In the Gospel of John, there is perhaps one of the most interesting miracles to have ever taken place in the holy writ. In chapter five of his Gospel is the main miracle of the man who had been sitting at the Pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight long years. Allow our creative imagination the spiritual flexibility to paint a picture as we interview the “Invalid.”
Nestled now at the porch of the temple you will find a man who has his pallet on his back but has a purpose in his heart. He is sitting there waiting for the church to open so that he can go in and pray. Onlookers stare at him because they barely recognize him as being familiar, because he has been at the same place for so long that time has brought about some changes in him and time has changed the scenery. Things do not look the same. For its been a very long time since he saw the outside world, for he had been sitting around a sad situation for a period of thirty eight long years.
As we approach the step, he is somewhat apprehensive about our arrival, but nonetheless he appears to be happy that we are there. “Good afternoon Sir” we said. “Good day” he replied.
“We are here to write a sermon on the miracles that you received in this fifth chapter of John’s gospel. We wanted to get the best inspiration we could get from the only person who could give a personal detail report of what you did to place yourself in that predicament.” He said, “Why do you suggest that I received more than one miracle?” We replied, “’Because although you were considered lame in the text, there is also some things that are deductive conclusions as well that are not mentioned in the text.”
He said, “What topics did you use before?” We answered, “Well we tried to view your situation from the standpoint of “No More Excuses” and “From Impotent to Empowerment” and a few others but we had not truly dealt with some of the details that would give true life to our discourse.” He said, “Details like what?”
“Sir,” you must understand that there were more things lame about your situation that your inability to move or be mobile. See the whole idea of the fact that you were sitting in the same posture suggest that you could have been lame in your perspective. See your perspective is your viewpoint of how you see yourself and how you view the position, you are in. Lame is not just the inability to move or be mobile, but a person can be lame and still be mobile. Lame is no progress, lame is no motivation, lame is no activation and lame is no participation. Lame is the inability to see better days ahead, a brighter horizon on the other side, or the rainbow on the calm of a storm.” “ Sir you were lame in your perspective.”
“The second thing we see in the text Sir is that you may have been lame in your personhood. The psychological burden you endured could have damage your internal personhood to the point that you felt worthless and non valuable as a person. Your time on the edge of a breakthrough may have worn you out and burned your hopes up in the flame of anxiety. Sir, you were lame in your personhoood."
“You sat there a long time waiting on someone else to help you with your self-worth and your personal value. You were there looking for some traditional means to heal your hurts and to no avail you came year after year empty handed. Deep down inside you were lame about you, and unless you find some means of looking at yourself as somebody that’s worth a whole lots more, then lame you will be.” He said, “You’re right on it.”
“The third thing we see in the text is that you were lame in your physical being. The immobility you suffered had a compound effect on your body. Your legs were weak. Your feet were lifeless. The skin on your body was peeling from the position you were laying in. Your internal organs were malfunctioning because you could not move to give your body the balance it needed to function properly. The stench from the pallet, which was from the perspiration of years and layers of skin and bugs that were infested into the fabric of your pallet and the body odor you carried would blow caution to the wind to avoid treading your way, the smell was less desirable to say the least.” He said, “Talk to me somebody.”
“The last thing we see Sir, is that you may have been lame in your pursuits and purposes in life. For thirty-eight years, you were trying to get in a pool that was close enough to see, but too far to reach. Look at where you were going. You were not trying to leave where you were but rather you were just focused on one means of a blessing, one means of a break-through, and one means of victory.
All you saw day after day was getting to a pool that had no guarantees. All you had was a pool that offered no assurance or no insurance that it would do the job you so badly needed. You were lame in purpose trying to get to a pool that was a lame means of the answers you wanted out of life.” He replied, “Make it plain.”
We then raised this question,” “What happen to you and with you when Jesus conversed with you? For there is no record of him touching you or you touching him? There is no record of a holy cloth or holy water he may have sprinkled on you, so what happened?”
Then he arose and began to look as though he was being enlightened with some new vigor and new inspiration and uttered these words, “My brother, I see that you have a creative imagination and with some deep thought, you see things from a different perspective. I am impressed by your analytical mind and your ability to capture the attention of those to whom you preach to on Sunday mornings, but allow me to suggest a few things that gives me a reason to rejoice.”
“In John 5, you missed a few things. In the sheep gate, there is a mass of human flesh lying around the pool. Bodies are laid there staggered with hopelessness. The smell of human feces and urine wreak the air. The scene is unpleasant to describe and horrible to remember. No one ever comes there to help. The people we see new are those people who are in the same situation that we find ourselves in.
We all have a common denominator to our predicament in that we all have some lame places in our lives.” “Now my brother, I do not know much about preaching or whether or not this will help you with your assignment in your seminary class, but all I can tell you is these are the things I observed:”
Observation One: “That Jesus will meet us at the lowest point in our life. He is so concerned for us in that he will reach to where we are and partake in our pain. Jesus cares for us. Jesus understands that life will cause us to be lame and no matter where we are in this life, he comes into our lives to point us past our pains of lameness. Being lame is painful and perplexing. Being lame is lonely and loathsome. Being lame is chaotic and constraining. Jesus comes into our lameness and gives us some hope.”
Observation Two: “That Jesus wants to be the leading point of our life. He is also concerned about where we are going and he desires to be the centering point of our lives in order for us to receive his directions to our destination. Jesus knows that God has a purpose for our lives, but if we abort that purpose by some means of avoiding his agenda, then we will never be all that God wants us to be. Where Jesus leads, God blesses and the child of God is enlarged. Jesus said in this same Gospel that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the way in life and way through life as well and if no man comes to the father except through him, then if he led then he blesses where he leads.”
Observation Three: “That Jesus is to become the loving point to our lives. He desires that we do all things with his love in mind. Our families, our friends, and our foes are to be loved with kind of love that does not hesitate to participate or rehabilitate the hurt in others’ lives. His love is deeper than any ocean, wider than any sea, swifter than any river, calmer than any lake, more brisk than any stream, yet gentler than a drop of rain. Jesus’ love is eternal and it will last throughout the ages.”
“Therefore, I gladly, got myself up and rolled up my bed, got to stepping to a new tune. Because I had for the first time been loved by someone who did not look at me as a hopeless case, but rather he looked at me with love in his heart, compassion in his eyes, concern on his face and hope in his voice.”
“He talked with me and I felt something bubbling in my bosom that was begging to broadcast which was a blessing to my messy situation. Excuse me now, I feel a song coming up out of me,” Can’t nobody do me like Jesus, Can’t nobody do me like the Lord, Can’t nobody do me like Jesus, He’s my friend.”....he then walked into the temple to worship, for the doors of the church were now open.
