The Miracles of Christ - Healing the Impotent Man

[0:00] Well, we are going to continue our examination of our Lord's miracles, and I find this to be a very fascinating kind of study because we are unhurried and able to take our time as we pursue it.

[0:16] We've got no particular deadline at all. And today we are going to look at the miracle that is accorded in John's Gospel, chapter 5. So if you would open your scriptures to that portion, we'll be looking at it.

[0:32] I'm using for my basic text a book that was provided by Dr. A.T. Robertson, who taught Greek for many, many years.

[0:46] And the volume that I have before me is one that is well used, and I've enjoyed it for the last, I guess, 40 or 50 years. And it's called A Harmony of the Gospels.

[0:56] And the beauty of it is it takes each of the Gospel accounts and puts them side by side and allows you to note the differences and the distinctions that are made in them. So in John's Gospel, chapter 5, we're going to begin reading with a situation that will involve the, I guess we could call it the Sabbath controversy.

[1:22] It's going to surface many, many times. We'll see how Jesus addresses it. He is going to make a statement, although it isn't here in John's Gospel, but it will be in other places where he makes a statement that is so absolutely breathtaking and stunning that the Jews just could not get over it.

[1:43] And it was one of the things that led them to their decision to destroy him. And the Sabbath perhaps had as much to do with it as anything, because Jesus is later on going to make the unparalleled statement for the Son of Man, referring of course to himself, is Lord of the Sabbath.

[2:11] What? He's claiming to be the Lord of the Sabbath? You understand what that means? He is equating himself with God?

[2:25] And that constitutes blasphemy, the penalty of which is stoning to death. And this is one of the reasons that they took the position that they did.

[2:39] And once you understand the Jewish mindset regarding the Sabbath, let me put it this way, and this is exactly what our Lord was dealing with.

[2:49] The Sabbath, well, in fact, Jesus made the statement himself. He said, man was not made for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man.

[3:01] And the Jews somehow succeeded in reversing that. And they took such an extreme view of the Sabbath that it just became absolutely ridiculous.

[3:13] And by the way, it is still maintained today by Jews of the Orthodox persuasion, and particularly the Hasidim, who are in Israel, in the area of Meir Shurim.

[3:27] They are, it is not an exaggeration to say they are fanatical about the Sabbath. Give an example. When we were in Israel in 1990, our tour leader, who by the way was a Jewish believer, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, he had scheduled a particular visit to a place that would be able to accommodate us because there were a number of non-Jewish people there, a number of Muslims and a number of Christians there.

[4:03] And the reason he selected it on that day was because that was the Sabbath. And in Israel, you can't really do anything or see anything of significance on the Sabbath because everything shuts down.

[4:15] It's kind of like Amish territory here if you go up on a Sunday. Everything's closed, you know. So here we were in this hotel waiting to get into the three vans, and we were going to this particular location.

[4:29] And one of the ladies says, oh my, she said, I forgot such and such in my purse. And Arnold said, well, that's no problem. We're not leaving for another ten minutes yet, so you've got time to run up to the room and get your purse or whatever and bring it back down.

[4:44] So she went over to the elevator, got on the elevator, and took it, there was only, I think, eight or nine stories in this hotel building. And we waited, and we thought she'd be coming right back down.

[4:57] And we waited, and we waited, and we waited. And we were past the time to leave, and people were getting a little fidgety. We wanted to get the day underway.

[5:08] What's taking this woman so long? And all at once Arnold said, oh, no, he said, I forgot. And we said, what? Forgot what? And he said, this is the Sabbath.

[5:19] That's why she's taking so long. And after several more minutes, she came back. And she was all red-faced and apologetic and everything, and she said, I'm sorry.

[5:29] I'm sorry to hold you up. I couldn't help it. I didn't know what to do. And because it was Sabbath, there was no operator operating the elevator.

[5:39] It was put on automatic. And on automatic, the elevator was programmed to go to the second floor and stop. And the doors open long enough to give anybody time to get out and anybody else to get in.

[5:55] And then the doors close slowly, and it goes to the third floor. And the doors open slowly, and it gets time for everybody to get out, anybody to get in.

