Do You Want to be Well?

~~~ Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 ~~~ Psalm 46 ~~~ John 5:1-16 ~~~

“Do you want to be well?”

Near the entrance gates there was a special pool of water.
This pool was to known to have healing waters.
Those near by would watch and wait for the swirling of the waters.
The people believed that to be the sign that healing would occur.
The first to get into the water would experience the healing.

The movement in the water
they were waiting for could have been
the natural bubbling of the spring.
Or was it something much more, like the healing
Spirit of the Lord?

There is definitely something soothing
about the sound of a babbling brook of water.

Here is what the Bible footnote tells us...
 “For [from time to time] an angel of the Lord used to come down 
into the pool; and the water was stirred up, 
so the first one to get in [after the stirring of the water] 
was healed of whatever disease afflicted him.” 
The angel was a popular explanation of the turbulence 
and the healing powers attributed to it. 

Jesus was particularly sensitive to the needs of those
who had been suffering for extended periods of time.
Remember the woman who had the issue of the blood for twelve years.
Jesus healed the woman after she came to him.
The lame man in today's Gospel had been suffering for thirty-eight years.

After this (healing) Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,
“Look, you are well; do not sin any more,
so that nothing worse may happen to you.”

Just as Jesus healed the soul of the Samaritan woman
by revealing to her all of her sins;
Jesus reconciles this man and makes him whole.

The Jews could not stand that Jesus was going about
 performing these great acts of healing when they could not.

They were actually jealous, but kept attacking Jesus
about the actions he performed on the Sabbath.

That was something they knew how to do;
they were good at correcting and admonishing others.

“Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”

Jesus blesses regardless of the movement of the water.
Jesus does not rely on the angels to stir the water.
Jesus looks into the heart and heals from there.
Jesus heals the heart and the body reacts in kind.

We must believe that God will heal us and then it will happen.
His healing may not always be the healing we have envisioned;
but healing just the same.

When Jesus is present in our life
 the waters of our soul will be stirred.
For He knows the desires of our heart.
He knows that which we long for.
His healing often connects to forgiveness and mercy.

Still today we hold sacred some therapeutic bodies of water,
Lourdes comes first to mind.

Water blesses us with life, healing,
cleansing, and forgiveness.

Peace.