Scripture
Jesus Heals a Lame Man
1Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda,[1] with five covered porches. 3Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.[2] 5One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6When 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.”
8Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”
9Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, 10so 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!”
11But 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.
13The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 14But 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.” 15Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.
Translation notes (2)
- 5:2 Other manuscripts read Beth-zatha; still others read Bethsaida.
- 5:3 Some manuscripts add an expanded conclusion to verse 3 and all of verse 4: waiting for a certain movement of the water, 4for an angel of the Lord came from time to time and stirred up the water. And the first person to step in after the water was stirred was healed of whatever disease he had.
One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, "Would you like to get well?" John 5:5-6
Someone recently described one of their coworkers as someone who "sees needs and meets them without being asked." Do you know anyone like this? These people seem to have a gift, but what is their secret? They are observant and thoughtful. They quickly notice needs and can help do something to fix those needs. As followers of Christ, we need to follow this example. If we want to have an impact for Christ in this world, we need to be observant and see the needs of the people around us.
When it comes to seeing needs, Jesus, of course, set the ultimate example for us of what it looks like to see needs. We see this in John 6. One day, he was in Jerusalem at a place called the pool of Bethesda. Crowds of sick people gathered there because many believed that the waters in the pool had healing properties. Jesus, of course, knew that only He offered true healing. Amidst the crowd of people, he saw a man lying down. He was unable to walk and had been sick for 38 years. Jesus saw him, verse 6 tells. When He saw Him, Jesus asked him a question, "Would you like to get well" (verse 6).
The man believed there was no way to get well because he needed someone to help him get into the waters in the pool of Bethesda that so many believed brought healing, so he told Jesus, "How can I, sir… for I have no one to put me into the pool…" (verse 7). Jesus could have offered to put him in the pool, but instead, Jesus offered something far better. Jesus offered true healing. He said to this man, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!" (verse 8). Jesus showed Him that the waters did not have power, but He certainly did. All of this happened because Jesus saw this man and His needs.
Friends, if we want to make an impact for Christ, we have to see needs the same way Jesus did. We must intentionally step into every day looking for ways to serve and make Christ known in this world. This way of living requires intentionality. It requires that we observe the world and look for needs so we can serve people in the name of Jesus.
Moving toward action
Commit today to live observantly. Take notice of the needs of the people around you. Notice when someone needs help or if someone is overwhelmed. Pay attention when someone says, "I'm okay," but their response shows that they aren't. As you begin to pay attention, you will also be quicker to meet others' needs.
Going Deeper
John 5:1-15 (NLT)
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