Greg Laurie - Jesus and the Lonely Man

TOPICS: Loneliness

So there was this lady. She was very lonely and she needed some companionship and someone told her that there was a talking parrot down at the pet store and so she went down and said, «I heard you have a talking parrot and I need someone to talk to, and someone to talk to me. Does this parrot really talk»? «Oh yes, ma’am, this parrot talks». And so she bought the parrot and she took it home and it didn’t say anything to her for a week and a half. So she went back to the pet store and said, «Sir, this parrot does not talk». The pet store owner said, «Ma’am, did you buy him a swing? Every parrot needs a swing. If you get him a swing, he’ll talk all day long». She bought a swing, took it home. She came back another week and a half later.

«I got the parrot a swing. He still isn’t talking». «Ma’am, did you get the parrot a ladder? Every parrot needs a ladder. He has a ladder to go up and down, he’ll talk constantly». She bought a ladder, took it home. A week and a half later, she returns. She says, «The parrot still isn’t talking». «Oh, did you get him a mirror? If he has a mirror to look at himself in, then he’ll talk for sure». She bought the mirror. And came back a week later and said, «That parrot you sold me, he died». The pet store owner said, «Did he ever talk»? «As a matter of fact, he did». The pet store owner said, «What did the parrot say»? She said, «The parrot said to me, 'Don’t they have any food down at that pet store? '»

Just a bad joke, people, okay. So I don’t know, if you feel lonely I don’t think a talking parrot’s gonna help you. There’s a lot of people feel lonely in our world today. One in three Americans feel lonely, at least once a week. There’s acute loneliness among young adults with 30% of people ages 18 to 34 experiencing loneliness several times a week or more. Loneliness has become a public health epidemic according to the surgeon general, and loneliness and isolation create health risks, including anxiety, depression, and illnesses like heart disease and dementia. But wait, we have social media, we can communicate with each other. That’s only thrown more fuel in the fire and we find ourselves more isolated.

Bottom line, people need people. We were not meant to do life alone. We need living, breathing friends, not talking parrots, not bots, not just communicating with people online while we’re playing a video game. We need to be with people, and that’s why being active in church matters so much. I bring this up because before us in John 5 is a story of a lonely man. In fact, the title of my message is «Jesus and the Lonely Man». Let’s read about him. I’m reading John chapter 5, verses 1 to 16, and I’m reading, by the way, from the New Living Translation, 1 to 18 rather. Read along with me.

«Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem on one of the Jewish holy days, and inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people (blind, lame, or paralyzed)lay on the porches. One of the men laying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, 'Would you like to get well? ' 'I can’t, sir, ' the sick man said, 'for I have no one to put me in the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.' Jesus said, 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk! ' Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, 'You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat! ' But the man replied, 'The man who healed me told me, „Pick up your mat and walk."' 'Who said such a thing as that? ' they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him sitting in the Temple and told him, 'Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.' Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders it was Jesus who had healed him. So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, 'My Father is always working, and so am I.'»

We’ll stop there. Isn’t that a great story? Here’s my first point. This was a turning point in the life and ministry of Jesus. Up to this point, the religious leaders have tolerated Christ. Now they’re going to outright turn against him because of this statement that Jesus makes. This statement would ultimately cost him his life. What was that statement? That statement was simply that he was equal with God. Speaking of the Almighty as his Father, he said, «My Father and I,» there in verse 17. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that Jesus never claimed to be God, for indeed he did, and this is just one of the occasions. On another occasion, he healed a man, and then he said, «Your sins are forgiven you,» and they said, «Only God can forgive sins».

Jesus said, «Exactly». He was claiming to be God. He was God walking among them. And he had an agenda, he had a schedule, and God is never late for his appointments. He had people to meet, he had lives to change. He had miracles to perform, so he was moving along. It’s interesting because we begin with the word «afterward,» and then in Matthew, we read the word «then» often. Mark’s Gospel, «immediately». Luke’s Gospel uses the phrase, «It came to pass». So the idea is Jesus was moving along at a pretty fast clip with a purpose. He knew exactly what he was saying when he claimed to be equal with the Father.

He meant what he said, he said what he meant, bringing me to point number 2: as Christians, we don’t believe in coincidence. We believe in providence, right? Nor do we believe in luck. Sometimes people will say, «Boy, I’m lucky. That’s my lucky number». I don’t believe in luck. I believe in providence. What is providence? It means ultimately that God is in control. Even sometimes when events don’t make sense, God is still working, and that’s exactly what Jesus was doing and he had an appointment with this particular man.

