The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 372

Yers. 1-9.-The Help of the he7p7ess. Here we have- I. JEws ATTRACTED BY MISERY. 'Why "l"l'as Jesus found at Bethesda? Bccauee there were such misery and need. He was ever found where he was most wanted and where .he might do most goocl. He was not found in places of luxury, but ii; the haunts of misery. 1. The misery was great. There was presented to the eye of Jesus there such pain, degradation, poverty, and misery, physical, mental, and moral, as could scarce1y be described, and all presented to him together iu one scene. 2. The misery was various. It was not confined to one disease, but;embraced many classes-"tho impotent, the halt," etc. The diseases were various in their kind and history, but all baneful branches from the common stem of physical an<l. moral disorder. 3. The misery was distributed among a great number. There was a multitude. The porches were full, and doubtless many could not be admitted for want of room. Physical suffering is the heritage of the human family, and the special heritage of some. It is a mercy that suffering: is distributed. We only know of One who could and did bear all in himself- " the Man of sorrows," etc. 4. .All we1·e waiting and struggling for the same blessing, viz. restoration to health. With what anxiety they would watch the moving of the waters, and what efforts they made to have the first bath! To this place Jesus was attracted. Being the incarnation of mercy, he was attracted by misery. The whole scene was such as would naturally excite his compassion, and stood forth as a picture to him of a more terrible_and universal malady, that of sin, which he came to take away. II. JESUS SPECIALLY ATTRACTED BY THE MOST IDSERABLE. They were all miser- able enough, but there was a certain man standi.ug alone in misery and helplessness. L He W!J.S impotent, perhaps paralytic, thoroughly helple~s, and unable to plunge into the healing pool. and had no one to help him in. 2. He had bee-n a long time in this wndition. 'l'hirty-eight years. The best part of his life was spent in pain and mieery. He had only just sufficient life left to feel his pain and woe. 3. He was almost in tr.e grip of utter despair. Impotent in mind and will as well as in body. He had been there for years, and doubtless was the sport of the more fortunate, and the prey of despair. Still he mechanically crawled there day after day, with an occasional glimmer of hope that some good chance would turn up. And it turned up at last. Jesus, the Son of God, was there, and this poor man became the chief object of his pity. He doubtless pitied the multitude, but the most miserable riveted his compassion. The most helpless and miserable became the most fortunate. IIL JESus HELPING THE MOST MISERABLE. We have here: 1. ..d wonderful question. "Wilt thou," etc.? We see: (1) The importance of the consent of the will in physical as well as spiritnal recovery. Christ did not choose to help people against their will. The consent of the will is essential to the efficacy of even Divine influences, especially in spiritual restoration. It is the first step towards it. (2) (Jhrist was anxiously willing to help every one who had the wish for it, and even more, he was anxious to create and encourage the will so as to be able to lay hold on the help. In consequence of long and repeated failures to get relief, even the will for it now in this poor cripple seemed to be weak; but Jesus fans the smouldering embers with the question, "Wilt thou," etc.? This is a vivid picture in the physical domain of the indifference and apathy of men with regard to spiritnal recovery. But this is an exceptio_nal picture, for as a rule men are iutensely anxious for health of body. Look at the multitude at Bethesda; what stru.g"'le they make to be the first in the moved water! But in a lamentable contraat to tii~ is the conduct of men with regard to the water of life; they seem to struggle to be the last there. The appeal is made by the physician to the sick, and not as usual by the sick to the physician. God in grace first prayed to man, and thus teaches man to pray to him, and create in him an interest in his own welfare. " Wilt thou," etc.? (3) The question brings from the man a sad tale. A tale of human helplessness on the one hand and of human selfi.Bhnese on the other. The "will" was not entirely gone, but it w~ very weak through his own helplessness and the stolid selfishness of others. •• Sir I have no man " etc. "Every one for himself" was the rule then. .A. picture of life. "Th'e survival of the :fittest" seems to be the law of nature un<l.er "in ; but there is a law of grace by which the seemingly un:fittest may survive, and its question is, "WilJ OJI, V, 1-17.] 'fI-lE GOSPET, ACCORDING 'IO ST. JOHN. 237