John 5
In John chapter five we find a touching story of compassion and grace. The setting is Jerusalem in midst of a massive Jewish feast. Yet, while all others are celebrating, one man is sitting alone. He is a cripple, unable to walk, and has been this way for thirty-eight years. Imagine the life of a friendless cripple before social-security, modern medicine, or even wheelchairs; surely a desperate situation. But then Jesus enters the picture. Suddenly this man who a moment ago didn’t even have a friend to help him enter the pool of Bethesda has been touched by God himself and restored to complete health. But there is a double lesson we can glean from this passage. Jesus still eagerly desires to perform miracles in our lives. I’m not referring to snake-handling or swallowing poison. I implore you to look around our church this Sunday. From wall from to wall you can see stories: broken homes which have been healed, shattered lives which have been repaired, and hearts of stone turned to flesh. These are miracles. When all human efforts have failed, Jesus offers hope. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is still calling the lost, still changing lives, and still telling the broken “Be healed.”
By John Smart
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