“1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.” John 5:1-16

Jesus came into the world “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and here we see Him reach out in compassion both to heal a man who had received no compassion and ultimately to save a lost soul. The religious leaders of the Jews, on the other hand, showed no compassion and even began to persecute Jesus for showing compassion on the sabbath day.

John 5 tells us of Jesus’ compassion on a man with a debilitating infirmity who was lying by the Pool of Bethesda (which means House of Mercy) in the hope of being able to pull himself into the pool when the water was stirred by an angel so he could be healed. However, as Jesus knew and recognized, he had been in this state for 38 years. And, as the man stated to Jesus, he had no one who cared enough for him to help him into the pool when the water was stirred, and someone else always made it into the pool before him.

In love and mercy toward this man, Jesus, the Son of God, said to him, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” The man was healed, stood up, picked up his bed, and walked.

There was, however, a problem for those who should have rejoiced at this miracle of God and the mercy shown to this helpless man. It was the Sabbath! Instead of praising God for healing this poor man, the Jewish leaders confronted the man, saying, “It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.”

They showed no mercy and no compassion toward this man but were so wrapped up in their legalistic interpretations of the commandment regarding the Sabbath (cf. Ex. 20:8-11; Isa. 58:13-14) that they failed to recognize that showing mercy and doing good on the Sabbath was at the heart of the commandment (cf. Hosea 6:6; Matt. 12:7-8). They were so concerned over strict obedience to the letter of the law that they missed entirely the spirit of the law — love for God and neighbor!

Why did they do this? Because they sought to be righteous and acceptable to God through their obedience to the letter of the law — amplified by traditions of the elders that added human interpretations and applications, often contradicting the very spirit of God’s law.

Does this still happen today? Most certainly! Whenever people condemn others for failing to follow their own man-made traditions and applications of God’s commandments. It happens when people condemn the worship of others because it differs from their own worship styles and traditions, when ministers are condemned for showing compassion on those who are ill or who have strayed by ministering to them with God’s Word and Christ’s Supper before they are officially received and approved as church members, or when “Christians” condemn others for playing cards, dancing or consuming an alcoholic beverage. Indeed, the list could go on, but the point is that it is so easy for us to fall into the same trap as the religious leaders of the Jews — to be so wrapped up in our own self-righteous attempts to please God with our man-made traditions and applications of God’s Word that we miss the point of God’s Word and condemn the innocent.

Sad to say, man-made religious views and traditions often keep people from trusting in Jesus Christ for mercy and forgiveness. The religious leaders of the Jews so hated Jesus for doing good works on the Sabbath that they began to persecute Him and wanted to kill Him. Jesus’ teaching and works were counted as an affront to their efforts to be righteous before God by their strict obedience to their traditions. Rather than acknowledging their own sinfulness and looking to Jesus as their Messiah and Savior from sin, they sought to discredit Jesus and destroy Him.

Could it happen yet today? Most certainly! It is easy for us to think God is pleased with us because we hold to our religious traditions, worship with the same liturgies and hymns and in the same styles as our forefathers, strictly observe the Sabbath and Old Testament dietary laws, or set aside Sundays as a new Sabbath, refrain from alcohol, avoid dances or card playing, etc., etc., etc. It is so easy for us to go beyond the clear words of Scripture and condemn those who fail to live in accordance with our religious views and traditions.

When we do so, not only do we fail to see the spirit and intent of God’s law, but we fail to see the truth that we are utterly sinful and cannot please God with our works. As Isaiah writes, even our best works are “unclean” and “filthy rags” in God’s eyes (Isa. 64:6). And, when we fail to see our utter sinfulness and the wrath and judgment of God upon us which is due, we fail to look to Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead for pardon and forgiveness.

Out of concern for this man’s soul, Jesus also cautioned the man whom He had made whole: “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14). Jesus warned this man that the eternal consequences of sin are far greater than the earthly consequences of sin. To suffer forever the condemnation of God in the fires of hell is far worse than the 38 years he had spent as an invalid. Jesus was urging this man to repent of His sinful ways and look to Him for pardon and forgiveness lest a far worse thing happen to him than what he had already experienced.

