Forget The Pool! The Fountain Is Here!

John 5:1-14 KJV After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

John 20:30-31 KJV And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Revelation 21:6-7 KJV And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Zechariah 13:1 KJV In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

Jeremiah 2:12-13 KJV Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. 13 for my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Jeremiah 17:13 KJV O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

Having first looking at the story as it happened we observe some notable points in the incident.

It was a feast time and Jesus was in Jerusalem. Jesus was always in Jerusalem for the feasts.

There were many sick folk waiting by the pool

They were waiting for a particular event to occur...in order to enter into their season.

Only the healing of one by Jesus is recorded

The healed man did not even know who it was that healed him but received healing anyhow!

He never bothered to inquire after his healer until he was accosted by the Jews for carrying his bed on the Sabbath!

He had this infirmity for 38 years and maybe was laying there for that long a time.

From Jesus' statement to him later his sickness was probably due to sin. Contrast with

John 9:1-3 KJV And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

WILT THOU BE MADE WHOLE?

God does not ask questions because he does not know the answers. Of course HE knows the answers. He usually asks questions to get us headed back in the right direction. We know the man was waiting for the stirring of the water, with just one intention in mind, to get in first because he wanted healing! Sometimes however, the long process of waiting can deaden the edge of our fervency and desire. We can end up more engrossed in the waiting than in the expectation. We therefore need a recall back to our original purpose for being where we are. We need to rediscover our intense desire and longing for that which we first came to where we presently are. Tradition has a way of desensitizing our desire, lessening our longings, inhibiting our insight and reducing us to religion that no longer recognizes reality when it stands by us asking the question Wilt thou be made whole?