Joseph Prince - Jesus' Heart for Your Health and Wholeness
John chapter 5, «After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In this lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water, then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well? ' The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water stirred up; but while I’m coming, another steps down before me.' Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk.' And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, 'It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed. He answered them, 'He who made me well said to me, „Take up your bed and walk“.' Then they asked him, 'Who is the man who said to you, „Take up your bed and walk“? ' But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterwards Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.' The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath».
Now, this is a beautiful story. Many of us are familiar with this story. But there are wonderful nuggets of truth on healing, on health, how to receive from the Lord. And also, most importantly, we can see Jesus in his beauty, glories, his excellencies, amen? John chapter… all the miracles in John are signs. Say, «Signs». That means they point to something. And even this healing is actually a parable in action. «In this lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. Because an angel came down and stirred the water. And the first one that stepped into the water, after it was stirred, was made well of whatever disease he had».
Now, this stirring of the water, back to verse 3 again: «In this lay a great multitude of sick people». I like the Old King James because the Old King James is more accurate in this verse when it comes to the Greek. The Greek actually says, in the Old King James, it says this: «In this lay a great multitude of impotent people, people without strength». In the Greek, «astheneo,» is the word, all right? «A» is «negate,» which is no strength. People with no strength. People with disease have no strength. Impotent people. And there are three groups of impotent people. So let’s use the Old King James again. In this lay a great multitude of impotent folk: of blind, the first category; halt, second category; withered, third category.
And if you look at the New King James, instead of «Withered,» it says «Paralyzed». Makes no sense because already you have lame in the center. Halt is lame. And then you have paralyzed. Today we think of paralyzed as pertaining to the legs. But back then, it is the word «withered,» which means the withered hand. The hand, he cannot work with his hand. A withered hand, okay? So the King James, the Old King James is more accurate here. So let’s look at this: blind, halt, withered. And this is a picture of humanity. This is a picture of mankind. And God’s heart goes out to them. I said before, why did Jesus walk to this place where there’s a great multitude of the suffering and people in misery? Jesus’s feet took him straight among the multitude of suffering and needy humanity. I love him. Don’t you just love him?
All right, he came in the midst of suffering humanity. That’s where grace is attracted to. And just let you know that the man that he’s about to talk to is probably the man that’s the most needy, the most suffering, and the longest suffering one over there, 38 years. So, again, grace is attracted to the worst case. God is attracted, he loves, he loves to pour out. You give him joy. Jesus said it like this. «It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom». The day we realize that God wants you healed more than you want to be healed, healing is not a problem.
You see, we really don’t understand the heart of God. God loves you just as much. He knows the numbers of hair on your head. He knows the pain in your heart. He knows what keeps you awake at night. The cares and the worries, he knows about it. Even if you don’t tell your wife, God knows it, amen. God knows exactly without you even knowing how to express it to him, and he cares for you. All I ask of you is that you be conscious that he cares for you, you be conscious that he knows, and you be conscious that you have his personal attention. And all the people said? Amen. Praise the Lord. Give Jesus the praise, the glory and the honor, hallelujah.
Blind, three groups, halt, and withered. In other words, blind is our first condition. All mankind is blind. None so blind as those who say they can see, amen? Like I said, people partying away, having fun, and next door is the lake of fire. They act like there’s no God. Even when they attend a funeral, they attend it out of dutifully, you know, attending because of relatives or friends or kind of thing, but they don’t like to be there because it reminds them of their mortality. But, friend, let me tell you this. Why is there mortality? Is this God’s dream for man? Did God make man for him to die? Did God make man and Adam and Eve and God says, «Adam, you’ll be the healthy one. And, Eve, you’ll be an example of the sick one»? No, God made them all healthy.
Would you like to see God’s standard? Just before I step out of here, all right, God dropped something in my spirit and told me to tell you all this. Nothing short of this is his standard. Would you like to know? Would you like to know? All right, look up here in this verse. It says here, Jesus says, «Are you angry at me», he told the Pharisees, «Because I have made a man every whit whole»? Every whit whole. I love it. Every whit whole. Nothing short of this is his standard. You think that God just wants to heal your knee. God just wants to heal your neck, heal your lungs. No, he wants to make every part of you, every whit, whole. I love it.
Would you receive this right now, amen? I don’t care about people out there saying, «Oh, he’s a prosperity guy, He’s a whatever guy». Wherever Jesus goes, people prosper. The sick, when they prosper, they get well, amen. Five loaves, when he touches it, it becomes well, amen? Praise the Lord. So the three groups of impotent, or people without strength, represents all humanity. The first one, they are blind. They are blind to God. They are blind in their hearts, blind in their minds, okay? The second one is they cannot walk. They cannot walk for God. They cannot walk in the Spirit. They cannot walk. And behind every physical, there is a spiritual meaning, that God wants us to learn. Yes, God wants to heal you physically, but more important than that, God is after your spirit sight. Because long before you had a sickness, there’s something happening in the spirit. You listening, people? And the answer in the spirit.
