A HEALING AT THE SPA.
John 5:1-9.
The miracle [literally ‘sign’ (John 4:54)] of the healing of the boy at Capernaum is immediately followed in John’s account with another healing, this time at an unspecified feast in Jerusalem (John 5:1-9).
THE NEED (John 5:1-5).
A man who had had an infirmity for 38 years lay by the Spa of Bethesda. So did many other people, each with challenges of their own. There was nothing special about this man as opposed to anyone else.
DIVINE SELECTION (John 5:6).
Then Jesus arrived on the scene, singled him out and asked whether he really wanted to be healed. It was a reasonable question: some beggars make their living out of being sick. There is also a temptation for all of us to revel in that which draws attention to ourselves.
PREVARICATION (John 5:7).
The man’s evasive answer was that he was waiting for someone to carry him down into the water: but there was no-one. It is easy to resort to popular means for healing, but sometimes we need to look within ourselves to see if there is a deeper spiritual reason for our suffering (cf. John 5:14). Do we really want the touch of Jesus in our lives?
DIVINE COMPASSION (John 5:8).
Jesus graciously reached into the man’s situation, and commanded him to get up. There was still nothing to commend this man to Jesus, no indication of an acknowledgement of his deeper need. The incarnation is all about what Jesus came to do “while we were yet sinners” (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:13).
RECEIVING THE WORD (John 5:9).
The healing took place as soon as the words left Jesus’ mouth. It was not conditional upon anything within the man. It only remained for the man to obey.
