When Jesus Picks The Other Guy And Not You

Category: When Jesus You And Pain Meet

Sometimes we feel overlooked, forgotten, or unimportant.  Sometimes it feels like:
Jesus walked by and left me in my pain.
And we often ask the question, Where is Jesus in my pain.
Read on to learn how Jesus is closer than you think.  BUT FIRST, read John 5:1-17

Some insights on John 5:1-17

V. 2 “Pool of Bethesda” Bethesda means house of mercy or kindness. The name itself would spark hope.  A place to find relief from pain.

V. 3-5 “...a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered...” There were many who needed to be healed, yet only one was healed. The others could only watch. Can you identify with them?

V. 6-7 “Sir, I have no man …” The Greek word is ἄνθρωπος  - a human being.  In other words he was looking for earthly solutions. 

V. 8-9 “Jesus said to him…”
Some of the sick may have heard what Jesus had done in Capernaum at Peter’s mother-in-law’s house. He healed many. (Mark 1:32-34) Why isn’t Jesus healing many like He did then?

V. 10-13 “...Jesus had slipped away…”
Jesus slipped away. ἐκνεύω—to escape, slip away secretly, to literally swim away through the crowd. Imagine Jesus wiggling His way through the crowd trying to squeeze past people so that He can blend in.  Often Jesus works in the back ground.  Just because Jesus is silent does not mean that He is not working on your behalf.

V. 14 “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”  The impact and consequences of sin are much worse.
But what about the others?  The room was full of people in pain.  Can you hear them say,   “Jesus walked by and left me in my pain.”?

 

5 lessons about Jesus, you, and pain

1. We can be so obsessed with wanting relief from our pain that we miss the message that Jesus has for us in our pain. Psalm 119:71 “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes”.  Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. Jesus, being generous, full of kindness, the embodiment of mercy, heals only when it is best for you.

2. Our heavenly Father’s primary purpose is not to fix our earthly problems. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

3. The power of Christ can be seen in my weakness because of His sustaining grace. And because of this sustaining grace, I can have a unique intimacy with Christ. 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”                      
 
4. Jesus is so concerned about your spiritual state that He will use your physical pain to lead you to spiritual healing and growth. We should pray about all our needs, believing that God always desires the best for us. Matthew 6:8 “...your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”               

5. Sometimes God does bring the physical healing we desire. Sometimes He does not. This is because He has purpose in our pain.  Joni Eareckson Tada has this to say about her spiritual journey and spiritual healing. “It is because of this healing that I got to a point to where I can earnestly say, I would rather be in this chair knowing Jesus than  to stand on my feet without Him.  And it was through this journey of healing that I made the rich, wonderful discovery that there are more important things than walking.”  (A Journey ‘Beside Bethesda’)
His focus is on your growth and transformation.
His focus is on your eternal state.
His focus is on you intimate relationship with Him.
 
 
GOD’S WORD AND MY PAIN

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (NASB)                                                

Hebrews 4:15-16 “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (NLT)

Lamentations 3:19-14 “Lord, remember my suffering and my misery, my sorrow and trouble. Please remember me and think about me. But I have hope when I think of this: The Lord’s love never ends; His mercies never stop. They are new every morning ..I say to myself, ‘The Lord is mine, so I hope in Him.’”

Revelation 21:4 “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (NASB)