[6:06] And the doors close. And she said, I was punching buttons. I was trying to get it to do. But she said, it wouldn't change. It wouldn't do anything. It stopped at every floor all the way up, and then all the way down.

[6:17] Stopped at every. And, of course, we thought it was kind of funny. But it was the Jewish Sabbath, and for an elevator operator to be on job and push a button would constitute work on the Sabbath, which was forbidden.

[6:36] Now, you've got to understand that only about 10% of the Jews in Israel are religious.

[6:48] That's the way they refer to themselves. They're religious. In other words, they keep the Sabbath. They observe the dietary laws and all the rest of it. The vast majority of them are not. They are secular.

[7:00] And yet, this 10% holds such a sway over the economy and everything that, well, this is the same group, by the way, that really, that shut down McDonald's when they opened up because McDonald's was serving cheeseburgers.

[7:20] Well, McDonald's always serves cheeseburgers everywhere. But when they opened there and the Orthodox found out that cheeseburgers were being served at McDonald's, they immediately protested, had placards walking around and everything, because the law of Moses says that you must not feed a kid in his mother's milk.

[7:47] And to have a cheese product with beef mixed together constitutes a violation of the Jewish dietary laws.

[7:59] So McDonald's was shut down, closed for three days until negotiations got underway and they worked it out.

[8:10] And to the best of my knowledge, in Israel, even though there are several McDonald's restaurants, it's the only place in the whole country where you cannot get a cheeseburger at McDonald's to this day.

[8:24] That's how they feel about the law of Moses. And Jesus is going to chide them for that and saying that you make the law of Moses into a burden that was never intended because you take it to such an extreme.

[8:43] And you've got to remember that the law, that the Sabbath was made for man, and it was not man made for the Sabbath. And yet they take it to a nitpicking extreme and it just gets downright ridiculous.

[8:58] So we're going to see that here, another incident of it in John's Gospel chapter 5. Beginning with verse 1. After those things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

[9:12] Now there is in Jerusalem, by the sheep gate, a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches. This was a rather large area.

[9:23] In these lay a multitude of them that were sick, blind, halt, withered. And a certain man was there, which had been thirty and eight years in his infirmity.

[9:41] When Jesus saw him lying and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said unto him, Would you be made whole?

[9:53] The sick man answered him, Sir, of course the sick man has no idea who he's talking to. Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool.

[10:08] But while I am coming, another steps down before me. Jesus said unto him, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. And straightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.

[10:24] There was a tradition, and actually it was more of a superstition than anything, and there is nothing to verify it as a fact that this man was, what this man was talking about.

[10:39] But, you, you can understand that in the Jewish mindset, there are lots of traditions, lots of oral traditions, lots of, uh, things that are handed down, some of which have some truth in them, some of which have a lot of truth in them, some of which have no truth in them.

[10:57] And this is probably one that had no truth in it. Because, there is no record that anybody had ever seen an angel trouble the waters, so that whoever got in there first was healed of whatever they had.

[11:09] There is a possibility of a very logical explanation, but we cannot say that this is the case either. But, there are numerous underground springs there in this area. And it is entirely possible that one of these underground springs could bubble up, and create a little stirring of the waters on the top, and make it look like somebody had agitated, or moved the waters.

[11:30] And of course, there are those who are eager to jump to a conclusion, when they see the water being turmoil like that, and stirred, and nobody doing it, ah, it is obviously an invisible angel that is doing it.

[11:42] Well, people reach all kinds of flaky conclusions, and they did so over this. There is no record of anybody ever actually being healed of anything, by being the first one into the water, after the water was troubled.

[11:56] So this man had a real situation. We don't know how many times he'd been there. Perhaps, annually. And he was incapacitated. He was so incapacitated, that he could not, quickly enough, get himself into the water, whenever that water stirred.

[12:14] And by the way, nobody knew exactly when that was going to be, so it was just kind of a waiting game. And here Jesus is confronting this man, and we don't know how many times he's been there, and disappointed every time, because he was never able to realize the healing.

