[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during July 2023]
Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 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. John 5 v2, 4 [NKJV]
Recently I had a “Pool of Bethesda” experience. We had the opportunity to spend some time at a spa complex; alongside the sun-deck, the saunas and the various pools with different degrees of salinity and temperature – and alleged healing properties – there were two pools with hydro-massage facilities.
Some twenty people were sitting around each pool, waiting for the stirring of the waters. It was not a case of needing to be the first one into the foaming tide or under the tumbling cascade. There was room for all. Nor were there any life-changing cures, just an invigorating feeling of well-being.
On one of his visits to Jerusalem Jesus encountered a man who had been lying beside the pool of Bethesda for 38 years. Jesus was aware of the man’s condition so his first question seems an unlikely one:
Do you want to be healed?
It is a question that we would do well to ask of ourselves. Not so much in relation to physical healing; as time passes we become more accommodating of our familiar aches and pains, but the question is more pertinent to our spiritual status. Are there ‘little’ sins that we have become familiar with, that we tolerate or even are comfortable with? Are we content with knowing that God has got our backs covered but that is close enough?
Being healed can bring its own challenges. You might lose the companionship of those with whom you have spent a long time, there might be implications for the way you behave, you might even have to declare what Jesus has done for you.
As an invalid, the man would have been dependent upon the charity of other people for his daily necessities. Jesus told him to “pick up his mat and walk” which we can equate to ‘get up and work’. There is a temptation for us to rely on the efforts of others to maintain our level of faith. What can we do to become net contributors to the lives of those around us?
Later, Jesus saw the man in the Temple. Had the man gone there to praise God for his healing? We too should remember to thank God when we gives us relief from difficult situations. Jesus warned him not to take advantage of his new-found health to continue a life of sin. With a parallel thought in mind, the apostle Paul posed a question to the believers in Rome: “How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?”[1] We too have no excuses for failing to nurture the spiritual health that we have in Christ.
Resources:
[1] Romans 6 v2
Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.
Bible dates:
Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.
Horley Baptist Church onlineHBC main site
Confidential prayer link
Link to Recent Reflections
Link to Index of Bible Passages
Last week’s reflection: The 4th of July
Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys