Partners in a New Creation
The Agent of Creation
The Word Heals
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) John 5:1-10
The MessageEven on the Sabbath5 1-6 Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem. Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves. Hundreds of sick people—blind, crippled, paralyzed—were in these alcoves. One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, “Do you want to get well?” 7 The sick man said, “Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.” 8-9 Jesus said, “Get up, take your bedroll, start walking.” The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off. 9-10 That day happened to be the Sabbath. So the Jews stopped the healed man and said, “It’s the Sabbath. You can’t carry your bedroll around. It’s against the rules.”
For Reflection
Why did Jesus invoke healing for this man who professed no faith? The person with paralysis was ignored for thirty-eight years! What kind of culture would permit such injustice to continue that long. Was there no Jew who professed their faith pass by this man without noticing and empathizing with his plight?
Jesus wanted to bring attention to the faithless whose callousness was contrary to the will of God. PrayPray and develop your ability to emphasize. Pray and become a grace giver.
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