[12:32] And we are told that Jesus said to him, take up your bed, and walk. And the bed, consisted of, what some translations have rendered it, a pallet.

[12:47] A pallet. It was kind of like a padded cot, that one could easily pick up, and throw over your shoulder, and walk away with. And that's the kind of bed or pallet that this man had.

[13:00] Straightway, the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. Now, it was the Sabbath, on that day.

[13:12] So the Jews said unto him that was cured, it is the Sabbath. It's not lawful for you to take up your bed. If you want some references, that would back this up, and we won't take time to turn to them, but if you're making notes, you can check Exodus chapter 20, and verse 10, and Deuteronomy chapter 5, and verse 14.

[13:37] Both of those attest to the fact, that it is not lawful, to carry a burden, on the Sabbath. And the idea, of course, is you're carrying a burden, you're constituting some kind of work, some kind of labor.

[13:52] And the whole idea, the whole idea, for the imposition of the Sabbath, while it is true, it is linked to the fact, that God rested, on the seventh day.

[14:07] And you need to understand, the nature of the rest, as well. God did not rest, because he put in, six really toiling days, of creating everything, and he was worn out.

[14:23] So he needs to take a break, and recoup, call it R&R, if you will, on the Sabbath, and he chose that. That's, of course, complete nonsense.

[14:35] Consider, if you will, and you probably can't, and I can't either, that, what God, accomplished, in creation, he did so, without what we would call, the expenditure, of energy.

[14:54] We expend energy, for everything we do, including, taking a sip of coffee. You have to engage, energy to do that.

[15:07] But Jesus, as the creator, the one who was, before all things, and by him all things consist, simply, spoke, the worlds, into existence.

[15:18] He's the one that said, let there be, this, and it was. Let there be that, and it was. Let there be light, and it was. So, he is not, bushed, after six days, of strenuous activity.

[15:32] He created, what he did, without any exertion, whatever. But, that establishes, a pattern, for man, because he, is going to create, and did in fact, on the sixth day, create man, in his likeness, and in his image.

[15:50] And man is going, to be required, to extend energy, for everything, that he does. So, a time, of rest, and, recuperation, and rejuvenation, was planned, and built, into the creation week.

[16:06] And man, was to understand that. It is for man's benefit, to take some time, from his labors, rest, and relax, and just recoup, because, the work day, is coming on again.

[16:20] And by the way, that seven day week, is still, in vogue, all over the world. And nobody, is seen fit, to change it. It is true, the days of the week, have nothing biblical, about them.

[16:36] Because, most of the days, of the week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday, all the rest, most of them, are named, after a pagan deity. And the Bible, never uses the word, Monday, or Wednesday, or Thursday, or anything like that.

[16:51] It never uses, the days of the week. It always uses, the number. On the first day, of the week, or the seventh day, of the month, or whatever. But it never uses, the days like we use them.

[17:01] So we've got, a well established thing there, in the seven day week, that is still, by the way, in vogue, all over the world. And it is designed, for man's, blessing, and benefit.

[17:14] It was a time, for recouping, it was a time, for families together, and so on, and they had a, Sabbath meal, and so on. So, we are told in verse 10, it was the Sabbath, on that day, and they confronted, this man, because he obviously, this is a very, public place, huge area, and here, is this guy, on the Sabbath, and he's just, doing what Jesus, I'll tell you what, if you had been, in this man's position, and had been, disappointed, and lived with this, disability, for so many years, and this person, who is a perfect stranger, confronts you, and asked you, would you like to be well, well, of course, I certainly would, but, I don't have anybody, to put me, the only possibility, of my getting well, is to be, the first one in the water, when the waters are troubled, but, I can never do that, because somebody's always, there ahead of me, and I just don't have, the ability, and Jesus said, take up your bed, and walk, and the man, probably, at first thought, is he crazy,

