“Making waves”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, August 13, 2022
John 5:1-18 (Forward, p. 15) CEV p. 1105
In some ways, today’s title has a triple meaning, a triple sense of it being true. Firstly, the whole premise of the healings that took place in this particular pool of water in Jerusalem was that an angel would come and stir up the water—make waves, as it were. Whoever was first into the water afterwards would be healed. And, so our poor fellow, crippled as he was and having no one to help him get to the water before anyone else, always lost out.
The second sense of ‘making waves’ is what Jesus did to this ‘poor man’s life’. From his initial reply to Jesus’ question as to whether he really wanted to be healed, I get the sense of the ‘original’ pity party. Here he does a very good job of crying his woes, and of course, after 38 years of being disabled, he had good reason for it, and was probably pretty good at it. I imagine that he got a lot of sympathy from the passersby—and probably some alms as well (though this is never mentioned.) But now, with being healed, he has no excuse and must now take responsibility for his life. And yes, not only to get himself around—no more being carried to this pool day by day, if that is what happened—but also to take up some gainful activity, like being employed! Talk about ‘making waves’: this has got to ‘take the cake’, for this poor fellow.
The third sense in which ‘making waves’ is true comes from Jesus’ words and actions. To start with, He ordered the man to pick up his sleeping mat and walk, both of which were forbidden on the Sabbath. So, simply by telling the man to do this, Jesus was in the bad books with the religious authorities. And, of course, performing a healing that was not a matter of life and death on the Sabbath was also forbidden. But then, when asked about such things, asked about His authority for such actions, Jesus really put his foot in it. He replied, “My Father has never stopped working, and that I is why I keep on working” (verse 17). That really got the authorities riled up, because, in their eyes, that meant that Jesus was claiming, by saying that He was God’s son, that He was equal with God. Yes, Jesus certainly did ‘make waves’ in this regard as well.
All this puts me in mind of what God seems to be doing all through the Holy Scriptures, namely, making waves for people. We see this with Abraham and Sarah in their later years when God gave them a son, in Moses when God called him to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt, when God showed Himself to Isaiah in the Temple and when He spoke to Jeremiah and gave him his commission. We see this also with the apostle Paul, and probably most of all, with Mary and Joseph of Nazareth. God is always ‘pulling a fast one’, changing our expectations and plans and agendas—in other words, ‘making waves’. Here we need to be like Mary and so many of these others, and simply say, “I am the Lord’s servant. Simply do unto me as you will” (Luke 1:38). God is waiting for that ‘yes’ in order to do His work in our world. Do that, God’s plan will be fulfilled and our world will be changed, for the better. All we need to do is trust, and obey, and this will take place. Amen.
Forward notes: “So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk’’” (verses 10-11).
“My mother taught me many rules about how to be safe in the city. Look both ways before crossing the street. Avoid eye contact with strangers. Keep your hand on your wallet. These rules became so ingrained that they seemed like normal behavior.
“When the Jews chastised the man for breaking the sabbath by carrying his mat, they followed deep-seated rules of Mosaic law prohibiting work of all kinds. But life intervenes for them and us. What if, as we leave for church, our neighbour falls? Or our child develops a fever? The list is endless. Do we choose to follow the letter of the law or reach out and help?
“Jesus, who healed the man, had a simple answer: ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ The work of loving is the one rule that supersedes all others. It is the rule that heals us. May Christ give us the courage to take up our mats and walk in his footsteps.”
Moving Forward: “Have you ever had to choose between following the law or caring for another? What did you decide?”