Healing at the Pool of Bethesda

In John chapter 5, Jesus visits the Pool of Bethesda. There the sick and the lame lie waiting, believing that when the waters are stirred the first person into the water will be healed—but only the first. This means that an awful race must occur when the waters stir, favoring the most able. The least able, most sick, and most isolated have the least opportunity to be granted healing. When Jesus arrives, he approaches a man lying there for 38 years. The greatest significance of Jesus’ miracle at the Pool is not that he heals this man, but that he goes intentionally to the one who is most isolated and furthest from help. This sermon series will meditate on Christ’s example in this story as a model for us as His followers, as we share the health and healing ministry of Jesus with our community and the world.