[18:27] I can't do that, but he obviously, made some, very feeble effort, and discovered, that with this, initial movement, he had, an energy, he never had before, and he just, keeps, moving, and, all of a sudden, he's standing, and looking at this man, who said, take up your bed, and walk, who is this, how did he do that, and I ought to do, what he says, and he took up his bed, and he walked, and apparently, they parted company, the man, never knew, who Jesus was, and he's walking, carrying this bed, this pallet, on his shoulder, looking at his legs, and he's walking, and he's deliberate, and he's just, he's in a new world, he can't believe it, but he doesn't get far, until he is confronted, by the Sabbath police, and they confront him, and they say, what do you think, you're doing, don't you realize, this is the Sabbath, it's not lawful, for you to carry, a burden, on the Sabbath, what are you doing, who do you think you are, and they're just ready, to write, read this guy out, and, he answered them, he, that made me whole, the same said unto me, take up your bed, and walk, and they asked him, who is the man, that said that unto thee, take up your bed, and walk, but he that was healed, did not know, who it was, for Jesus, had conveyed himself, away, a multitude, being in the place, this was probably, one of the feast days, we don't know, if it was a Passover, or Pentecost, but it was probably, one of the two, and scholars are divided, over which it was, according to the calendar, but there's a huge, strong of people there, because at any of these feasts, whether it's Passover,

[20:43] Pentecost, or Tabernacles, the population, of Jerusalem, just swelled, I mean it just, everything was busy, and it was a time of, such great joy, and merrymaking, because all of these feasts, Pentecost, Passover, Tabernacles, all of them, were called feasts, and the reason, they were called feasts, was because, that's what they did, these people ate, they had food, that wouldn't quit, and wine, that wouldn't quit, and everybody brought everything, and it was just amazing, and they slew, thousands, of animals, sheep, goats, bullocks, thousands of them, the blood was running, red in the temple, because, it's going to take, thousands of animals, slaughtered, to feed, hundreds of thousands, of people, this is a great, big picnic, great, big party, time of celebration, and the wine flowed freely, and it was, the place was crowded, packed, all the money changers, were making money, in the temple, and all the things, you can just imagine, what was going on here, so, we read that, afterward,

[21:53] Jesus finds him, in the temple, here's this guy, in the temple, now he's in the temple, probably, who knows, he's probably going there, to offer his thanks, that would be the place, to do it, and guess what, he's got his, he's got his, pack with him, he's got his burden, with him, and Jesus said, behold, you're made whole, here's this guy, just walking normally, carrying this, Jesus said, alright, look, you're made well, now, and then he gives him, this admonition, and he says, sin, no, more, lest, a worse, thing, befall thee, curious expression, for Jesus to use, and I can only suggest, that this man, in time past, had likely engaged, in some kind, of activity, that he should not have, that resulted, in his infirmity, it was something, that he may have, brought on himself, and we all know, that we, as human beings, are capable, of doing things, physically, that are injurious, to our health, and may even have, long lasting, or permanent, kind of consequences, what Joe?

[23:15] He had been this way, for 38 years, right, so, so, we're tying this, Jesus said, see you, are well again, like he was, well before, but there's a lot, of time, passed here, since this, I mean, it's just, really strange, it is, well, we're not given, we're not given, a complete account, and by the way, you need to understand, that, that, in the gospels, matter of fact, in all of scripture, very often, we are not given, full details, of what was said, or who said it, or other things, that happened, we are given, what, we, what we are given, we consider, to be that, which God, wanted us to have, that's the inspired, content, and there were many, other things, that were said, and done, that are not recorded, and sometimes, it's kind of, tempting, to try to read, between the lines, and see what else, might have been going on, and especially, you find this, in the gospels, because, there, there are, certain things, that are omitted, in one gospel, that leaves you wondering, but very often, another gospel, of the four, will provide the information, you were looking for, that wasn't in Mark, or Matthew, but it's in Luke, so that's the basis, of comparing scripture, with scripture, in order to get, the fullest picture, and even then, sometimes, we still don't get, all the information, and I suspect, and I don't know this, but it is, it is a wise man's, suspicion, that when Peter, delivered his message, on the day of Pentecost, you read it, in Acts chapter 2, and it takes all, of about, maybe two minutes, three minutes, to read, now do you really think, that Peter delivered, a three minute sermon,

