who are sinners and who are righteous.  

Jesus understands this hypocrisy, and gets himself in trouble with the religious leaders, by saying and acting as if salvation is for all people. And we, as Jesus disciples, need to offer this grace and salvation to all, without conditions, and without question.   

Third, Jesus links the healing of this man to the forgiveness of sins. In the 14^th verse of this chapter, Jesus meets the man again and tells him, “go and sin no more”.

Now I’m going to go back to the alcoholics, overeaters, and drug abusers again. Most psychologists, will tell you that people do these things to escape depression or abuse. I will tell you, many escape into this because terrible things have been done to them, and they are unable to forgive. Everyone here knows what it is to hold a grudge. Everyone here knows that we act differently towards those who have harmed us. Everyone here knows the weight that we carry when we are unable to forgive one another. And that inability to forgive doesn’t just result in drug addiction, it results in broken marriages, families, and relationships of all kind. The inability to forgive results in subtle divisions that permeate our entire lives.  

The gospel of John is very focused on the power of forgiveness that has been shown to us in Jesus Christ. This forgiveness is the path to our being born anew. It is the path to those who are crippled to become whole. It is the path to the world’s salvation. I know, people have done terrible things to you, I know that the world has taught you to hold grudges, but it is not for their sake that you are called to forgive them, it is for your sake, so that your lives will no longer be crippled.  

In the Revelation to John this morning, we hear the story of a new heaven and a new earth, a place where the presence of God dwells with us. I believe this is what will happen, when we finally learn to forgive one another, for then we will no longer be crippled by the inability to forgive, and we will live together in peace, and in love. And that is the good news of Jesus Christ. Amen.