In our daily meditations, we are focusing on the supernatural power of the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry. Today, we will examine the healing of an invalid:
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 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 (John 5:1-8).
The apostle John describes a pool near the Sheep Gate on the north side of Jerusalem called Bethesda. He depicts a scene filled with misery, where a “great number” of people are lying. How many count as a great number? (v. 3) Possibly over a hundred? They are all pressed closely to the water's edge, cramped and huddled together, anxiously awaiting any sign of movement in the water. Notice that verse 4 from the New International Version is omitted in the passage above. Modern scholars believe it was added later as an explanatory note. In the King James Version, verse 4 states, “For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water; whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had” (John 5:4 KJV).
The Mystery of the Stirring Water (John 5:4)
According to the KJV, verse 4 indicates that after the angel stirred the water, God healed the first person to enter the pool. The healing of anyone gathered around the pool depended on how quickly they could enter the water after ripples appeared on the surface. The closer someone was to the edge of the pool, the better their chances of being healed. Some, like the invalid, were at a severe disadvantage. Perhaps it was their desperate faith that God would heal through the water that led to their healing. God answers desperate and faith-filled prayers.
When Jesus Meets Us in Our Desperation
Amid the suffering of “a great number” of people, we read that Jesus visited this mass of desperate humanity. The invalid had been in this condition for thirty-eight years (v. 5) and had no one to help him into the pool. The Father recognized this man’s desperation and sent Jesus to assist him. Only when Christ came to him in grace would he finally experience God’s healing mercy.
The Question: "Do You Want to Get Well?"
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?" (v. 6).
This man was searching for an angel to stir the water when Jesus, God incarnate, was right there to personally help him. Despite the presence of the Son of God, the man still asked for help to enter the water. Later, when asked who had healed him, he said he didn’t know. The Scripture notes that Jesus had “slipped away into the crowd,” indicating He was there incognito. Once Jesus healed the man, He left immediately (v. 13), showing a pattern of quiet withdrawal. This reveals much about His character: Jesus performed miracles and healings solely to ease suffering and bring glory to the Father. He did not require faith in His true identity as the Son of God, nor did He often reveal who He truly was and is.
The Miracle of Instant Obedience
Jesus told the man to do something impossible: "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk" (v. 11). God instantly healed him as he began to obey Christ. The Lord did not lay hands on him or even help him get up. Nothing! Just imagine the scene. A word of command, and healing was the result! The Scripture says, “At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked” (v. 9). How kind the Lord is! Keith Thomas
Continue Your Journey…
If you found this meditation meaningful, there is much more to explore about God’s plan in the All Studies box on the Home Page. Click on John, then the 10th study, "The Healing at the Pool."
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