[25:06] I don't think, any preacher is going, to deliver, a three minute sermon, we don't know, what all was said, but we are given, what we need to know, we are given, what the spirit of God, wanted us to know, and that's what's inspired, so you need to take, into account, the fact that, there are often, other things going on, that the scriptures, do not record, so all, what all Peter said, we don't know, but we know, that this was what, God wanted us to have, in Acts chapter 2, so, Jesus is implying here, and the only conclusion, that I can reach, is that Jesus, knew this man, like he knows you, like he knows everybody, and he knew, exactly what this man's, history was, and exactly, how he got, in the condition, that he was in, and this is why, he gave him the warning, go and sin no more, whatever the activity, was that caused you, to get into this predicament, you are to avoid, in the future, you do not involve yourself, in that anymore, so we've got a situation here, that has, has elements to it, that we don't all, have all the answers for, but, the man went away, and told the Jews, that it was Jesus, which had made him whole, and we're not real sure, why he did that, this guy's,

[26:32] I don't know, what you would call it, maybe his attitude, is somewhat under question, we don't know exactly, what his motive was, is he trying somehow, to take the heat, off of himself, are the Pharisees, who accused him, of breaking the Sabbath, by carrying this burden, on the Sabbath, are they going to, deliberate, and try to, impose some kind, of punishment, on this man, for walking around, carrying this bed, are they going to, hold some kind, of a confab, and look him up later, and come down on him, or assign some kind, of punishment to him, I don't know, the text doesn't say that, but apparently, this man, was so concerned, that his accusers, of breaking the Sabbath, he wanted them to know, who was really responsible, for him, carrying this burden, on the Sabbath, and it's almost, as if he's saying, at least this is, the way it comes across, actually, it's not my fault, that I'm violating the Sabbath, somebody else told me, well who was it, that told you that,

[27:34] I don't know, who it was, but, and then he finds him, now he's going to, go back to the authorities, and say, hey, I found out, who that fellow was, that told me, to take up my bed, and walk, his name is Jesus, he's from Nazareth, oh, now, the plot is thickening, and that is, a whole new story, he told the Jews, that it was Jesus, which had made him whole, and for this cause, did the Jews, persecute Jesus, because he did these things, on the Sabbath, but Jesus answered them, now obviously, they had, when he told them, that it was Jesus, obviously, they must have said to themselves, let's go find him, and they did, and they find him, and there is a confrontation, and, Jesus answers, when he accused, when they accused him, of violating the Sabbath, he said, my father works, even until now, and I work, for this cause, therefore, the Jews, sought, the more, to kill him, because he not only, broke the Sabbath, but also, called God, his own father, making himself, equal with God, now how did they, arrive at that, they arrived at that, because when you, call yourself, in Jewish literature, and in Jewish theology, when you call yourself, the son of, someone, you are indicating, that you are, of the same essence, quality, nature, and makeup, as that which produced you, your father, you're saying, that you are, of the same stuff, as your father, well, you are, so am I, actually, of our father, and our mother, but Jesus, is referring to, his father, and he is calling him, his father, which means,

[29:50] Jesus, is of the same, essence, character, nature, and makeup, as his father, which, in their mind, puts him on a plane, equal to the father, because, you, as a man, are equal to your father, as a man, because you are both men, and when he makes this claim, to be the son, and the father, in heaven, is his father, he is equating himself, with equality, with the father, and it's important to note, Jesus, never, denied that, but Joe, obviously, Jesus, or God, set this up, they set this up, they knew what this man, would do, and wanted this man, to do what he did, and therefore, it starts the thing, of going towards, his crucifixion, it is, it gets the crucifixion, thing started, it really does, it really does, and this is going to be, fanning the fire, each time, each time, because, the Sabbath, and what Jesus, did on the Sabbath, was so obvious, it was so up front, it was so in your face, it was not subject, to debate, it was a slam dunk, as far as they were concerned, and, just like Jesus, is going to tell, his own disciples, the night that he is betrayed, he's going to say, fellows, the time is going to come, when those who kill you, will think they are doing,

