John 5:2-9 "Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool..."

"Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-za’tha, which has five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him 'Do you want to be healed?' The sick man answered him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me.' Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.' And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked" (John 5:2-9 RSV).

Comment:

There are several important points to be noted, I think, in this story from the Gospel of John. Its underlying theme is that sickness and healing are questions, not of physicality, but of consciousness. The “invalids” gather together, supporting each other in their afflictions and waiting for outside intervention. (The tradition was that when the water in the pool rippled, it was the sign of the presence of an angel, and the first person into the water would be healed.) The man in question had been coming for 38 years, hoping to be the first into the pool and never succeeding. His is the ultimate victim consciousness—it's not his fault, it's just the way things are. No wonder Jesus begins by asking if he does, in fact, want to be healed. And that's another important point to note. Jesus does not simply assume that a healing is desired. He realizes that some people may be learning important spiritual lessons through their afflictions. We, too, need to be sure that we don't simply impose our assumptions onto others, but that we honor their process and support whatever unfoldment they choose to affirm.   Once the man has stated his willingness—along with all the reasons why the healing can't happen—Jesus is able to bring out the healing that was always possible. The message is: If you want to claim a healing, make healing choices. Lying around waiting for something or someone outside yourself to heal you is not a healing choice. Declaring a healing intention and then acting on that intention—“Rise, take up your pallet, and walk”—will bring the healing into expression.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed