Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – November 2, 2019
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 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?” John 5:2-6
In the ancient world, the Pools of Bethesda, which means “house of mercy,” was one of many healing temples, places believed to have healing waters that were stirred up by an angelic spirit. Filled with invalids, they would wait for these waters to move, believing the first one in the water would be healed. If you were the paralytic, this was bad news for you! There would always be someone stronger and faster to beat you to the water. Yet this paralytic was utterly desperate, and though he knew his chances for healing were virtually non-existent, he still came to the house of mercy hoping for a miracle.
Jesus sees us in our places of greatest need and desperation. He sees the parts of you that you are convinced will never change, the pain and wounds that you believe you will carry with you for the whole of your life. After thirty-eight years of waiting, this paralytic likely had given up hope. After a lifetime by the pool, why would this day be any different- perhaps you can relate?
The healing of the Lord begins by Jesus seeing us in our time of need and moving towards us in love. He has the words of life (John 6:68) and longs to welcome us into his life and peace. This is the mission for which he came! And yet, the Lord does not force himself upon us. He stands at the door and knocks, yet waits for us to respond to his invitation to come and dine with us (Revelation 3:20).
If you were sitting by the Pool of Bethesda today, what is the deepest wound you would want the Lord to heal? It may be bodily sickness in your life or the life of someone you love. It may be a relational wound that brought the end to a relationship that was a deep and abiding source of joy. It may be the loss of a lifelong dream that has left you fearful and unable to move ahead. Wherever you find yourself today, believe that the Lord sees you, draws near to you, and in his perfect love asks you the same question he asked the paralytic, “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6)?
Prayer
Father, help us to believe that you are the God of miracles and your healing power can reach me today in my pain and fear, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
How do you respond to the Lord’s question to you today, “Do you want to be healed?”
Related Reading
Exodus 15:26; Psalm 147:3; Matthew 9:12
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