[31:19] God's service, and that's exactly, what these were thinking here, it is our responsibility, to execute Jesus, because he has violated, the Sabbath, he's guilty, of blasphemy as well, making himself, equal with God, and all of this, is going to, of course, result in, eventually, his arrest, and the, kangaroo trial, before Pilate, and then before, Annas and Caiaphas, and so on, so, all of this is, streamlining, the situation, that is going to occur, in Jerusalem, that will end, on the cross, when Jesus says, my father works, even until now, and I work, for this cause, the Jews, sought the more, to kill him, because he not only, broke the Sabbath, but also, called God, his own father, making himself, equal, with God, now, need to understand, also, that, their interpretation, let me put it this way,

[32:27] Jesus, never, violated, the Mosaic law, of the Sabbath, never, but he consistently, violated, the Pharisees, interpretation, of the law, of Moses, he did not, violate the law, and he did not, come to do away, with the law, he came to fulfill, the law, no one, ever, kept the law, of Moses, in spirit, as it was intended, like Jesus, of Nazareth, that's the thing, that made him, or actually, it revealed, his, what shall I say, revealed his, his perfection, his, perfect morality, his, perfect attitude, everything, which is what, made him, the only, acceptable sacrifice, on that cross, because it had to be, one without spot, or blemish, to be able to, affect the payment, that he, would provide, so, he's going to, constantly, rebuke, their interpretation, of the Sabbath, and showing them, how ridiculous, it is, because, what these guys are, they're a bunch, of nitpickers, they are the kind, that strain out, a gnat, so that it won't, be in their drink, they strained it out, and then they turn around, and swallow a camel, well, that's an, that's an, exaggeration, but it's intended, to convey the idea, that, they, ignored, the greater issues, and got hung up, on the lesser issues, and they constantly, did this, and Jesus said, alright, so you're going to, blame me, for working, on the Sabbath, because,

[34:14] I healed a person, on the Sabbath, we'll see later on, the man with the withered hand, healed on the Sabbath, we're not criticizing you, for what you did, we're criticizing you, for when you did it, you shouldn't have done it, and Jesus said, now isn't that interesting, here I make a human being, every wet hole, on the Sabbath, and you criticize me, yet, aren't you the same people, that if you have an ox, that falls in a ditch, on the Sabbath day, don't you call your neighbors, and friends, on the Sabbath, who come over, and help extricate, that poor dumb animal, from the ditch, so that it won't be in pain, and agony, and you do that, on the Sabbath, you do that, for an animal, but you condemn me, for healing, a human being, on the Sabbath, you see the inconsistency, of this, and they have no answer, for him, then they have nothing, to come back with, and you know what, that just makes them, all the more angry, because he shows them up, with his logic, and it is so reasonable, and they don't have, an answer for it, and they stammer, and stutter, and look at each other, and we've, we've got to get this guy, we've got to, we've got to take him, out of commission, he's, he's, he's got to go, and each time, each time, he did battle, with the Pharisees, and the scribes, they always came out, on the short end, of the stick, and it was always, the result, of a very simple, argument, put forth, that left them, embarrassed, and angry, but after all, they were looking for him, and they got it,

[36:00] Jesus, left them, dumbfounded, and the more embarrassed, they got, because there were always, people looking on, and there were always, people who, looked up to these, they would stand, on the corner, in the marketplace, and people would go by, and they would bow, before them, Rabbi, Rabbi, oh here's the, exalted Pharisee, Rabbi, and they would make, over these people, what is Jesus, doing to their image, he is not good for it, for sure, and they are embarrassed, time after time, but each time, they come asking for it, and each time, they prove, to be no match, for Jesus, amazing situation, comments, or questions, yeah, Roger, can we say, Jesus, there was no effort, for him to heal that guy, I mean, is that, is it different, for Jesus, in the bodily form, than God, when he said, let there be life, yeah, is it the same, he just, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, without effort, we just, this is, this, this sounds so, other worldly, because it is, this is just, nothing within our purview, and by the way, if you really understand, the ministry, and the miracles, and the healings, of Jesus, and so on, you cannot help, but see, so called, modern healers, and miracle workers, in the proper life, that they should be put in, and, these people, these people exist, in two categories, and the first is, those who propose, the miraculous healing, and the laying on of hands, and all the rest of it, those who propose that, and tout that, and teach that, in their meetings, and so on, and have people come forward, there are those, who really believe that,

