John 5 : Society

John 5: The Sabbath 
John 5: 1-17  The Savior
John 5: Suffering

John 5: Society

John 5: Sin

John 5: The Scriptures

John 5: The Son pt1
John 5: The Son pt.2

 so often talk of context in the Bible in terms of other verses,  sometimes historical and on occasion social context based on what we know of first century Palestine,  but it can be tough to pr ourselves as 21st century Americans into the emotional state of a person in the story. Try, through the following questions to recognize your own preconceived notions.

1. Have you ever missed a meal for lack of money? What other than hunger might you feel in that circumstance? What if you regularly missed meals for lack of money? Or no sure income and little or no way to earn?

2. Where do you turn when you have nothing? If you have nothing because of a disability? What if there were no insurance? Welfare? Medicaid? Or even government like we have?

3. Have you ever had an illness or injury? Evrr had that for more than a few days? What if there was no medicine or doctors? Did you ever wonder if it was because you sinned against God? Have you ever looked at someone with a disability and immediately assumed they had sinned?

4. How long had he suffered with an infirmity?

5. What did he say when Jesus asked if he wanted healed?  Why didn't he say yes?

6. Do you think he felt his suffering was due to sin? Why or why not? What would contribute to that?

7. Have you ever taken one day in the week and done no work at all, not even traveling or carrying more than a pound, or prepared for it to the point of doing even your cooking the day before?

8.  Did the church leaders show excitement for his healing? Why or why not?

9. Why was the man so willing to give up Jesus to the church leaders as the man who told him to carry his bed on the sabbath?

10.  Read Has anyone died because of your failure to do right? Read Lev 17:11. Have you ever killed an animal, shed its blood because you had done wrong or not done what pleased God? Have you ever even looked at one of your sins, just one time you lied, stole, or wanted something belonging to someone else, and thought that the punishment for your crime is death?

11. Have you ever thought of the stuff that is in you that puts you in a position to choose to lie, cheat, steal, defy the sabbath, make gods of created things, lust, or use His name in any way less than He deserves is a disease that will be the death of you?  Read Hebrews 9:22. So what is the only thing that can put that disease in remission?

12.  In that Hebrew society, you are poor and unable to work. You put your whole hope of relief in waiting for an angelic event. Some stranger walks by and asks if you want healed of the infirmity.  What would you answer?  What would you do if He healed you and told you to carry your bed on the sabbath? What would you do if the church leaders asked you why you were carrying your bed on the sabbath?

13. Now come back to 2019 America.  Does our society shun sin? Do we ever think illness is caused by sin? Do we believe in supernatural healing? Do we believe healing comes from God?

What should we believe?