Prayer:
O Jesus, heal my body and remove my sins.
Imagination:
Picture Jesus speaking to the healed man.
Context:
John portrays Jesus as going to Jerusalem on feast days to show that Jesus fulfills Jewish aspirations concerning the Messiah. This is the third sign of new life (preceded by Cana and healing the official’s son). The pool is clearly identified as the one near the sheep Gate.
Gospel Text: (Read slowly, possibly aloud.)
Jesus went up to Jerusalem on a feast day, going to a pool where many sick waited for the waters to be stirred. A certain sick man had been there for thirty eight years. Knowing that he had been sick a long time, Jesus said, “Do you want to be healed?” He said, “Sir, I do not have anyone to plunge me into the pool once the water has been stirred and someone gets in ahead of me.”
Jesus said, “Stand up. Pick up your mat and walk.” The man was immediately healed. He picked up his mat and walked. It was the Sabbath. The Jews said to him, “It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to take up your mat.” He answered, “The one who made me whole told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’” They asked, “Who is the man?” The healed man did not know who it was. The crowd was so great that Jesus had slipped away.
Later, Jesus found him in the temple and said, “You are made whole. Sin no more so that something worse does not happen to you.” The man told the Jews that it was Jesus who made him whole. Therefore, the Jews persecuted Jesus because he did these things on the Sabbath.
Thoughts: (Read all. Ponder the ones that attract you.)
- Jesus chooses to heal this man because he has been sick for so long.
- The pool was frequently stirred from below. The sick tried to enter the pool while the stirring was taking place.
- Since Jesus is the new healing water, the man needed only Jesus, not the pool.
- By placing Sabbath laws first, the Jews reject this new source of God’s grace.
- Although healed, the man can still lose eternal life. This is Jesus’ concern.
- In great simplicity, the man reports Jesus, totally unaware of the Jews’ desire to kill him.
Affections: (When one touches your heart, use your own words.)
- O Lord, how long I have been sick with my sins and imperfections.
- You look at me. You know my sorry state. You pick me out of the crowd.
- You say to me, “Stand up.” Suddenly, I have great strength.
- O Jesus, I will remain with you and you will give me eternal life.
- Why do people not love you? You bless everyone.
Resolutions: (Possibly you might want to make your own.)
+ I will live this day in hope that Jesus will choose me for his blessings.
+ I will not listen to what others want me to do.