[37:58] I mean, they're sincere about it, and they mean business, when they think, that they have the gift of healing, and that somebody is going to be healed, and, and they pray, and they see this vision, or whatever, and, I, I don't agree with these people, at all, but I can sympathize with them, and I feel bad for them, because, frankly, I think they are self-deceived, and they have misinterpreted, the scriptures, and the intent, and they are of the opinion, that look, God is the same, God never changes, and God healed, and performed miracles, back then, 2,000 years ago, and he can still do it today, if, you have, enough faith, and, if the miracle doesn't come to pass, guess who didn't have enough faith, so there's always a doubt that, but still, there are those, those healing creatures, manifestations, etc., who are sincere, and their heart is in the right place, but they just misunderstand, some really important things, and then there is another category, of healers, that are nothing, but criminals, through and through, they are just shysters, and they know it, and they are bilking the people, because, so many of the people, who come to these healing meetings, so many of them, are desperate people, there are people, who are in, third and fourth stages, of cancer, there are people, who have already been given, a death sentence, there are people, who have very serious maladies, and they are, they are, desperate, to try, anything, that might work, anything, that has a ray of hope, and they may even go, to these meetings, with the idea that,

[39:47] I don't know, I don't think, it will do any good, but, who knows, maybe, you know, who knows, there's a possibility, and this is, desperate people speaking, and listen, charlatans, flim flam artists, have a field day, with desperate people, because they're willing, to try almost anything, and we see that, all over, all over, what's the name, of the fellow, who, he was Canadian, I can't, I wish I could think, of his name, anyway, I think I told you, about this before, he had a real scam going, maybe, you know, think of it, they actually end up, serving some time, in prison, as a result of it, and then he got freed, and you know what, he's back in business, he's back in business, and he is, he is the Canadian guy, that, had his wife, intercept people, at the entrance, and people would come in, to this meeting, for healing, and she would get information, from them, and what their condition was, and how long, they had been that way, and so on, and just write this down, on a little card, you know, and they would convey, all this information, to her, and this was this guy's wife, and then, he would get up, on the platform, and start his spiel, and they had, a microphone system, set up, and he had an earpiece, and she could talk to him, and once the meeting, got underway, he would, she would convey, to him, who was in the audience, and what their malady was, and he would give it this, oh, oh,

[41:34] God is, God is speaking to me, there is in our audience, today, a lady, she's, she's had severe back pain, for years, she's had two operations, and has gotten no help, and here, this woman's sitting out there, listening to this, and she's saying, that's me, that's me, he's talking about, and he goes on, to describe her, because the wife, is giving all the information, that she gave him, and, the audience, is just captivated, they look at each other, and they say, this is amazing, this is wonderful, the line forms, and all these people, and he lays hands on them, and all, it's just a huge scam, but who, who is the most vulnerable?

[42:24] The people, who are the most desperate, and frankly, it is, despicable, that somebody, could take advantage, of people like that, you know, they could be, going to be a special place, in hell, for these kind of people, it's just, there's no doubt, about it, that Jesus does healing, and in the chosen, which is a, a video, or a DVD, that you can purchase, you can watch, I think there are two, of the five seasons, that are out, I think it's very good, but anyway, in the chosen, in dealing with this, they say, well why did Jesus, do this, on the Sabbath, and Jesus says, it's like, he had to stir up, the water a little bit, yes, I'm sorry, I'm leaving, there's a quack, leaving this now, so I'm going to leave, okay, sorry, Joe, see you Joe, where you left off, there at 19, from there, all the way, to the end, of that chapter, there's 20 some odd, verses, of Jesus, actually talking, are you going to, pick up on that, next week, well, continue, yeah, it starts there, and goes all the way, to the end, of the chapter, there's, man, that's a, well it is, it is a loaded chapter, yeah, it is a loaded chapter, we can do that, we're not on any time schedule, you know, we don't have to get this, we don't have to get this done, by any certain amount of time, so, we can go on, and pursue the balance, of the chapter, yes,

