Devotional:

“2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 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.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” — John 5:2-15, 18

Bethesda, in Aramaic, means “house of mercy” or “house of grace.” People with illnesses and physical disabilities came to this pool every year, hoping for healing. If you didn’t notice, verse four of this passage is removed from the ESV that we are reading from and many other Bible translations. But we can read verse four in the KJV. And it explains that an angel would come once a season, stir the water and the first one in the pool would receive healing.

This was all superstition and false hope, but this place was full of people with no hope, so what did they have to lose? And this particular man had been coming here for 38 years. We don’t know specifics on his illness or disability, but we know it was bad enough for him to go to this place every year for almost four decades, hoping for a miracle. 

When Jesus came to the pool, He zeroed in on that man. I’m sure this place was an extremely sad and oppressive place to walk into and we read in verse 13 that it was crowded. So, you can imagine what it might have been like. But with the rumors of Jesus spreading quickly from town to town, Jesus had to keep a low profile everywhere He went. It says in verse six that Jesus knew the man had been there a long time, this tells us that Jesus was there for a reason. He wasn’t there for a mass healing at the pool of Bethesda. He had done that before in other places, but this was different. This healing was for God’s power to be displayed, especially to the Pharisees.

Jesus made His way over to the man without being noticed and asked him, “do you want to be healed?” Of course, he did! What kind of question was that? This man probably had heard of Jesus, but had never actually seen Him. He had no idea whom he was talking to. So, instead of the man saying “YES, of course, I do.” he just started to give Jesus excuses for why he wasn’t able to do it on his own.

He said he didn’t have help getting in the pool; he wasn’t strong enough, everyone got to the steps before him…and so on. He admitted to Jesus that his own works had failed him repeatedly. He was confessing to the Savior of the world and didn’t even realize it. He had no idea that the healing water he needed was standing right in front of him. Jesus was the “living water.” 

We already know that the Pharisees hated Jesus and were really into themselves. They loved their laws and their authority. So, when Jesus told the man to get up and carry his mat out of that place, He wasn’t doing it to create conflict, (although He knew it would, because it was the Sabbath). Carrying anything in public was against Sabbath rules.

He could have told this man to leave the dirty mat and walk out, but bringing his mat was both a personal reminder of what Jesus had done for him and a testimony for others to see what Jesus had done for him. He didn’t care that this would create conflict. In fact, Jesus seemed to love a good argument with the Pharisees, but when the Pharisees saw the man and questioned him, the man couldn’t give them a name because Jesus had to be cautious and sneak away before anyone saw him.  

Jesus wasn’t finished with this man yet. Yes, he had been healed physically, but Jesus cared more about his spiritual healing than his physical healing. Jesus saw the man in the temple and was happy to know he was well. He then tells him to go and sin no more because worse things might happen. What exactly was Jesus saying to him? Jesus didn’t heal him just so his body would be whole. He emphasized that the healing of his soul was far greater than the healing of his temporary body. Because if Jesus healed this man’s body without saving his soul, what was waiting for him in eternity was much worse than any physical suffering he had dealt with.

After this, the Jews began persecuting Jesus for working on the Sabbath, but Jesus answered them this time with a very controversial statement. In verse 17, Jesus tells them that as long as His Father is working, so will He. Jesus calls God His Father and in verse 18, the Pharisees are furious because He was claiming to be equal to God. That was just more fuel to the fire for these Pharisees trying to have Jesus arrested. Jesus never let the Jewish leaders and their laws of the Sabbath dictate whether or not He could do God’s work. He answered to God alone and made that clear to the Pharisees that day.

The Sabbath was meant to be a gift from God, a gift of rest. But it had become a day of impossible rules and religiosity. The Pharisees looked at Jesus and this man who had been lame for 38 years and instead of rejoicing that this man could now walk and carry his mat, free of sickness and pain, they would rather see him suffer another day. All for the sake of their Sabbath rules. If you think about it, it’s pretty messed up. Manmade religion and rules only suppress faith and separate people further from God. How can you have faith in something completely unattainable? You can’t. Instead, you keep trying and trying on your own and continue to lose the race into the pool of mercy.  

Don’t ever let anyone tell you the Bible is not relevant to us today. People all over the world in all religions are trying to earn their way to heaven through manmade rules and works. Hindus bathe in the Ganges River, hoping it will wash away their sins. Buddhists spin prayer wheels and follow the Eightfold Path to reach Nirvana. Muslims practice the five pillars of Islam in hopes of attaining heaven. But not Christians, right? We would never be so silly to believe our good works will help earn our way to heaven.

Have you ever dragged yourself out of bed to attend church out of obligation? Or better yet, you dragged yourself to church because of your guilt from whatever you did the night before. Or maybe you’ve thrown a few dollars in the offering plate, thinking that would get you a few steps higher on your stairway to heaven.  

Everywhere there is religion, there is a Pharisee. Christianity is no different. It is the only faith with no works-based rules or laws, yet we add them ourselves. Is it so hard to comprehend that we have a good Father who seeks only to save the lost and hurting? All we need to do is accept it. Instead, churches are full of rule followers. Christians are so good at pointing out the flaws and mistakes in other people’s religious practices, when instead, we should be pointing them to Jesus with love and compassion.  

Do you want to be healed? Maybe you don’t want to be healed. We get so used to our circumstances that it’s just easier to stay there and complain and give excuses for why we can’t help ourselves. The longer we sit in our pain and junk, making excuses and looking for pity, the more bitter we become toward God and the further we grow from Him.

Maybe that question Jesus asked isn’t so crazy after all. Jesus healed this man for the sake of His holiness and the compassion He had for this man’s life and eternity. Jesus did not require steps for him to follow or a list of boxes to check and this man did nothing to earn it.

Yes, God cares about our physical suffering because He is compassionate and He loves us. But this life and this body will fail us and we will face eternal life with Jesus or eternal death separated from Him.

Surrendering to Him means surrendering all of it, the miracle we want, what we think we are owed or deserve. His blessing may look completely different than anything we’ve been waiting for or asking for. That is what complete surrender means. Trusting God with the unknown and having the faith to say, “Ok, Lord, show me Your miracle for my life, whatever that may be.”  Amen