A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda
Scripture : John 5 : 1 - 9
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.
In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.
For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made whole?"
The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."
Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."
And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
According to excavations, which were done, they found two great pools and five porches. According to scriptures it was near the Sheep Gate. This was on the Northeast side of the city. Today this place can be visited and is open for the public but many consider it to be unimportant and normally skip it when they go sightseeing in and around the old city. Not only is this place important for excavations but also for our spiritual lives. The fact that it has been excavated almost intact gives it more meaning. Just to stand there and to put you in this place and in this situation makes it meaningful. Let us just take a moment and imagine this place. See this picture in your mind. Put yourself in this place and experience it. Experience this special happening and see what is happening here at the pool. Just to see it and to experience it makes it difficult to understand why only one person was healed from his sickness. Even when Jesus arrived on the scene, again one person walked of healed. Something supernaturally took place here. At no other place in the Bible we found this, only here in the Old City, in Jerusalem an angel came and stirred the water at a given time. It is a special intervention.
According to scriptures, there were a multitude of sick people, blind, lame and paralyzed people laying here at the pool waiting in faith for the moving of the water. Even the blind people knew when this was happening. They also waited for this moment. May be it is their turn today if they can only get into the pool first, then he/she will be healed. All were in expectation for the moment.
Then an angel whom the Lord sends stirs the water. The great moment arrived. There is chaos. All the people try on their own to get into the pool. The one first in the pool is going to be healed. Only one! Some gave up already because they know that they will not be first in the pool. They know that their effort is going to be worthless. They will not make it. There are always others, which pushes them out of the way. Some make plans ahead to be the first one in the pool. They just lay on the edge, waiting for the angel to come and stir the water but even their plans are fruitless. They just cannot make it. Eventually they gave up, may be one day will come and they will be healed. Some of them did not put any effort in because of their inability, they are paralyzed and they can do nothing out of their own. It a worthless situation for them. They will never make it. Many of them saved all their energy up for days and will use anything, to bump people out of the way and trick of the trade and out of the book just to get first in the pool. He does not care about the others, it is just about himself, and he wants the healing. Many are just looking on at the scene, which is happening before them. They do not want to waste any energy, because it is going to be worthless anyway.
For those who put in the effort to be in the water first it is a great disappointment not to make it. Many are disappointed. They even cry not being the first on in the pool. He was in the pool but was not first and is not healed. What a great disappointment. All his efforts were worthless. May be tomorrow it will be his day. There is still a little faith for his healing and he will try again. There is a lot of competition and rivalry here at the pool.
For the one who arrives in the pool first it time of joy and gratefulness because today he made it. Today he is healed. All his efforts and plans come to pass. It worked for him today. He does not care about the others. He does not care about those who he kicked out of the way in his effort to come to the pool first. He only thinks about his healing. That is it. He just wants to get away from this place. He is no longer part of this pool and he will perhaps never think about this place anymore.
Let us look at this picture again. Nothing is happening at the pool unless the angel comes and stirs the water in the pool. This is then when all the activity is happening. Many people around the pool come into motion. All the people around the pool are waiting in expectation for the water to be stirred by the angel. When the angel comes the commotion starts and the people start to move quickly. There is competition, envy, spitefulness etc, present here at the pool. Many of them tried effortless to get their healing but it was done all in vain because they were not in the pool first to claim their healing. Here at the pool reigned a very bad situation
It is unthinkable that only one got healed when such a spiritual and supernatural intervene took place. There was a multitude of sick people and jet only one was healed at a time. Many lay here already a long time. From the scriptures we see that one person was sick for 38 years. It is not known how long he was here at the pool but we can see envy here in this person. He is looking downwards on those who got healed. Nobody helped him and nobody was there to help him to get into the pool first.
But Jesus arrives on the scene here at the pool. He saw all the multitude of people lying around the pool. Jesus approached this man who was sick for 38 years. Jesus asked him if he want to be made well. He answered by giving Jesus excuses why he is not yet healed. He is looking towards the stirring of the water for his healing. Jesus knows that he was sick for along time. He tells him to rise up, take his bed and walk. He is surprised. He was made well and he did not even get into the water. He was healed from his sickness and he did not even touch the water. He rises up, took his bed and walked because Jesus told him so. His healing was on the Sabbath and the law prohibited somebody to carry something on Sabbath but because Jesus told Him he will do it.
But this story is still valid today. This scene still applies to us today. There is still envy, jealousy and competition. The scene is not here at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem anymore. Bethesda means House of Grace and literally means place of outpouring. Today it is a spiritual pool. Many of us still struggle with envy, jealousy and competition etc. in our lives today. We need a "Bethesda" experience in our lives.