[44:14] Dan, we've discussed, you know, sometimes, Jesus, he heals someone, he says, tell no one about this, yeah, okay, in a situation like this, all these people, were running around, they had to see this, yeah, I can see, hey, hey, come over here, you know, you need a meal, why not be, so, don't kill him, but, I think that's very interesting, you check this out, yeah, it is, it is, and that's going to happen again, different times, there are those, most often, there are people, who come to Jesus, because of what they have heard, from others, because of what they know, they come to him, but there are sometimes, and this is one of them, when Jesus went, to the individual, he confronted, the individual, now, true, the individual, wasn't in a position, to confront Jesus, because he couldn't walk, you know, he was crippled, he was infirm, but Jesus, went to him, but there are other cases, like that too, so, there's a different reason, a different motive, for each one, and sometimes, it's revealed, and sometimes, it isn't, somebody else, with a comment, question, yes, it seemed to me like, the Pharisees, challenged Jesus, they didn't say anything, good Lord, this man, because he's been, started to walk, they didn't do anything, like that, which they would recognize, they just challenged Jesus, because he did the thing, not because the guy, was healed, but because he did the thing, right, exactly, and that too, shows their, misplaced priorities, rather than say, wow, how did this happen, how did he do that, who is he, that he could do that, they aren't asking, those questions, that just shows you, how narrow minded, and focused on minutia, these people were, and Jesus says, this is the same crowd, that Jesus is going to say, you lay burdens, on the people, that no one, is able to bear, you so slice it, and dice it, you tithe, the mint, the anise, and the cumin, do you know what those are, those are spices, you're going to, tithe, grains of salt, and then congratulate yourself, for doing it, that's how serious, you are about keeping the law, that's how you exalt the law, well, it's ridiculous, and all things in moderation, and Jesus is going to give, another illustration, about when they're going, through the grain fields, his disciples, it's on the Sabbath, of course, it's on the Sabbath, and they're going, through the grain fields, going somewhere, and these grain fields, had stalks of grain on it,

[47:13] I don't know exactly, what the grain was, but it wasn't corn, like we, like we grow sweet corn, it had stalks on, and grains on it, and, and, and it wasn't quite ripe yet, but it was in an almost ripe state, and grain was called, ferreek, f-e-r-e-e-k, and, the law of Moses, by the way, made allowance, for anyone, who was traveling, or en route, someone, if they come through a field, and they are hungry, they are able, legally, to take fruit, from that field, and eat it, themselves, without paying for it, or without getting the permission, of the owner, that was a given, you could do that, all throughout Israel, and nobody thought, anything about it, now, you weren't allowed, to have take out, you couldn't, you couldn't load up, a bushel, and carry it away with you, you had to eat it, right on the spot, this was just, a God's gracious way, of man being able, to provide for one another, on the Sabbath, so as, the disciples, were walking through, this grain field, some of them, were picking, off the tops, of these stalks, the ferreek, which was in a, edible state, at the time, and eating it, and it was the Sabbath, and do you know, what they were accused of, they were accused of, harvesting grain, on the Sabbath, that's the nitpicking, kind of detail, that they got involved in,

[48:47] I'm sorry, I can't recall, the name of the fellow, that I was telling you about, but I'll have it, for you next week, I'll probably think about it, while I'm eating, but anyway, he served some time, in prison, and he was released, and by the way, I saw a picture, of the home, that he has, and it's a mansion, it's down in Florida, and it's all on the backs, of people, that this, trusting, and didn't know anybody, not Benny Hinn, is it?

[49:13] No, no, not Benny Hinn, he's in the same ilk, but it's not Benny Hinn, yeah, hey guys, enjoy your breakfast, I'll have that name, for you next week, and if you want, you can Google it, you can Google it,