Questions

          Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.  Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.  One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
          “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one healed had no idea who it was,” for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
            Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”  The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well. (john 5:1-15)

            “Who was that masked man?” I today’s passage, Jesus performed a flash miracle. He snuck into an area crowded with disabled folks, healed one, and slipped away again. He could have healed them all. Why just one? Why just then? Why that one? Why did He sneak? Any answer is speculation, and I will begin with the fact that there may not be one answer. Jesus may have had ten reasons for sneaking, and four for picking that man.

Why Just One?

          There are a couple reasons that come to mind why Jesus may have only chosen to heal one. Healing was not Jesus’ primary ministry, it confirmed His ministry. He didn’t need to heal everyone to prove His legitimacy. It also confirmed it in a dramatic way.

Why Just Then?

          We’re not talking about a guy who sprained his ankle this morning. He’d been there for thirty-eight years, which was as much as eight years longer than Jesus had been alive. That’s way too long a con for a long con. It did what needed to be done, dramatically and without overwhelming.     

Why That One?

         He didn’t deserve it more than the rest, but he might have needed it more. He had been disabled for thirty-eight years. Had he been spending all day every day since then at the pool, waiting? How many care-givers did this man have? I’ve taken care of someone who needed physical assistance for two months, and it’s hard. Why didn’t they park him right at the edge of the pool? If they had, was he so weak that other invalids and their care-givers could move him back so that they would have the convenient spot?
         It doesn’t tell us whether he ever went anywhere else. Did he spend part of the day begging? That way, he might have been able to contribute to his own care. Or, had he so pinned his hopes on a miracle that he would do nothing else? Sometimes, I want to shake this man and tell him, “take action on your own behalf!” Sometimes, I stand in wonder of his faith. I suspect I would not prevail upon my caregivers to take me to a spot of potential miraculous healing for thirty-eight years. They didn’t have the options we have. I’d just stay at home and die, especially if I’d lived back then and been disabled for a while.

Why Did He Sneak?

         This question seems to be easier to answer. First, if Jesus had made a production out of it, all the other disabled people would have mobbed Him. He would have ended up healing many, and the story of this man would have been lost. Secondly, as noted before, the goal at this point seemed to be to confirm Jesus’ ministry rather than to confront the Pharisees.

Why did Jesus say what He did?

        One more question needs to be asked. Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed. Later, he told the man to stop sinning or something worse might happen. Who would not want to be healed? Who wouldn’t want their problems solved for them? This man had been disabled for thirty-eight years. Thirty-eight years of not having a job, not supporting himself except by appealing to the mercy of others. It’s easy to think “Of course, everyone would want to be healed! Everyone would like their problems solved for them!” That’s not true, as it turns out.
          Studies have shown that if you give a kid a car, he tends to not take care of the car. If you make the kid earn the money to pay at least a good part of the cost of the car, he takes better care of it. Those who win large sums of money often end up at least as poor as they were before they won the money. Housing provided to the poor often ends up being run down quickly. Prisoners released from prison sometimes find that they can’t cope with freedom. Sometimes, people don’t want the responsibility that comes from their problems being fixed. Sometimes, they don’t know how to deal life made whole.
          It’s not even the basket cases and charity cases that have this problem. I’ve been there. There have been things I did not do because it asked too much of me. It’s easier to whine.
          And what of the warning to stop sinning? Does that mean his disability was related to some sin? In our society, we shame those who blame the victim, but sometimes, victims do bring problems on themselves. We don’t know what sin Jesus was warning him about, but a few come to mind. When one is in pain, it becomes a major focus. Easing that pain can be a priority in life, but it can also lead to sins like addiction and bitterness.
          Today’s post has employed a brief means of Bible study. As you read a passage, see how many questions you can ask about it? Aim for twenty-five or more. See how many you can answer. Even if you don’t find answers to all of them, you’ll benefit from interacting with the passage.