Subject One Hundred Two

THE NEED OF THE WEAK

Scripture: John 5:1-14, 21, 24-26, 39-40, 43, 46-47

1. The Lord went to Jerusalem
   1. Jerusalem is the foundation of peace, the dwelling place of God, and the capital city of the King—a place full of peace, joy, and honor.
   2. The Lord went to Jerusalem in the time of a festival. A festival is for man’s happiness and rejoicing.
   3. When the Lord came, it was the Sabbath day. The Sabbath is for man to rest. So this particular day was a time for peace, joy, and rest.
2. Jesus met the weak person
   1. In Jerusalem on that day, men should have been rejoicing, but everyone whom the Lord Jesus met was suffering; they were all lying in sickness and in pain.
   2. Pain and weakness are due to sickness. The weakness caused by sickness in this man signifies the weakness of death caused by man’s sin. Sin brings in death. Death is the ultimate weakness; death is weakness to the uttermost.
   3. We find that the weak man’s suffering is not only because he is sick, but because he knows how to do what is needed and what is right but cannot do it because he lacks the strength. Man’s suffering today is not only due to his weakness caused by sin; but rather due to knowing that he should do good but being unable to do so. This is the agonizing weakness of people today. People know how to do what is good and what is right, but they cannot do it.
   4. In front of this weak man is a way for him to be healed, the water from the pool. When the water is moving, those who get to it first get healed instantly. Although the way to heal him is here, because of man’s weakness he has no energy to do it. This signifies that although there is a way to be good, because of weakness, man cannot do it. Brother Austin Sparks says this man’s suffering on his back for thirty-eight years represents the people of Israel, who, after they received the law of God, just laid down in the wilderness for thirty-eight years.
3. The Lord’s salvation
   1. The salvation of the Lord was completely unexpected by this weak man. All his attention was fixed on the water of the pool. So he never expected the Lord’s salvation.
   2. The Lord in His salvation was seeking out the man, rather than the man seeking out the Lord. The Lord asked him, “Do you want to get well?” The man did not ask the Lord for help, yet the Lord healed him and became his salvation.
   3. The reason the Lord’s word can save people is that there is life in His word. The reason weak people are so weak is that there is death in their weakness. The healing of the death depends on the life. There is life in the Lord’s word. Once man receives His word, the weakness is changed to strength.
   4. The Lord’s saving is by His life. From a human view, this man is in weakness, but from the Lord’s view, this man is in death. So the Lord said, “An hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live.” The Lord’s way to save man is to give him life and make him a “living” creature.
4. The Lord’s saving power
   1. The Lord’s salvation was not only able to cause him to rise up and walk, it also caused him to pick up his bed and walk. Formerly, he depended on his bed, so he was being controlled by his bed. But now he controls the bed. He governs the bed, rather than vice versa. For some people, their bed is movies, wine, cigarettes, gambling, etc.
   2. He not only made the weak man become strong, but He made him strong to the point where he could overcome all kinds of habits and obstacles.
5. The result of the Lord’s salvation
   1. Peace. Although it was a Sabbath day, this man was lying down without peace and without rest. After he rose and walked, he had peace and rest.
   2. Joy. When you have God’s life, you have a real joy and a real feasting. Once you are saved, you have the feast of salvation. Then you can enjoy your salvation. You have God’s presence. God becomes your companion, and you are in Jerusalem.