It Would Take A Miracle – Part 3

Open with prayer.

 

Get to Know You (10 Minutes)

Would you consider yourself a patient person or very eager for quick action (impatient)?

Observation & Discussion (30 Minutes)

John 5:1-9
Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

John 14:6
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1. Verse 5 says, “One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.” What do you think his life was like before meeting Jesus? Why is it important for us to know how long he had been in that physical condition?
2. Read verse’s 6-7 again. What can we learn about Jesus from his question? What is revealed about the man’s mindset and faith?
3. This man was stuck because of his physical circumstances, unable to move to get to the pool without anyone to help. In what areas of your life are you feeling stuck like the man at Bethesda?
4. Bethesda means “mercy”, what significance does this have to you?
5. How does Jesus interact with us when we are stuck?
6. In verse’s 8-9 Jesus tells the man to pick up his mat and walk and the man immediately was cured and did so. How is his response an example of obedience? What does his obedience tell us about the relationship between faith and action?
7. As we look at this miraculous healing, I imagine this man prayed for a miracle for most of his life. What miracle are you praying for?

Next Step (10 Minutes)

Read John 14:6. What action is God calling you to practically, spiritually or even mentally? What can you do this week to take up your mat?

Prayer Requests (5 Minutes)

Pray with your group to close.

Challenge

Pick one person in your group to pray for this week. Ensure everyone has someone praying for them.