So also, Jesus urges and calls us to repent of our sinful ways and look to Him and His cross for pardon and forgiveness. If we depend on our own religious works and traditions, if we fail to acknowledge our utter sinfulness before God, “we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). How can God forgive and cleanse us? It is because “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2).

Dear Lord Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, grant that I not twist Your Word and seek to be acceptable in Your sight by my own works and traditions, but humble myself, acknowledge my sins, and look to You for pardon and forgiveness. In Your mercy, cleanse my heart and soul in the precious blood You shed for me on the cross that I may be made whole and acceptable in Your sight. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” John 8:44-45 (Read John 8:37-45)

Can you imagine telling church officials today that they are children of Satan and that they are doing the devil’s work? That is pretty much what Jesus said to the religious leaders of His day.

Why would Jesus say such a thing? Because it was true, and His hearers needed to face that truth!

The devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning. God created Adam and Eve in His own image and gave them life — not only physical but also spiritual and eternal (Gen. 1-2). The devil lied to Eve and deceived her and brought about the death of mankind — physical because they would now have to die and return to the dust of the ground, spiritual because their perfect communion and fellowship with God was destroyed and they were afraid of God and hid from his presence, and eternal because apart from redemption by a perfect sacrifice for sin they now stood condemned of God to eternal torment because of their sin and disobedience (Gen. 3).

And the Jewish leaders were following in the steps of the devil. Instead of acknowledging their sins and looking to God for mercy in the promised One who would crush the head of the evil serpent, they bought into the lies of Satan and thought they could be pleasing to God and acceptable — be children of Abraham and children of God — by their own works and deeds. Instead of repenting of their sinful ways and looking to Jesus the Messiah and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for pardon and forgiveness, they rejected and sought to kill Jesus, God’s Son and the only Savior of fallen mankind.

Because they bought into the lies of Satan, they rejected the truth revealed in God’s Word and counted Jesus a false prophet and false Messiah, deserving of death.

But many do the same things today! They refuse to believe that they are dead in trespasses and sins and are unable to enter heaven by their own works and lives. They do not repent of their evil and sinful ways and look to Jesus, the very Son of God in human flesh, for pardon and forgiveness. Instead, they believe the lies of the devil and reject the truth God reveals in the Bible. Therefore, they are not children of God — they reject Him and His Word when they reject Jesus as the Son of God and their only Savior. They are of their father, the devil, because they believe his lies and oppose the truth just as the religious leaders did in Jesus’ day.

Are you a child of God or a child of the devil? We would all love to think we are children of God, but we, too, need to consider Jesus’ words and see if they apply to us. The Bible — God’s Word to us — tells us that the only way to be a child of God is to place our faith solely in Jesus and His perfect sacrifice on the cross for sin and to be baptized in His name.

God’s Word says, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27); and, “This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:11-12).

If we do not repent of our sinful ways and trust in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross, we are rejecting Jesus and His Word. We have bought into the lies of the devil and, as such, are his children and will share in his condemnation (cf. Matt. 25:41).

What’s my point? Why would you want to be a child of the devil? He has been a liar and murderer from the beginning and seeks your eternal ruin! Instead, listen to God’s Word, repent of your sinfulness, and look to the crucified and risen Christ for mercy and forgiveness. Through faith in Jesus Christ, you have forgiveness for all your sins, are accepted as a child of God, and have life, both spiritual and eternal!

O gracious and merciful God, open my eyes to the truthfulness of Your Word that I might recognize the lies of the evil one, acknowledge my own sinfulness and shortcomings, and look to Jesus and His cross for full pardon, forgiveness, and life everlasting. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.” John 4:46-53

The Scriptures tell us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). What does this mean? It means faith takes hold of things promised to us in God’s Word even though we can’t see them yet with our eyes. And, indeed, we as Christians “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7; cf. Hab. 2:4).

God promises to all of us who trust in Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross His pardon and forgiveness for all our sins. Can you see this forgiveness? Do the heavens open, and does God’s voice sound audibly from heaven saying, “I forgive you all your sins”? No, we have only the word of the gospel in our Bibles and preached by God’s ministers telling us it is so.

