John 5:1-15

               Now, we see Jesus at a healing pool in Jerusalem. This place is known as Bethesda. This pool is located near the temple. In this section of Scripture, we see the description that this pool is near the “sheep gate.” This gate is for the sheep that are going to be used for sacrifices at the temple.

               This pool is not something people come to enjoy like a spa day or a hot day in the month of July. This pool is meant for those who need healing from a physical ailment. So, this pool would people who are blind or paralyzed. There was a myth that the waters in this pool could heal people, which is why so many people would be at this location.

               Jesus goes up to a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. We do not know if this man was born this way or if there was an accident as a child that made him paralyzed. Jesus goes up to the man and asks him, “Do you want to be healed?” This might seem like a crazy question to ask. It would be obvious that the man would have answered, “Yes!” Instead of giving that answer, the man gives excuses. He tells Jesus that no one can help him into the pool to help him get healed. He had given up on being healed and accepted on who he is.

               Jesus then looked at him and told him to pick up his mat and walk. When Jesus said this, the man was healed. So, he did what Jesus had said, he picked up his mat and walked out.

               Now, there was a small issue that came up. The day that this all happened was the Sabbath, which meant that carrying a mat was illegal. You see, carrying a mat was considered to be a form of work, which people are not allowed to work on the Sabbath. But the Pharisees were more focused on who healed this man because healing on the Sabbath was also illegal.

               Jesus does not stop working, even on the Sabbath. We might take a day off from work, but we should not take a day off from our faith. If God is never going to leave us, why should we leave Him?