Many of us are saved, in a congregation and are children of God. Many of us sit on the edge watching what is going on or what is busy happening. Many of us sitting here criticize things and people when things started to happen. We even criticize godly things when the Holy Spirit stirs the water. When the Holy Spirit stirs the water, people on the edge will look from a distance and do not want to be part of it. They will ignore it or getting involved with their critics. There have concealed jealousy, envy etc. How many of us said something when things were happening in churches and in congregations? Mostly we replied negatively. Even when things happened at other churches, in other countries we had a mouth full. Many of us tried to bring disfavor to any supernatural move of the Spirit or a move of God.
Within all of us there is a craving for the things that is happening today. We are not satisfied with the present things in us and within the church. We are scared. We will no longer be "in" when you are a part of this new move of God. This is the main reason why we reject and suppress this inner carving. Many of us are not satisfied and are looking for a change. But there is no faith. We know that there is something better and we hope that we will get it eventually. What are many of us do not know. Many of us are scared because we do not know the unknown. All is build on success. New things might fail. We can not deviate from this. It has a record of success and therefore we need to stick with it. This is normal for mankind.
Many of us said many things when the Lord was busy with something new. We put questions on this new move of God. The fact is that we are jealous because we not chosen and we are jealous towards people who are used in this move of God. Whenever the Lord is doing something, we question it. We are standing on the edge and deliver commentary. We were doing this out of our own. Did we get clearance from God?
When the Lord is doing something new in a congregation it causes revival and many of us stand on the edge. We are giving the best advice but we are not part of it and sometimes our advice is negative. We try to live according to the "book", the manual. We are familiar with this. But if the Lord touched a person we envy this person. This person decided to jump in and be part of it. How long are we still going to stand on the edge?
The water was stirred in the congregation, at a camp meeting or any other place. Many jumped in already. They are already in motion. The stream is moving. We on the edge are the losers. It is no longer the pool of Bethesda where only one person got healed when the water was stirred by an angel. All those who jump in get healed. We need to come away from our past. We need to make place for the new. We cannot stand on the edge anymore. We cannot stand on the edge and wait for the day of our healing anymore. When the water is stirred we need to jump in. At the pool of Bethesda people were healed of their physical sicknesses. Today it is healing for the physical and the spiritual sicknesses. We need to look with different eyes to the circumstances around us and to things that is happening in the world.
Many of us need this Jesus encounter to heal our spiritual envy, jealousy, etc. Jesus can make the difference in your live. He can change your attitude. When he changes your attitude you will start to help other people. You will encourage other people. There will be co-operation. We need to come in to motion, into the stream of the Holy Spirit. This stream can drag you along and may be throw you off your feet. All this happens for the good, just to change you. Then you will understand why things have happened and then you will confer to the Lord before you will make commentary. There is no place for envy, jealousy, etc. Jesus can change it and remove it from your live, He will change your attitude.
Bethesda means house of grace. The grace of God is great. We only need to approach Him and he will be merciful. It literally means place of outpouring. When the Lord is doing something He is pouring out something new. We all need a Bethesda experience in our lives. According to scriptures there were five arches. Five means reconciliation and the Lord want to reconcile with us and to the father who made us. Bethesda confronts each one of us. The question Jesus asks the sick man at Bethesda is also for you: -
Do you want to be made whole?
This question you need to answer yourself. May be you will answer it also with an excuse or even many excuses. Jesus is there for you. We all need to be made whole. Whole in our spirit, soul and body. Completely healed in every area of our life. Only Jesus can do that for us.
Maybe you find yourself at the pool of Bethesda. You see yourself in the picture. You recognize yourself as one of those at the pool waiting for the water to be stirred by an angel. Maybe you are blind and cannot see things in the spirit or maybe you are lame and cannot move to places where God is moving or maybe you are cripple and do not agree with things the Lord is doing or sick and do not have a desire to get into the move of the spirit. When we are sick then you have no desire for anything, when we are crippled we cannot do all the things we want, when we are lame then we can do nothing or are very limited. All this is hindrance in our live. Maybe you do not identify with any of the above but feel that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. Maybe you have fear for the unknown or what other people will say. This is all reasons and excuses the enemy will try and bring your way to prevent you from making a choice. Maybe you envy some people or a person God is using. The Lord is looking for volunteers to be used by Him. They will be in the midst of the stirring. It does not help to stand on the edge anymore, you will loose out. You need to be part of it. Jesus can change you and your attitude. You will be blessed when you are part of it.
Come and jump in and become part of the stream, part of the move of God.
The Bethesda experience is also for you!