The invalid in this encounter had been that way for 38 years – since before Jesus was born. We don’t know how he became infirm or how old he was when it happened. Suffice to say he was sickly, weak and unproductive – lying on a mat all day.
But at least here was a kind of community – a lot of people in the same situation. Maybe they understood each other, and pity wasn’t the order of every day. When you think about it, there are parallels to our own day…
“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 be well?” John 5:6
I have visited the ruins of the pool of Bethesda and imagined the masses of people lying all around it. In the bustling city of Jerusalem, this place was the soft underbelly of corporate need. People for whom there was no cure – hoping to see a miracle work in their life, for otherwise they were just waiting to die. They were a burden on their family, their community, and their nation.
The invalid in this encounter had been that way for 38 years – since before Jesus was born. We don’t know how he became infirm or how old he was when it happened. Suffice to say he was sickly, weak and unproductive – lying on a mat all day.
All of these people would see the sheep brought through the nearby Sheep Gate for sacrifice at the temple – but they could not go there to formally deal with sin. They could not ritually cleanse themselves in the ritual baths (mikvehs) that dotted the area surrounding the temple. All they could hope for was a weird sort of cleansing when the Bethesda waters were troubled.
But at least here was a kind of community – a lot of people in the same situation. Maybe they understood each other, and pity wasn’t the order of every day. When you think about it, there are parallels to our own day…
But then Jesus came into this man’s life and asked such a poignant question – ‘do you want to get well?’ Seems like a no brainer at first glance, but think of all the things that healing would introduce. He would no longer be a beggar but would have to find work. He would need to reintegrate into the wider community, form new habits – to reinvent himself in a way. But he chose healing and I think it is telling that later in the day Jesus met him at the temple – he had gone there to worship as he started his new life.
Isn’t this true of us as well? We have come to a point in our Christian life but maybe the doldrums have set in, and we become used to this level of experience. Jesus comes in and asks – ‘do you want to go on from here?’ Good question – for to say ‘yes’ is to take new steps in community, new habits, new use of time – the spiritual world will open up wide once again. So think about His question – ‘what do you really want?’
Just a reminder – I hosted a recent podcast with Jeremy and Carmen Kinniburgh talking about friendship with the Holy Spirit. A very good conversation from two people living what they talk about. Go on the church website, click on ‘resources’ and you will find ‘podcasts.’
Pastor Leon Throness