And so he sees this lonely individual, bringing me to point number 3: Jesus seemed to be drawn to lonely people, drawn to the people who had the greatest need. This man had effectively been abandoned, and he had this loneliness inside and no matter who you are, no matter how much money you make or how many followers you have on social media or how famous you are or how infamous you are or if you’re unknown, you’re still a lonely person deep down inside.

Bringing me to point number 4, the man in our story was just hoping for a miracle. Now we read that he was waiting for the waters to be stirred. There was a legend that an angel would sometimes appear, move the waters around, and if you were close to the water when this happened, you would get healed. There’s no indication this is a true story. It could have been true. Maybe it happened once, but that’s what this man was hoping for, and he had been waiting a long time, 38 years, so he’s an older guy, but he’s hoping for a miracle in his own life, hoping for something to happen to him.

You know, and it’s interesting how we read that Jesus saw this man. There were a lot of people there, a lot of hurting people there, but Jesus zeroed in on this one man, in particular, this man that had this great need. And it’s worth noting that Jesus didn’t preach to everyone. He preached to certain individuals. He didn’t heal everyone, he healed certain people. And now he goes to this man and makes what I would say is a provocative statement in verse 14. «Now you’re well,» after he heals him. «Now you’re well, stop sinning or something even worse may happen to you». This would indicate that this man’s particular condition may have been a result of some kind of sin.

Now when I say that I’m not implying nor does the Bible teach that if you’re sick or you have a disability it’s because you committed a sin. The reality is all sickness, aging, and all the other challenges we face in life are the result of sin in general, you know, when our first parent sinned, Adam and Eve, a sin spread to all of the world. As I’ve said before, if Adam and Eve had not sinned, we would never die. If Adam and Eve had never sinned, we wouldn’t get sick. If Adam and Eve had never sinned, I would have a full head of hair.

See this. So in a broad sense, all sickness and all things that happen to us of that nature are a result of sin in general but it would appear that maybe there was something in particular with this man. You know, Paul wrote to the members of the church in Corinth and said, «Some of you have become sick and even died because of their sin». The Psalmist wrote, «Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have kept your Word».

So sometimes, God may allow sickness in your life to get your attention, bringing me to my next point, sometime God wants to heal us. And he’s just waiting for us to ask. I’m not implying that God heals everyone because he doesn’t. Even the great apostle Paul had some kind of a physical problem he called his thorn in the flesh. Three times he asked the Lord to take it away. God did not remove that problem. But rather, said to him, «My grace is sufficient for you». But on the other hand, there are many accounts in scripture where people were healed instantaneously. Sometimes it happens over a period of time. There was one blind man that was healed and he could partially see. He said, «I see mens like trees walking».

In other words, I’m getting my vision back, but it’s not completely back. So look, you may pray and say, «Lord, would you heal me»? and he may heal you just like that. And then that healing may take place over a period of time, and then God can even work through a doctor or through a surgery or through medicine to bring about that healing. Ultimately, I give him the glory for all of it, but I guarantee I’m gonna ask for it. The Bible says: «You have not because you ask not». And then Jesus said, «Ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened».

And there’s an ascending intensity in the verbs that Christ used, implying that we should step up our game. So first we’re asking, then we’re seeking, then we’re knocking, so keep asking the Lord. Maybe it was the utter helplessness of this man that drew Jesus to him. Maybe he prayed a little prayer, «God, please send an angel for me to get me healed,» and little did he know that God was gonna do something better than that. He was gonna send his only begotten Son to personally touch this guy. Did you know that God is able to do exceedingly above and beyond that which you could ask or think? Don’t limit God with your prayers.

«Lord, I have this financial need. I ask you to meet it. I need this amount of money». I’ll say, «Lord, I have this financial need. I ask you to meet it. Please take care of it and you want to do even more, I welcome that too,» whatever God wants to do. We think God wants to withhold his blessing. We think that God is stingy. The very opposite is taught in scripture. This guy wanted an angel to stir the water. God wanted to send his only Son to transform this man and stir up his life, in fact. And maybe you identify with this guy, maybe you feel like you’re all alone, maybe your parents or maybe you’ve been divorced or maybe you’re single and you’re saying, «Am I ever gonna find someone,» but you know, deep down inside I think we have a loneliness for God.