When we are sick and facing our mortality, do we see Jesus on His throne of glory and God’s angels descending from heaven to carry us home? No, we have only God’s promise that His angels will carry our souls into the bosom of Abraham because Jesus died for our sins and rose again (cf. Luke 16:22; 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Phil. 1:21-23).

Many do not believe in God’s promises because they can’t see them with their eyes or understand them with their minds. But Jesus would have us trust Him and His Word and live by faith in His promises.

Consider the nobleman who came to Jesus while at Cana in Galilee. He came to Jesus from Capernaum (in the valley along the Sea of Galilee) because his son was deathly ill, and he asked Jesus to come down to Capernaum and heal his son.

But what did Jesus say? “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”

The nobleman had heard of Jesus and thought Jesus could help in this hour of desperate need — if Jesus came down to Capernaum and to his house. But did Jesus, the eternal Son of God who created all things by His almighty word, need to go and be visibly present in this man’s home? Jesus desired this man to have faith in His words even if he could not yet see their fulfillment with his eyes. Jesus told him, “Go thy way; thy son liveth.”

A remarkable thing happened. This man who had begged Jesus to come down before his son died now believed and returned to his house. Jesus’ words not only expressed a miraculous truth; they had power — the power to create faith in this nobleman. The nobleman now believed and walked by faith all the way down to Capernaum (about 20 miles), where his eyes saw the truthfulness of what he had believed. As a result, both he and his household came to believe and trust in Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior!

The Word of God tells us Jesus is none other than God Himself in human flesh, who came into this world to redeem us from sin and eternal death. The Word of God tells us that He died as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world — in John the Baptist’s words, Jesus is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The Word of God tells us Jesus not only died for our sins but then rose from the dead on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. The Word of God promises us pardon and forgiveness through faith in Jesus and His cross, and the Word of God promises all who trust in Jesus a place in God’s everlasting kingdom (John 3:14-16; 5:24; 14:1-6).

Can you see it? Does Jesus prove it before our eyes with modern-day signs and wonders? No, He tells us it is so in His Word. And that Word has power.

St. Paul writes in Romans 1:16-17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” In Romans 10:17, the Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

As we live our lives in this world, Jesus would have us walk by faith and not by sight. He would have us take Him at His Word and not have to see signs and wonders before we will believe.

And, like the nobleman, when we get home, we will see with our eyes the truthfulness of His Word. When we are received into the glories of our eternal home through faith alone in the merits of Christ, we will see that indeed Christ did atone for all our sins, that God accepted His atonement as His resurrection proves, that when we have God-wrought faith in Christ all our sins are pardoned and forgiven and that, through faith in Christ, the eternal joys of heaven are indeed ours!

O God, graciously grant that we walk by faith in Your Word and not by sight, for only through faith in Christ will our eyes ever come to see the blessings that are offered and given to us in Him! Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:33-36

Many think all is well with their souls because of their religious heritage or their membership in a church or denomination. They are convinced that God certainly loves and accepts them as His children because of their church affiliation and their religious works and service.

Jesus said this was far from true. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever.” If one continues in sin, he is a servant of sin, and servants of sin, though they may be outwardly connected with a church or religious gathering, will not continue to be connected with God’s church and family.

Jesus explains this in his parables of the wheat and the tares and of the dragnet (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43; 13:47-50). It is as Jesus said, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. … As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:30,40-42); and, “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” Matt. 13:49-50).

It is not enough to be a good Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, etc. One needs to be set free by the Son of God, who abides forever in God’s kingdom. If He who establishes and rules over God’s kingdom sets you free, making you a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus and His cross rather than a servant of sin, you shall be free indeed and have an inheritance in God’s everlasting kingdom (cf. Gal. 3-4).

What is Jesus’ point? Don’t trust in your religious heritage, your church membership, or your charitable deeds. As such, you remain enslaved in sin and will find yourself cast out of God’s kingdom. Instead, turn from your sinful ways and look to God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for mercy, forgiveness, and a place in God’s eternal church and kingdom. Through faith in Jesus and His cross, you will be set free from the guilt and bondage of your sins, be accepted as God’s child, and be an heir with Abraham and all others who place their faith and hope in Jesus and His cross.

