Title: Miracle of Bethesda
Contents
First, Jesus came to Bethesda to show that He is with us in pain and despair.
All those who were at the pool of Bethesda were groaning under the burden of life. They were living day by day, hanging from the scythe-like hope that they had to enter first, with no place or anyone to be comforted. That is where Jesus came in the presence of love. Just as it was the case of Immanuel that he forsook the glory of heaven and took on the flesh, the Lord is with us in our pain and problems. The Lord came with them to give true freedom and peace to those who are oppressed under the heavy burden of sin and death. Therefore, as the church, we, like the Lord who found Bethesda, must look back at our responsibilities.
Second, he showed us that false beliefs cannot save us. Faith in Bethesda does not make you better. False beliefs destroy our lives. This man had a false belief and stayed here for 38 years and wasted most of his life. If we do not know the right path of life, we have no choice but to choose the foolish path to live. King Saul chooses the foolish way to find the shaman of Endor instead of seeking God. In the end, King Saul could not find God's answer and ended his life by death. What the patients of Bethesda really needed was not a quick descent into the water, but Jesus Christ, the true way and answer to life.
Third, life can have life and life in Jesus. This sick man was healed, not because Jesus put him into the water, but because the Lord healed him. It is a serious disease, an old disease that cannot be cured by human strength, but the word of the Lord healed him. The command to get up, pick up your bed and walk was a proclamation of power. He, who had been ill for a long time and had a deep despair, was restored by the words of Jesus and escaped from that place. It was not a vague waiting, but the history of new life appeared in Jesus Christ and His Word to allow him to experience a new life. What is holding you back? What prevents us from believing in the power of God's word and walking under the light of that life? We need to get out of the seat of frustration and stand in the place of hope to hear the words of Jesus. The Word will renew our lives with the power and power to resurrect and renew us.