#102 - Joby Martin // Making a Difference: Breaking Free from Excuses at the Pool of Bethesda - The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

Summary3 min read

The Daily Blade: Episode #102 - "Making a Difference: Breaking Free from Excuses at the Pool of Bethesda"

Release Date: May 22, 2025
Hosts: Joby Martin (Pastor of the Church of Eleven22) & Kyle Thompson (Undaunted.Life)

Introduction

The episode opens with Joby Martin welcoming listeners to The Daily Blade, emphasizing the Word of God as a spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor. He introduces himself and co-host Kyle Thompson, setting the stage to equip men for spiritual battles.

[00:01] Joby Martin: "Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit..."

Deep Dive into John Chapter 5: The Pool of Bethesda

Kyle Thompson takes the lead, continuing a four-day series exploring John chapter five. He focuses on verse two, recounting the biblical story of the Pool of Bethesda.

[00:20] Kyle Thompson: "Do you tend to make excuses or to make it happen?"

He describes the setting: a pool in Jerusalem with five rooms housing various invalids. Among them, one man had been an invalid for 38 years. Jesus approaches him and asks a pivotal question:

"Do you want to be healed?"
[02:15] Kyle Thompson

Contrary to expectations, the man's response is filled with excuses:

"I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up."
[01:45] Kyle Thompson

Kyle explains the cultural context, where it was believed that an angel would stir the waters, and the first to enter would be healed. Despite seeing Jesus, the man hinges his hope on the traditional ritual rather than embracing the miraculous offer before him.

Making Excuses vs. Making a Difference

Kyle draws parallels between the healed man's excuses and modern-day attitudes. He challenges listeners to introspect on areas of their lives where excuses hinder their contributions to God's mission.

Great Commission:
- Kyle Thompson urges men to actively participate in spreading the Gospel rather than citing obstacles.
- "Are you making it happen or are you making excuses?"
  [03:12]
Marriage:
- He touches upon marital responsibilities, highlighting common excuses men might use to neglect their spouses.
- "If your immediate answer is... you sound like the invalid laying by the pool..."
  [03:45]
Pushing Back Darkness:
- Emphasizing the fight against societal evils, Kyle questions whether men are passive or proactive in addressing injustices.
- "Are you actually in the arena doing what God has called us to do?"
  [04:10]

Throughout, Kyle contrasts human tendencies to excuse oneself with Jesus' patience and grace. He emphasizes that while making excuses is easy, making a meaningful difference aligns with divine purpose.

Call to Action

Concluding the episode, Kyle passionately encourages listeners to choose action over excuses. He reinforces the episode's central theme:

"You can make excuses or you can make a difference. You'll never make both."
[04:30] Kyle Thompson

He urges men to embrace their roles in God's kingdom, abandoning self-pity and stepping into obedience.

Closing Remarks

Joby Martin wraps up the episode by thanking listeners and encouraging them to support the podcast by sharing it and leaving ratings.

[04:57] Joby Martin: "Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight..."

Kyle Thompson adds a brief farewell, reinforcing the episode's message.

[05:11] Kyle Thompson: "It."

Key Takeaways

Avoid Excuses: Drawing from the Pool of Bethesda, the episode underscores the importance of overcoming excuses to seize divine opportunities.
Active Faith: Emphasizes the necessity of proactive engagement in spiritual duties, be it evangelism, marriage, or combating societal darkness.
Personal Responsibility: Encourages men to take ownership of their roles and actions, aligning with God's call rather than succumbing to victim mentality.

Notable Quotes

"Do you want to make a difference or make excuses?"
— Kyle Thompson [00:20]
"You can make excuses or you can make a difference. You'll never make both."
— Kyle Thompson [04:30]

Conclusion

Episode #102 of The Daily Blade delivers a compelling message on the detrimental nature of excuses and the empowering call to make meaningful differences in various aspects of life. Through the lens of the Pool of Bethesda, Kyle Thompson effectively bridges biblical narrative with contemporary challenges, urging listeners to choose action aligned with faith over passive excuses.

