John 5:1-15
1 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”
9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, 10 so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”
11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded.
13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” 15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.
Faith is powerful. According to Hebrews 11, faith: is sure and certain (v.1), helps us understand the creation of the world (v.4), helped Abel to bring a better sacrifice to God than Cain (v.4), made it so Enoch could skip death (v.5), inspired Noah to build his ship and save his family (v.7), made Abraham move to an unknown land (v.8), allowed Sarah—an old woman—to become pregnant (v.11), strengthened Abraham to offer Isaac to God and allowed Isaac to return to his father (v.17-19), saved Moses’ life (v.23) and walked the Israelites through the Red Sea (v.29). The author of Hebrews even admits that he “could go on and on” about faith (v.32), and sums up this collective faith testimony by writing, “Their weakness was turned to strength.” (v.34).
In today’s Scripture passage we read an incredible testimony of Jesus healing a paralyzed man. This unnamed man sat by the healing pool of Bethesda and helplessly waited for thirty-eight years. He was alone, with no friends or family to bring him to the healing pool when it stirred. Alone for thirty-eight years! In verse six we read: “When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, ‘Would you like to get well?’” Jesus knew the man’s loneliness, sickness, sorrow and helplessness and had great compassion and healed him right there in the midst of all the other sick people (see verse 5). So Jesus told him to stand up, pick up his mat, and walk. The man believed in his power, followed his instructions and was instantly healed!
The story of Jesus healing this man is an incredible testimony of the power of God and the faith of the paralyzed man. The man’s greatest weakness was being paralyzed for thirty-eight years, a weakness that Jesus immediately turned to strength. Imagine the testimony of faith this healed man now had, standing up, walking around, showing the world that he was healed because Jesus walked by him and because he believed he could be healed by Jesus.
What are some weaknesses in your life that need to be turned to strength? What are some situations you are facing that could use a healing encounter with Jesus? Ask him to heal you, follow his instructions and have faith!
Youth Department