And the Bible speaks of a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and that friend is Jesus Christ, and Jesus walks in when others walk out. Sometimes, friends disappoint us, sometimes family disappoints us, but Jesus will not disappoint you. And this man was in such great need. He was helpless and hopeless. We read that «crowds of sick people,» verse 3, «were there, blind, lame, and paralyzed». This word «paralyzed» could be translated without strength or another translation puts it, helpless and powerless. That’s how we all are before we come to Christ. We’re just weak.

The Bible says in Romans 5: «Those who are without strength,» those are the ones that Christ died for. And sometimes people will say of Christians, «You know, you Christians, you turned to Christ because you needed a crutch. Christianity is a crutch». My response is no, it’s not a crutch, it’s a whole hospital. I need more than a crutch. I’m not embarrassed to say that. I need God’s help. By the way, you do too. This man understood his great need for God. You know, sometimes it’s said: «Well, 'God helps those who help themselves, ' the Good Book says». Well, I don’t know what good book you’re reading, but the Bible doesn’t say that. Effectively, the Bible says God helps those who can’t help themselves, or even God helps the helpless.

So Jesus saw this man and now asks him a poignant question: «Would you like to get well»? What kind of thing is that to ask a man who’s been sick for 38 years and is in this sad situation? «Would you like to get well,» but it’s a valid question because not everyone wants to get well. You know, some people like the lifestyle they’ve chosen. Not every alcoholic wants to stop drinking. Not every drug addict wants to stop using drugs. Not every person living on the street wants to get off the street. You see, you can’t help someone if they don’t want your help. And if they’re not gonna make some effort on their part, whatever you do to rehabilitate them or help them get on their feet again, may end with failure.

There has to be a willingness on their part as well. Do you want to be healed? Do you want to change your life? Some people are comfortable in sin. You know how sometimes when you’re in bed, maybe you get out of bed and then you go back to your bed, you try to find that little warm spot you were in, right? You know what I’m talking about, is it just me? Oh, I found it, little warm spot. That’s how some people are in sin. This is our little warm spot. They’re comfortable, they’ve grown used to the darkness. The story is told from history of a prison that had a dungeon. It was called the Bastille, and they decided to destroy it because it had outlived its usefulness. And there’s this one prisoner who’s been confined there for years, decades, and they said, «You’re free. You can leave the prison».

And this man came out of his dark cell into the blinding sunlight, he put his hand over his eyes and said, «Please take me back to my prison cell». That’s how some people are. They don’t wanna leave their prison cell of sin or addiction or whatever it is. Do you want to change? Do you want to get well? Do you really want your marriage healed? Do you really want to be freed from dependency on drugs or alcohol? Do you really wanna be free from your sexual sin? Do you really want to be made well? Do you really wanna change? There’s God’s part and there’s your part. He says, «I can’t, sir. I have no one to help me get to the pool». Jesus is like, «Forget the pool. You don’t understand what’s happening here, buddy,» and I love what Jesus says. First of all, he asks the impossible. Secondly, he removes all possibility for a relapse. Thirdly, he expects continued success.

First, he asks the impossible, «Pick up your sleeping mat and walk». And in this guy’s defense, he goes for it. He could have said, «I can’t». He says, «All right». And all of a sudden, strength is restored to his feet and his legs and he stands up. What an amazing thing. So he did the impossible, but then Jesus removes any possibility for a relapse: «Take it with you. You’re not coming back here again. We’re done with the pool. We’re done with this whole life. It’s a new life. Put your old life behind you».

Here’s a problem that some people have when they say they’re gonna become Christians is they don’t make a break with the old life, and they don’t make a break with the old friends. I can tell you when I became a Christian, I had some pretty low-life friends. I had friends in low places. And I had to completely break off my relationship with them because they would have drug me down so fast. In fact, they even tried to immediately after they heard I’d become a Christian. And I had to make new friends and every Christian needs to do this. Your friends matter. You show me your friends and I’ll show you your future. Someone says: «The happy man doesn’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful».

So, Jesus is saying to this guy, «Pick that thing up and walk. You’re out of here. This is over with». And I love that radical change that he made. Here’s an interesting story in the Old Testament. It’s the prophet Elijah. He’s coming toward the end of his ministry, and he chooses his successor. His name is Elisha, very similar names, sometimes they’re confused, two guys, Elijah, Elisha. So Elijah sees Elisha plowing, out in the field, and he throws his garment on him, symbolically saying, «You’re carrying on for me». And then Elisha says, «Hey, let me go back and say goodbye to my family». Elijah said, «Hey, what is that to me»? In other words, «Dude, this is a privilege. What are you doing? You’re gonna do this? Come on, let’s go, or don’t».

