Daily Bread John 5
Daily Bread John 5
The Healing at the Pool
1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When 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."
8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "
Observation:
What I love so much about John’s Gospel is all the interaction between Jesus and people. The scenes are so vivid and revolve real life stories of real life people. In this scene we meet the invalid, who has been lying there for 38 years. This pool is supposed to have magical healing powers when it is stirred up, but the man complains that when he tries to get in line the others go ahead of him.
Jesus says to the man, “Do you want to get well?” This leaves the reader wondering if the man has a “victim mentality”, or if truly he is being cheated out of the opportunity to go to the waters. Jesus answers the man firmly, “Pick up your mat and walk”. I love the contrast between the having to wait to touch the magic waters, and obeying one command of the Lord, which brings the instant healing this man has waited so long for.
Of course the Jews tell the man not to pick up his mat and walk since it was the Sabbath. Again we see the great irony that the Jews cannot celebrate or learn from this healing because they are blinded by a hollow observance of the Law. To their rebuke, the man replies simply, “The man who made we well told me to pick up my mat”.
Application:
Do you want to get well? That is always a good question. Sometimes people are so used to their illness, or malady that this becomes a relevant question. Sometimes we get in a mode of feeling sorry for ourselves, and we become more content to have pity, than asking Jesus for what we want!!
Of course this is not to minimize the many sick people who do want to get well and truly do look to Jesus for their healing. If we remember the “signs” motif, we will see that Jesus used this opportunity to point to where true healing comes from, not some magical water, but from the Spirit of God. When God wants to heal someone it can come from a simple command, “Get up and walk”.
As we pray for people for healing we don’t have to go through all kinds of hysterics or same something magical to make sure God has heard our prayer, or that we prayed “good enough”. We merely need to ask for healing in Jesus’ name. The prayer calmly and confidently prayed in Jesus’ name in the power of the Holy Spirit can move mountains.
Prayer: Jesus when you see us in our need, you might ask us if we want to get well. Help us to trust in your healing power and not fall into a “pity party mentality”. Heal us Jesus as we pick our mats and follow your voice! In Your name we pray, Amen.
The Healing at the Pool
1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When 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."
8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "
Observation:
What I love so much about John’s Gospel is all the interaction between Jesus and people. The scenes are so vivid and revolve real life stories of real life people. In this scene we meet the invalid, who has been lying there for 38 years. This pool is supposed to have magical healing powers when it is stirred up, but the man complains that when he tries to get in line the others go ahead of him.
Jesus says to the man, “Do you want to get well?” This leaves the reader wondering if the man has a “victim mentality”, or if truly he is being cheated out of the opportunity to go to the waters. Jesus answers the man firmly, “Pick up your mat and walk”. I love the contrast between the having to wait to touch the magic waters, and obeying one command of the Lord, which brings the instant healing this man has waited so long for.
Of course the Jews tell the man not to pick up his mat and walk since it was the Sabbath. Again we see the great irony that the Jews cannot celebrate or learn from this healing because they are blinded by a hollow observance of the Law. To their rebuke, the man replies simply, “The man who made we well told me to pick up my mat”.
Application:
Do you want to get well? That is always a good question. Sometimes people are so used to their illness, or malady that this becomes a relevant question. Sometimes we get in a mode of feeling sorry for ourselves, and we become more content to have pity, than asking Jesus for what we want!!
Of course this is not to minimize the many sick people who do want to get well and truly do look to Jesus for their healing. If we remember the “signs” motif, we will see that Jesus used this opportunity to point to where true healing comes from, not some magical water, but from the Spirit of God. When God wants to heal someone it can come from a simple command, “Get up and walk”.
As we pray for people for healing we don’t have to go through all kinds of hysterics or same something magical to make sure God has heard our prayer, or that we prayed “good enough”. We merely need to ask for healing in Jesus’ name. The prayer calmly and confidently prayed in Jesus’ name in the power of the Holy Spirit can move mountains.
Prayer: Jesus when you see us in our need, you might ask us if we want to get well. Help us to trust in your healing power and not fall into a “pity party mentality”. Heal us Jesus as we pick our mats and follow your voice! In Your name we pray, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment