February 02, 2026 | Be Connected
Jesus Heals a Lame Man by a Pool
Scripture: John 5:1-15(NIV)
1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 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. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 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?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 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.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Devotional
I work for the state legislature, and my job is to support the computer needs of the legislators and staff of both parties. Yesterday, I was walking in a statehouse tunnel to do some work when I was politely but firmly advised by the Secret Service that I would be walking no closer to where the Vice President was meeting with other political leaders!
Today, I read this verse again and wondered what if the Vice President did not come to Indianapolis to go to the statehouse, but rather he went directly to Riley Children's Hospital? A hospital is not where we would expect to see the VP, and the Sheep Gate pool is not where we would expect Jesus.
Typically, we might think Jesus would be talking with the Priests and Rabbis, performing rituals or making sacrifices. But, there He was, doing what He had done throughout His ministry: hanging out with sinners, forgiving sins and healing people like this man at the Sheep Gate pool.
Jesus had been telling people the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand (Matt3:2, Matt 4:17, Mark 1:15), and here He was creating a little pocket of heaven for a man who had suffered for thirty-eight years. That was certainly good news for this man.
The good news for us is Jesus was on His way to the cross to absorb our sins. He would become the temple so we could go into God's presence without going to Jerusalem and making an animal sacrifice.
The best news is this was all part of God's master plan to reunite us with Him by ending the present age of sin and death. Revelation tells us Jesus will redeem all of human history in a renewed creation where God's space and human space completely overlap again. (Tim Mackey).
Before the end of the age, you might find yourself in a place like I did yesterday wondering to yourself, "well, how did I get here?" Then ask yourself an even better question, "how can I follow the model of Jesus and change somebody's world?" I am not sure what that looks like exactly, but we can start imitating our Savior's example by placing ourselves with people who cannot return our generosity, making time and taking the energy to heal others with kindness and pointing them to the One who can forgive sins.
