John 5:16-30 – Embracing Eternal Life Here and Now

Lectionary Readings for Aug. 01, 2021                    9th Sunday After Pentecost, Year B
2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a           v12:13 13 Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.
Psalm 51:1-12      v9-10 Remove the stain of my guilt. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Ephesians 4:1-16   v2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
John 6:24-35   v29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

But this week we continue our series exploring the book of John, now with Chapter 5.

Peace through Leadership Quotes

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”  ~ Thomas A. Edison

“Let us realize that the privilege to work [for peace] is a gift, the power to work [for peace] is a blessing, the love of working [for peace] is success!”  ~ David O. McKay (adapted)

Every day, God gives us the opportunity to bring peace into our own lives and, through our words and actions, bring peace into the lives of others. Let us embrace the work of peace-making that God places before us.

Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me.           God loves me.            God has plans for me.

Preface to Today’s Scripture Reading

Today verses immediately follow the dramatic story of Jesus instantly healing a man who had been lame for 38 years. At Jesus’ command, the man simply stood up, rolled up the mat he had been using, and walked away. Sounds great!

But the problem was that the man carried his mat on the Sabbath – the Jewish sacred day of worship and rest. Carrying a mat was considered work, which terribly upset the Jewish synagogue leaders. When they found out that Jesus had told the man to carry his mat, blatantly violating their traditional rules, the synagogue leaders were furious with Jesus.

Let’s listen to today’s reading with the righteous indignation of the synagogue leaders. Can we open our ears, minds, and hearts long enough to hear Jesus’ words of wisdom? Will we find encouragement and life within them   OR   will His words further annoy us as we hear Jesus talk about disregarding sacred traditions so that He can selflessly serve His Father God and humanity?

Read John 5:16-30 – and all of Chapter 5 when you can!

Like many people, sometimes I become so consumed with looking forward to achieving something that I forget to enjoy the time leading up to the special moment. When I travel, I’m notorious for focusing so intently on getting to the destination as quickly as possible that the notion of stopping along the way to enjoy the scenery or smell the roses (both of which I love doing)... those pauses becomes an annoyance at best.

I’ve heard more than one person make similar comments about their professional careers. Sure, they earned a Ph.D. or were promoted to CEO before they were 40, but racing to those goals meant sacrificing time with their friends and family, sacrificing relationships grown and memories made. Automotive legend Lee Iacocca wrote about this in his touching autobiography 35 years ago.

Now that I’ve entered the second half of my life, I find myself starting to care more about sharing life’s journeys with others rather than reaching pre-planned destinations. The mantra “be fully present in the moment” enters my mind more and more frequently – often in the middle of a hectic food pantry day. Some days I do better at “being present” than others.

Jesus’ comments in verses: 24-25 are quite striking and speak to being present in the moment. Notice how Jesus uses the present tense.

24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice – the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.”

This is the Good News, the GREAT News, that Jesus spent His life proclaiming. Despite all that’s wrong with the world around us, despite all the ways our bodies and minds ache, despite all of our faults and failings... despite the long list of items we could choose to complain about, the GREAT News is that we have the opportunity here and now to enjoy being in a loving relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

According to Jesus, we “have already passed from death to life” (v24). At this point, I believe Jesus is referring to death in both the literal sense as well as metaphorically. Rather than being physically, emotionally, and spiritually, ensnared or destroyed by all the negatives around us or within us, we can live as a people set free to focus on loving, really loving God, ourselves, and others here and now. For me this is freedom from regret and insecurities. For others this is freedom from depression, addition, abuse, anger, selfishness, pessimism, fear of failure, or anything else that is not life-giving. More often than not, these freedoms are gained though a great deal of focused efforts, prayers, and help from others.

Someone in our Bible Study group this week commented “the dead could be people who are spiritually or emotionally wilted and in need of the living water Jesus described last week to the woman at the well” (John 4:1-30, 39-42) – a brilliant connection!

The living water of God’s Spirit is already flowing in us. We stir that water when we connect with God through prayer, worship, meditation, artistic expression, or however you connect with God. The living water flows through us when we put our faith into action through our words and deeds, neither of which must be perfect nor newsworthy. The new life Jesus speaks about is God’s invitation – here and now – to let that living water flow, nurturing and growing the Kingdom of God, heaven on earth, by loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others. The questions for us today and every day are this: How can we stir that water within us? What can we say or do to share that water with someone who is wilted or parched? Answering these questions with our words and actions are just one way we can embrace the eternal life Jesus spoke about here and now!

Amen? Amen!