So watch this. A leper is more than just a leper in the Gospels. A leper represents sin. So when Jesus cleansed the leper, it’s his power to forgive sins. Are you listening? Sometimes it doesn’t even differentiate between forgiveness of sins and healing of the body. But let’s take all that God has, okay? Some people, when they teach this, they only teach the spiritual side, that God wants to heal our moral failures and falling and all that, but it’s more than that. Singaporeans, if you see $50 and $100, which one do you pick? Both. Spoken like a true Singaporean. Let’s not just go for the spiritual. Let’s go for the physical as well, amen? Jesus did make people well physically. Even though there’s a spiritual truth, he is endeavoring to bring a cross for those who observe because every miracle, in the book of John especially, is a sign, is a parable in action, amen?
So when you’re blind, you can’t walk, you can’t walk, you can’t work. Withered means withered hand, right? And God put work last. The church put works first. But revelation happens first. When you see right, you believe right. When you believe right, you walk right. When you walk right, you will work right. Can I have a good amen? By the way, I was reading this one day, and the Lord dropped this in my heart. All three are healed on the Sabbath. All three. Then I started studying it. He said, «Blind». I said, «Yeah, they’re blind men,» right? In the Gospel of John in chapter 9, Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath. «Now it was the Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes».
So the blind is healed on the Sabbath. Then the halt. The halt, back to John chapter 5. The halt is in this very same chapter we read just now, the man who was lame, impotent in his feet for 38 years. Jesus healed him on the Sabbath. And the last one, withered hand, also on the Sabbath. I want to read this passage because there’s something I just wanna share with you. Matthew 12, «And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand». Say, «Withered hand». Same Greek word as the one, withered hand, just now. Withered, all right? «And they asked Him, saying, 'Is it lawful? '» The Pharisees, the religious leaders, you see how religious people can become? They asked Jesus this question. «Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath»? They didn’t ask him, «Can you heal»? They knew he can. They asked him, «'Is it right to do it on a Sabbath day? ' that they might accuse Him».
Okay, then Jesus said… drop down, «What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath». Listen, when people are sick, don’t ask, okay, «It’s their fault». Don’t ask, «Whose fault is it? Whose sin is it»? Now we’re about to see that sometimes sin, like a sinful action or whatever, can cause, like, you keep on smoking, it’s a sin against your body, amen. God gave you a body. You only have one house you live in. Take care of your house. It’s the only house you have, you know? You keep on smoking, you’re going to have disease in your body.
Now, is that a result of sin or God cursing you? Of course it’s a result of sin, right? But it’s not right. Like Jesus told his disciples when they saw the blind man blind from his mother’s womb, from birth. They asked, «Did this man sin or his parents sin»? Jesus says, «Neither». Now, the funny thing is that he was born blind. How can he sin to be born blind? Did he kick his mother’s womb too hard? His parents sin, I understand. But anyway, you know, don’t ask these questions. The Lord says, «Don’t ask these questions. But I am the light of the world. He’s in darkness. I’m gonna open up his eyes». That’s all you need to know. The need exists for grace to meet it. Can I have a good amen? All right?
So watch this now. Jesus considers people who are sick as like a sheep that fell into a pit. What a compassionate view instead of that «Well, you know what? Serves him right. Now his lungs are like that. Keep on smoking all the time». But Jesus sees people who are sick as falling into a pit. When a sheep falls into a pit, you don’t stand on there and say, «Serves you right». No, you retrieve it. You recover it. So Jesus told the Pharisees, «It’s like a sheep that fell into a pit. Will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good». Now drop down. «Then he said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.'»
Now, in Luke’s Gospel, Luke is a doctor, and he’s the only Gentile of all the writers. Luke, who as a doctor, says, «It was his right hand». Now the right hand means is a means of livelihood. It’s his business. You do work with your right hand, right? Most of you, your right hand doesn’t mean… by the way, «Benjamin» means son of my right hand, okay? So when Jesus restored his hand, this is amazing, that means he gave him back his livelihood. It’s more than just a physical healing. «Then he stretched it out and it was restored as whole as the other». Then the Pharisees rejoiced and brought other sick people there that he might heal them.
