To Know Christ
A Sermon on John 5:10
Originally preached Jan. 26, 1958
Scripture
10¶ The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
Sermon Description
Unbelievers are blinded to the truth by their own prejudices. Jesus had just performed a supernatural miracle by healing the man by the pool of Bethesda. How would the Pharisees respond? In this sermon on John 5:10 titled “To Know Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches that the Pharisees were blinded to the truth by the prejudices that governed their hearts. Confronted with this powerful miracle, the Pharisees were forced to deal with Jesus. They were confronted by the facts of this miracle and ultimately His divine nature. The Old Testament had prophesied of the Jesus of Nazareth and the facts surrounding Jesus clearly fulfilled those prophecies. Instead of embracing and believing the facts, as well as Jesus Himself, they held onto their prejudices. Blinded by the law, they deny Jesus’s identity because He healed on the Sabbath. He had worked on the Sabbath and caused the man to work by carrying his pallet. Certainly no true messiah would break their law. Their reaction provides a stark contrast, a backdrop for true belief. While the miracle pictured spiritual healing in the gospel and was soon to be embraced by the man, the Pharisees could not believe as they were blinded and enslaved by prejudice. To truly know Christ, the prejudice must be removed.
Sermon Breakdown
- The Jews were confronted with the miracle of the healing and the person of Jesus Christ.
- We today are confronted with the Bible, Jesus Christ as depicted in the Gospels, the history of the church, and the lives of believers.
- The attitude of the Jews was one of annoyance, irritation, unbelief, and rejection due to prejudice which blinded them.
- Prejudice led the Jews to be preoccupied with their own difficulties, miss the big facts about Jesus, be unable to explain the facts, and ultimately reject Jesus.
- The man who was healed had a different attitude. He looked into the face of Jesus and saw hope, authority, power, and divinity.
- The man who was healed submitted to Jesus, obeyed him, and gave him all the glory.
- The man who was healed went to the temple, worshiped and praised God, and told others about Jesus.
- We must look at the facts about Jesus, who he is and what he has done, and submit to him.
Sermon Q&A
What Was the Strange Response of the Jews to Jesus' Miracle?
What was the strange reaction of the Jews to Jesus' healing the man at the pool of Bethesda?
The Jews had a remarkably strange reaction to Jesus' miraculous healing of the man who had been ill for 38 years. Instead of marveling at the miracle, they immediately focused on a technicality: "The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, it is the Sabbath day. It is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed." They completely overlooked the extraordinary healing that had just occurred and instead fixated on what they perceived as a violation of their Sabbath laws. Their reaction shows how they were more concerned with their religious regulations than with the transformative work Jesus had performed.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say prejudice is at the root of unbelief?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies prejudice as the fundamental cause of unbelief. He explains that sin creates a prejudice against the truth of God, which blinds people to spiritual realities. This prejudice isn't related to knowledge or intelligence, as proven by the fact that the same person with the same mind can move from rejection to belief. He uses the Apostle Paul as the prime example - as Saul, he persecuted Christians, but after his conversion, he became Christ's greatest advocate. Paul himself said he had "acted ignorantly in unbelief," showing that prejudice, not intellectual barriers, was the real issue. Prejudice blinds people so they cannot see the truth even when it's directly in front of them.
How did the healed man's response differ from that of the Jews?
The healed man's response stands in complete contrast to that of the Jews. When questioned about carrying his mat on the Sabbath, the man immediately directed attention to Jesus: "He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk." Unlike the Jews who were preoccupied with rules, the healed man was focused on Christ and what He had done. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that the man saw something in Jesus' face that the Jews missed - he recognized authority, power, and divinity in Christ. The man submitted to Jesus' authority, obeyed His command, and was transformed. Afterward, he went to the temple to worship God and eagerly told others about Jesus, giving Him all the glory for his healing.
According to Lloyd-Jones, what prevents people from seeing the truth about Christ?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, people fail to see the truth about Christ because they are:
- Preoccupied with their own difficulties and problems - they focus on minor issues and questions rather than the big facts about Christ
- Blinded by prejudice that prevents them from facing the significant facts confronting them
- Unable to explain the historical facts of Christianity because of their prejudicial viewpoint
- Unwilling to bring their questions directly to Christ for answers
- So convinced of their own viewpoint that they reject Christ without truly examining His claims
This prejudice causes people to be so immersed in their own concerns that they "can't see the wood because of the trees" - they miss the miraculous reality of Christ while fixating on peripheral matters.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the two possible responses to Jesus Christ?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that there are only two possible responses to Jesus Christ, with no middle ground:
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The response of the Jews - characterized by annoyance, irritation, unbelief, and rejection. These people are preoccupied with their own difficulties, fail to see the significant facts about Christ, cannot explain the historical evidence, and ultimately develop hatred toward Him.
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The response of the healed man - characterized by seeing something unique in Christ's face and voice, submitting to His authority, obeying Him, being transformed, giving Christ all the glory, worshiping God, and telling others about Him.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that everyone makes one of these two responses - "If we are not for him, we are against him." Our eternal destiny depends on which response we choose. Those who can say "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds" will experience eternal bliss, while those who reject Him face eternal misery.
The Book of John
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.