This is a well known story. Jesus finds a man, who is crippled, waiting by the pool called Bethzatha. Everyone believed that when the water in the pool was disturbed (troubled), the first person who entered the pool would be healed. This man had waited 38 years for a miracle. In primitive times, it was understood that a local divinity troubled the water. Later, the local divinity was replaced by an angel. Jesus question to the man is both curious and profound. Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed. The obvious answer would be "Yes", but it's not as simple as it may sound. We don't always want to be healed. In Dr. Phil's language, our "illness" works for us. I may do battle with weight and say that I was to lose the added pounds, but there may also be a part of me that is afraid to lose the weight. I may have convinced myself that if I lose the weight, all my problems will go away. My weight may serve as a way to protect me from dealing with other issues in my life. It is very interesting that in Native American culture, if you go to the shaman to be healed, the shaman will ask two questions. Do you wanted to be healed? What will you do when you are healed? Jesus asks the same questions of us. Do we want to be healed of the brokenness in our lives? What will we do when we are made whole? Jesus is the one who can both heal us and lead us into a new day.
The other aspect of the story is the response to the healing by the religious authorities. The healing takes place on the Sabbath and the authorities are upset that Jesus has the man pick up his bed and carry it. Carrying his bed would have been forbidden under Sabbath law. Again, we are confronted with people missing the point of what has taken place. They see the violation of the law and miss the healing. This can happen to all of us. We can be concerned about what someone wears to church rather than celebrating their being at church. The truth is that we can be blind in our own ways.
Peace,
Pastor Summer
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