Back to John 5. Okay, praise God. So, they were waiting for the moving of the water. What a picture, what a picture we have here, and a sad one. We have a multitude of people that are sick. They are waiting for the spectacular. They are waiting for the moving of the water when right in their midst is the Savior, the great physician. They are waiting because all the hopes and aspirations of Jewish people is to wait for the Messiah to come, amen? They are waiting for the Messiah. Their posture is that of waiting. But there he was, already in their midst. I mean, see Bethesda greatly surrounded and see Jesus completely unheeded. What a sad picture. Could it be that we can actually be involved in religion, Christian religion, and yet miss the Savior in our midst? So they are waiting for the moving of the water.
Verse 4, we know the angel comes down and whoever. See, verse 4 tells us that you need strength to partake of this healing. You need to be able to get up, okay? Watch this. Watch this. Number one, you must see the stirring of the water. But if you are blind, how to see? Number two, whoever steps in first. It’s not for everybody. Whoever steps in first will get well. Now, but if you are lame, how to step in? So back to the guy, he was like this for 38 years. Jesus came just on time. It’s a picture of Israel. Then Jesus asked him. Don’t forget: Jesus asked him first. Jesus always initiates. Man doesn’t. «When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition for a long time, Jesus asked him».
So Jesus knew that he has been like this for 38 years. Jesus knew. Jesus saw him lie, and Jesus knew. «And Jesus asked him, 'Do you want to be made well? Do you want to be made well? '» What a question. What a strange question. The guy is there, near the water, and obviously he’s there, and Jesus knew he has been there for 38 years, suffering from the condition for that long. And he asked him the question «Do you want to be made well»? Why? You know, it’s not a strange question as we think it is. When you think of the fact that there are people who get accustomed to their bondage or to their sickness or to their addiction, that, for them, that is normal. They will forget what it is to be well.
And don’t forget: Maybe if this guy needs to go to the restroom, I believe there are people who carry him. He’s used to being carried. After a while, it gets pretty comfortable. Jesus says to you: Don’t forget the standard, every whit whole, do you want to be made well? That’s all Jesus asks. So if Jesus appears to you right now and asks you, «Do you want to be made well»? What do you say? Yes! Look at this guy’s answer. «The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man.'» So all the while… by the way, he didn’t know who Jesus was, right? His eye is not on Jesus. Sometimes we know about Jesus and Jesus talks to us, but our eye is not on him. Even right now, Jesus is talking to you, but your eye may not be on him. Your eye is on the means, the water. Never cause something of Jesus to become separate from him.
Can I say something about healing? Sometimes healing is easier than we think. We complicate it. Then another thing is that his eye is also on himself. He says that «I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me». So while he’s scooting, all right, he can’t walk, right? He’s scooting. «While I’m coming, while I’m coming». In other words, his eye is on his action. «I can’t scoot fast enough to go to the water». His eye is also on himself. Can you see that? Eye on anything else but Jesus.
There are people who are so weak in themselves. You know what they say? Today they are so transformed. And I hear their testimonies. All they say is this, «Jesus keeps on telling me, 'Don’t worry about having faith. Just look at me. Don’t worry about trying to be transformed. Don’t try to change yourself. Just look at me. Don’t worry about not having enough faith to believe me for. Just look at me.'» I’m gonna tell you something right now. This man does not know who Jesus is. The next words of Jesus with authority and power, Jesus said to him, «Rise, take up your bed and walk». Now in Hebrew, «kumi,» arise. Take up your bed and walk. Why take up your bed? By the way, you know he cannot rise, right? Thirty eight years, he cannot rise. But there’s authority in the words.
When you start acting upon his Word, power comes. It’s like faith. It’s like a fire, a spark that’s on the powder cake of healing. When you act, boom… It doesn’t happen when you just pray. You say, «Father, heal me, Father, heal me», all right? Just take Communion and all that. It’s what you do after that. You gotta rise and act like you are healed. Get up, rise, amen? Act young, act strong, act well, and you will be well. Amen, amen! Ask your… amen! Come on, give him praise! Take a praise break, hallelujah. Praise the Lord, amen!
That is what is lacking. Many a times, my wife will also help me to remind me, all right, «God has healed you». «God is», you know, we gotta help each other. What would you do? This is a good question to ask. What would you do if you are well? «Well, I think I will go to the gym». Start doing it. «Well, I’ll go to the gym when I’m well». And then because you don’t go to the gym, you become more unwell.
Now you are unwell-er because you didn’t go and exercise. «But one day, Pastor Prince, I’ll do a brisk walk when I am well». But then, you’ve been asking God to heal you and never start walking. Friend, all three (the blind, the lame, and the withered hand) Jesus healed them all on a Sabbath. Could it be that, when we are out of rest, we become blind? It affects our walk? It affects our work? Could it be that the first thing the devil attacks is your rest, to move you out of rest? Because Jesus healed all three on the Sabbath. Now you can walk because you have been cured.