shortlady
Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2005
- Messages
- 2,696
Have you ever felt so hopeless and helpless that you began to despair of even life itself? In the fifth chapter of John we find a man who has been crippled for 38 years! And for a long time he's been hanging out by this pool called Bethesda, which is supposed to have healing properties. Only, the problem is that he is paralyzed and can't get into the water in time to be cured. See, only the first person in after the waters bubbled got healed, and it was never him. This guy reminds me of the poor folk nowadays who have some type of curable chronic illness, but lack the financial resources or health insurance to pay for their treatment. In fact, this pool was probably a lot like our modern day hospitals - lots of sick people hanging around, hoping to get better. Can you relate to this guy and his hopeless, helpless state? The good news is that Jesus shows up on the scene and asks this guy if he wants to be healed. Now that's kind of a strange question, don't you think? I mean, of course he wants to be healed; that's why he's been lying by the pool for so long. But then again, maybe it is a good question after all. Many of us have been in our tragic situation for so long, that even though we say we want out, we've really become quite accustomed to our plight. Maybe we even enjoy the self-pity of our tragic condition. This man, though, had both the faith and the desire to be healed and so he was. Just like that, he picked up his bag and walked away, completely healed. That's the Jesus of the Bible. Forget what you've seen or heard somewhere else. The God of the Bible loves you and sent His Son to save, deliver, and heal all who believe in Him. God be with you all...