My Thoughts 29/03/2022

The Pool of Bethesda is a “must see” for pilgrims in Jerusalem. It is beside the lovely Romanesque church of St Anne that is famous of its acoustics. Between 150 BC and AD 70 it the site of a healing centre. Apparently at special moment of a given day, the springs of water underneath the pools would bubble up and this bubbling was thought to particulate helpful in the healing process. The word Bethesda means “house of mercy”

Here was a man who had an illness that lasted 38 years. When Jesus saw him he knew the man had been in that condition for a long time. It seems a strange question to ask the man. “Do you want to be well again?” The answer the man gave was not “Yes” but rather he blamed others. “I have no one to put me in the pool first.”. As one writer suggest “This is classical negative thinking. Poor little old me.” Jesus asked of him three things. Stand up. Pick up your sleeping mat. Walk. The man trusted the voice ofJesus and he instantly he was cured. I always remember a friend of mine preaching on this text and suggesting that the man was in some way wallowing in his condition. It was easier for him to blame others. Jesus was calling him out of his state of self pity.

Loving Lord, may I hear your word challenging me to move away from any feelings I have of self pity, from any attitude of blaming others. May I trust you completely as you call me to fullness of life.