And you know, he knew if that guy went back and said goodbye to his family, he’d never return. You ever try to leave a family reunion? Takes really a long time. Especially, if you haven’t seen 'em for a while. It’s a big reunion, once every 5 years, so you’re saying, «Well, I gotta go». «Oh, have one more piece of pie». «Let me tell you one more story,» hugs and hugs and on it goes. I’m really good at leaving places. I don’t know if this is a skill or a bad trait, but when I’m ready to go, I’ll say to my wife, «I’m leaving». And I’ll go to the host or hostess, «Thank you so much for inviting me. I’m sorry I have to go». «Okay, no problem». I’m gone! I’m driving home to get in my bed to find that little warm spot, right? I wonder, «Where’s my wife»? She’s still there.

A week later, she’s there still. You need the jaws of life to extract Cathe out of the social gathering. She just goes and goes and talks and talks, and I’ve moved on, okay? And this is the idea. There’s a New Testament counterpart to the story where Jesus said to a man, «Follow me». He said, «Let me go and bury my mother and father». Jesus said, «Let the dead bury the dead. Follow me». Now that sounds kinda heartless on the part of Christ. «Let me bury my mother and father. They just died and they’re lying in the street dead». «Yeah, let them bury themselves. Let’s get out of here». That’s not what was going on. That phrase, «Let me bury my mother and father,» was another way of saying, «Let me wait till my mom and dad get old and eventually die, and when they’re gone, then I’ll follow you».

And Jesus said, «You do that, you’ll never follow me. You know, it’s time to make a break with the past». Jesus said, «No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God». So he says to this man, «Pick up your mat and walk, put this old life behind you and follow me». But then Jesus says to him, «Get up and walk». So now you’re up, you gotta walk. See, the Christian life on more than one occasion is compared to a walk. Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. «As you’ve received Jesus Christ as Lord,» the Bible says, «so walk in him». So there’s God’s part. He’ll save you, he’ll heal you. Now you’ve got to walk. Every day, you’ve gotta walk spiritually, and sometimes people say, «Well, I tried Christianity and it didn’t work for me».

Listen, I suggest you didn’t do your part. He does his part. Did you take it seriously? Did you start reading your Bible? Did you develop a prayer life? Did you become a part of church? See, a lot of people don’t do anything. It reminds of people that go to gyms and they never lose weight and never get in shape. Well, they get in a shape, but it’s like the shape of a pear, and people call them «The Lord’s Pear,» which no one wants, you don’t want someone to call you The Lord’s Pear. But when you look at them, they never work out, they just sit around and talk all day or eat donuts. «I go to the gym three days a week, you know, why am I not in better shape»? Because you go to the gym and don’t do anything. You see, there’s your part, and a lot of people don’t do their part. Closing thought.

All around us are people who are lonely, who are hurting, that need someone to reach out to them. See, Jesus saw this guy, and we need to see these people, they’re everywhere. Sometimes you see them in church, maybe they’re sitting alone. «Hey, I noticed you’re alone, is this your first time here»? Maybe it is. «Do you know anybody? Would you like to go out with us? We’re gonna get a bite to eat after church. Why don’t you join us? Hey, are you in a Small Group? Good to meet you».

And next time you see them, you remember their name, you reach out to them. See, that’s so important to do and when you’re just out and about in life, you see someone, they’re upset, they’re hurting, maybe they’re crying, «Is everything okay»? «Well, I just found this news out». «Oh really? Well, listen, I’m a Christian and I believe in the power of prayer. Can I pray for you»? You wanna know something? Most people will not say no to your offer of prayer. Even non-believers, «Can I pray for you»? «Okay».

Now, it might be a little awkward for them, but that’s okay, pray for them. See, show them you care. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. And I think sometimes we’re thinking about how we’re gonna argue people into the kingdom of God. You might be surprised to find how far a gesture of kindness will go. «Hey, can I help you? Can I reach out to you»? That’s what Jesus did for this man. He saw him. We need to see people as God sees them, as sheep without a shepherd, as people that need a Savior. They’re all around us.