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:26-29).

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Dear Son of God and my Savior, forgive my sins in Your blood, shed on the cross for the sins of the world, and make me a child of God and an heir of the everlasting joys of Your kingdom. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24 (Read v. 19-24)

Psalm 95 directs us to worship the LORD: “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms” (Psalm 95:1-2).

But how are we to worship? What kind of worship does God desire? Should it be with liturgy and organ or with contemporary song and guitar? Should it be in a beautiful church or cathedral or in a steel building or barn?

These questions are not much different than the question posed by the woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria when she perceived Jesus was a prophet because of His knowledge of her life and relationships. “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship,” she said (John 4:20).

And she raised a valid question because the Samaritans, who accepted only the first five books of Moses and had altered parts of them, claimed they were to worship on Mt. Gerizim and had worshiped there for centuries and continued to worship there even after the Jewish ruler Hyrcanus destroyed their temple a little more than 100 years before Christ’s birth. The Jews, on the other hand, said that Jerusalem was the only place where people should worship (Deut. 12:5ff.; 16:5-6; 1 Kings 8:12ff.; 12:25ff.).

Jesus pointed out to this woman the time was coming when God’s people would neither worship in Mt. Gerizim nor at Jerusalem. As He said elsewhere, the temple would soon be destroyed (cf. Matt. 24:1-2, Luke 19:41-44; 21:5-6), and God’s people would be scattered all over the world preaching the Gospel and would, in many places, join together with fellow believers in worship (cf. Mark 16:15-16).

Sadly, though the Samaritans sought to worship, they did not know the true God because of their admixture of error and false teaching (2 Kings 17:24ff.). They rejected most of the Old Testament Scriptures, including many of the promises of a Messiah and Savior who would bear the sins of the people and redeem them from sin and eternal death (cf. Isaiah 53; Psalm 130). The Jews, on the other hand, had the Scriptures and the promises of the Messiah and Savior.

Jesus said (John 4:23-24), “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

He pointed out to this woman and to us today that true worshipers would worship “in spirit and in truth,” meaning that true worship is not dependent upon where we worship or the form or liturgy used. Instead, it flows from a regenerated (or born-again) spirit in man and truly glorifies and praises God.

And so, what constitutes worshiping in spirit and in truth? First and foremost, true worship flows from faith in Jesus as God the Son, the Messiah and Savior of the world. Jesus, Himself, said that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” and that no one can come to Father apart from Him (John 14:6). He also said we can do nothing pleasing to God in regard to good works and service toward God apart from faith in Him (John 15:4-5).

Jesus said, “All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:23; cf. 1 John 2:22-23). And, indeed, it is only through the atoning sacrifice of the Son that we can approach the throne of God with our prayers, praises and petitions (cf. Heb. 10:19-25; 1 John 5:11-15).

True worship, then, can only come from a heart regenerated by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63; cf. John 15:1ff.; 3:3,5-6).

True worship must not be idolatry like that of the Samaritans (cf. Ex. 20:1ff.; Deut. 6:13-15). It brings no glory to God if we do not worship the Triune God who has revealed Himself in the Bible. (Cf. Deut. 6:4ff.; Matt. 28:19; 1 Pet. 1:1-5.) Jesus said, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matt. 4:10).

True worship holds fast to the Bible’s teaching (1 Tim. 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 3:12-17; John 8:31-32; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:42). God hates false doctrine and any adulterating of His Word. Therefore, worship that contradicts the Scripture’s teaching is not true and pleasing to God (cf. Isaiah 8:20; Deut. 4:2; 13:1ff.; Matt. 7:21ff.; Jer. 23:28).

And, finally, true worship is exactly that: true worship. It is not merely going through the outward motions or using certain forms or liturgies. It is not vain repetitions of which Jesus speaks in His Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matt. 6:7). It is worship that comes from the heart of a believer and is genuine and sincere. It gives glory to God and thanks and praises Him for His goodness and mercy toward us in Christ Jesus.

It is as David writes in Psalm 103:1: “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”

O Lord, grant that we worship You in spirit and in truth — that we, from our hearts, glorify Your holy name for the gift of the Son and His atoning sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]