by Dr. Paul Chappell

"After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years."

John 5:1-5

We are powerless to fix our heart's diseased condition, but Jesus has offered us forgiveness and healing.

Throughout the Bible there are many instances of miraculous healing and signs from God. One of those special occurrences is recorded in John 5. In Jerusalem was a pool named Bethesda, which once in a while an angel would come down and trouble the waters. Whoever stepped foot in the waters first after they were moved, would be healed of whatever disease they had. Sick, lame, and diseased people came from miles around to wait by the pool in hopes of being healed.

Imagine this in today's terms. Think of a doctor who was known to have healing powers. He could heal any sickness, disease, or deformity. It didn't matter what part of the body or the extent of the sickness, he could heal it. If the doctor made a deal that on the third Saturday of every month he would heal the first person he saw when he came out of his house, you can bet that people would be flocking to his home. His yard would be overrun. His neighbors' homes would be overrun. His community would be packed. Anyone who had a terminal illness or ailment would do whatever it took to be the first person he saw.

The same sort of event happened in Jesus' day. The Bible says the pool had five porches that were filled with people waiting, hoping, praying to be the first into the water. But the Bible points out one particular man who had suffered from a disease for thirty-eight years.

The Bible doesn't state exactly how long he had been lying by the pool, but we know it was a long time. Think about the ups and downs of hope and despair he had felt while lying there. He could be the next one healed! But someone else always stepped in before him. He was powerless to help himself. Imagine this man lying there powerless. He couldn't get to the pool fast enough. He never seemed to make it. He couldn't heal himself. His only hope was in the power of the healing waters.

The picture God paints in John 5 about this man can be related to our own state of being. We have been struck with a debilitating disease. We've had this disease since birth (all of us), and we are powerless to heal ourselves. No doctor can heal us, nor physician can make us well. The disease? A sin-infested heart that tends toward bad more than good.

Some "doctors" tell us that we can save ourselves. If we work hard at doing right and obey a list of commands, we can one day hope to have done enough to be saved. But like the diseased man, Jesus tells us we are powerless to save ourselves.

Do you know what happens to the sick man in the rest of the story? Jesus heals him. He didn't need the water because the Son of God had healed his disease. Similarly, we don't need special waters or rituals. Jesus offers us forgiveness and healing of our sickness if we will simply seek Him.

Have you ever thought about your heart's condition? The bad things you've done, thought, or said keep you from being with God, just as the man's disease kept Him from getting to the pool. But Jesus has come alongside you and offered you healing and forgiveness for your sin. Will you accept His hand of help? (To read more about God's healing, visit our website.)

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Ezra 6-8 | John 21