1 After this, a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five colonnades. 3 Within these lay a large number of the sick—blind, lame, and paralyzed [—waiting for the moving of the water, 4 because an angel would go down into the pool from time to time and stir up the water. Then the first one who got in after the water was stirred up recovered from whatever ailment he had].
5 One man was there who had been sick for 38 years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the sick man answered, “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”
8 “Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.
Now that day was the Sabbath, 10 so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It’s illegal for you to pick up your mat.”
11 He replied, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
12 “Who is this man who told you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” they asked. 13 But the man who was cured did not know who it was, because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 After this, Jesus found him in the temple complex and said to him, “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” 15 The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Read John 5:1-15 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
During one of the miracles that John selected for his gospel, Jesus visits a sick man lying next to a pool. However, instead of simply healing the man, Jesus asks him a question, “Do you want to get well?” (v. 6b)
The man responds by saying, “Sir, I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.” (v. 7)
While the man doesn’t respond directly to Jesus’ question, he does indicate that he tries to get to the pool when the water is stirred. This answer does indicate that he wants to get well. We don’t know how often the water of the pool was stirred, but in 38 years, the man likely missed out on at least several dozen chances of healing.
In response, Jesus simply tells the man, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk!” (v. 8)
The challenge was simple but also impossible. If the man had been able to get up and walk, he would have easily been able to get to the pool in time and he wouldn’t have been stuck at the pool for close to four decades of his life. But the task was worth the effort. John describes what happened next by saying, “Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.” (v. 9a)
Standing up and picking up his sleeping mat is something that sounds small, but it was a huge “simple” step forward towards being healed. In my mind’s eye, the healing the man experienced happened as he tried to stand up. The more energy he put towards getting up, the more strength he had to fully stand.
Following standing, the only things left to do were to pick up his mat – something that would take a little bit of balance and coordination, and then to walk. When the man ultimately left the pool area, he was completely healed and back to full strength.
I see a parallel in this healing to our own lives. Chances are God won’t bring us a vision, mission, or purpose into our lives before we have taken any steps. If He were to do this, chances are that we would run away like Jonah being sent to Nineveh. God also typically doesn’t heal people from 100% sick to 100% well. Usually there is a transition period as we are learning what “well” really is like.
This miracle points me to the truth that God directs our path as we choose to walk down it. God shows up as we move towards Him and His will. As we move along the path God has for our lives, He brings the next step of that path into view. As this man put forth energy and strength towards standing, picking up his mat, and then ultimately walking, God gave him healing, restored muscles, and strength to accomplish each task.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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