Brokenness . . . . Jesus met many broken people during his ministry. Some were broken physically, others emotionally, and some socially or economically. All were broken spiritually.
Years ago when I was just getting started in ministry, I worked at a church in Branson with a homeless shelter in the basement. I was the youth pastor, but every staff person had the opportunity to help in the homeless shelter. It was my first real experience trying to help people who were down on their luck in life. The interesting twist on this particular homeless shelter was it's location -- Branson. Back in the early 90s, Branson was a big draw for dreamers and musicians of all types. But some of these dreamers ended up in the homeless shelter broken and down on their luck. Here's a simple truth I learned from working with guys in this homeless shelter -- There is a strong human tendency towards blaming others when we are down on our luck or when life disappoints us. It can't be me; so it must be that life has been unfair or I've been mistreated in some way.
In John 4 and 5 Jesus encounters two broken people in need of a miracle. As I read the stories I am reminded of our human tendency to look for someone or something besides ourself to blame when things go wrong in life. In both of these stories, Jesus pinpoints this tendency. Take a look.
The first story is the record of the official's son who is sick and close to death (some type of fever). Jesus heals him with only his word, saying, "You may go. Your son will live." But the point of the healing seems to be more than just bringing the official's son back from the doorstep of death. Jesus is concerned about the Galileans' lack of faith and he wants the official to trust in him. He says to them, "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe." (John 4:48) You can sense the frustration in Jesus' voice as he points out what so many of us lack -- faith!
The second story unveils the spiritual brokenness that we often hide beneath our physical or emotionally brokenness. John 5 tells us the story of the man at the pool of Bethesda. The title "Bethesda" means "house of mercy". It is at the pool of Bethesda that Jesus reveals the beauty of God's mercy to a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. But first he asks him a question!?!
When Jesus encounter this physically broken person, he asked him a politically incorrect question. He says to the lame man,"Do you want to get well?" Why would Jesus ask such n insensitive question? Of course, he wants to get well?! Right?!
Obviously Jesus perceived something about this lame man. His response to Jesus confirmed what Jesus had suspected. The lame man had "excuses". In those days, an angel would come down and trouble the waters of the pool. The first person in the water would be healed. The lame man had never been able to make it into the water before someone else. so in his mind, others were keeping him from begin healed.
When Jesus came along and said, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk", he was asking the lame man to re-focus on his own lack and place his faith in God. Later, Jesus adds insult to injury by connecting the man's former lack of faith with sin. Jesus says to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." (John 5:14)
Both of these stories remind me of three important truths: 1) we are broken and need the touch of God's mercy in our lives. Jesus offers us God's mercy. 2) We are most often broken because of our own lack of faith in God and ourselves, not because of our circumstances. 3) Spiritual brokenness or sin is our greatest lack. Sin is the unwillingness to believe God and the tendency to go our own way.
Brokenness . . . It's something we all experience in life. Brokenness is loss, disappointment, failure, sadness, and sinful disobedience. Let me encourage you to take a look at the brokenness in your own life. How can you get whole? do you want to get well? Are you willing to get up? Are you willing to believe? No life is not fair, and we have all faced difficulties and disappointments. But if we will believe, god will show us the beauty of his mercy.
Have a great week and see you Sunday! Pastor Tom
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