For those seeking to deepen their spiritual commitment and actively contribute to God's mission, this episode serves as both a reminder and a rallying cry.

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Transcript4 lines

[00:01]
Joby Martin
Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.
[00:21]
Kyle Thompson
All right. Welcome back to day four. As we have been doing a deep dive on John chapter five, we're going to pick it up in verse two. This is the event of the healing of the pool of Bethesda. Before we jump in, I've got to ask you a question. Do you tend to make excuses or to make it happen? I mean, anybody that I've ever met that makes excuses are not the kind of people that make it happen. So do you make excuses or do you make it happen? John 5:2. Now, there is in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Gate, a pool in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five rooms, colonnades. In these a multitude of invalids, blind, lame and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for 38 years. And when Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, here's the million dollar question. Do you want to be healed? Now, again, like we talked about yesterday, seems like the obvious answer is, of course I want to be healed. But look at what the sick man answers. The sick man answered him, sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. And while I am going another steps down before me. There were some ancient traditions that are listed in some of the older manuscripts, but not all manuscripts, that there was this myth or tradition that an angel would stir up the water, and whoever got into the water first was the one to be healed. And so this man is sitting there for 38 years, and whenever he saw the water stirred up, he wasn't able to get in. And when Jesus asked him the million dollar question, the maker of all things, the maker of miracles, himself is eyeball to eyeball with this man and says, how about you, buddy? Do you want to be healed? What this man's immediate reaction is is he makes excuses. And the reason that this man is complaining is because he's looking to the wrong source. That's not fair. It's not my fault I'm a victim. Sound familiar? It sounds like our culture today. And the answer, when Jesus asked, do you want to be healed? The answer is, yes. You see, Jesus is so much more gracious than I would be. I think if I walked up to the Man, And I said, hey, you want to be healed? And he began to whine and complain, Eh, it's not my fault I can't get in the water. I'd be like, well, fine. You just lay there and you'd be paralyzed for the rest of your life. And I would just start healing everybody else around him and be like, hey, I'll heal you and I'll heal you. And if he were to say, well, what about me? I'm like, nah, bro, you had your chance. You see, I am allergic to complaining and excuses. But praise God, Jesus is so much more patient with you and I than I am. So let me ask you this question. Where in your life are you making excuses instead of making a difference? You know, we have all been called to the Great Commission to take the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, to every tribe, tongue and nation that Jesus told us that we were to be witnesses. Wherever. Where? Wherever we go in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth. Are you making it happen or are you making excuses? Or men. How about in your marriage? My Bible says that we are supposed to love our wives, as Christ loved the church, and so are you. And if your immediate answer is, yeah, but you don't understand my wife. I mean, she's not nice to me, and sometimes she's mean, and she doesn't do what I want, and. And she doesn't give me enough sex, and she doesn't make a sandwich when I ask. You know who you sound like? You sound like the invalid laying by the pool of Bethesda that's just whining in his own filth and sorrow instead of being the man of God that God has called us to be. Are you making excuses or are you making a difference? How about in pushing back darkness? I mean, this is what Kyle talks about all the time. What are you doing in this world to fight against darkness? To call out the lies of this world to fight for the poor, to fight for the marginalized, to fight for those that cannot fight for themselves? Are you just the kind of person that's just sitting on the sidelines making excuses and being critical of those who are in the fight? Or are you actually in the arena doing what God has called us to do? Men, Daily Blade men. May we be the kind of men that are about the kingdom's business. May you quit feeling sorry for yourself. May you get off the mat and do what the king has told you to do. Quit with the excuses and be obedient to what Jesus says. You can make excuses or you can make a difference. You'll never make both.
[04:58]
Joby Martin
Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight, Share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.
[05:12]
Kyle Thompson
It.