John 5:1-6, The Invalid and the Pool

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed [waiting for the moving of the water, 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had]. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?"  

What has brought Jesus to the pool and to this specific man when there are so many invalids he could have addressed? We do not know. Unlike the healing of the son, whose fatal condition seemed to have been short-lived, this man has been an invalid for thirty-eight years! This is another category of illness, stretching back and lingering for decades. 

We can all relate to this man, whether or not we too suffer from chronic illness or paralysis. All of us suffer long-term hurts that need God’s healing intervention, hurts that paralyze us in some way. Jesus’ question, “Do you want to be healed?” seems more appropriate when we consider that a cure has implications of leading a new life when we are healed. Old patterns will need to change. You may be thinking, “Yes, of course I want to be healed!” Healing, however, changes our lives. Are we prepared for this change? 

(As an aside, I have included in brackets verses 3b and 4. The ESV leaves these verses out as they are thought to have been added in by a later copyist. If this omission is original, which it very may well be, then it further explains the frustrating state of this man who knows he needs outside help for miraculous healing.) 

Listen to the question of Jesus: “Do you want to be healed?” Consider where you need healing in your life and the implications if you are healed and bring all of this before the Lord in prayer.