John 5

40 Days of John

Day 8: John 5

Jesus heals a man who has been paralyzed for 38 years.  Essentially this man has been waiting for "his turn," believing that this pool is just what he needs to get better, to be better.  Yet, the man cannot get to the water.  It's a sad situation.  

And then the paralyzed man has an unexpected encounter with Jesus.  Jesus tells the man to get up and walk.  It's unexplainably awesome, miraculous even.

It's also significant that Jesus heals this paralyzed man on the Sabbath, and so religious leaders of the time begin to criticize Jesus for "working" on this holy day of rest.  

Jesus, in response, begins to openly tell people that He is God's son, sent to bring life to those who will believe in Him.  He ties Himself to God's Word as spoken through Moses and John the Baptist.  

It seems Jesus is explaining Himself.  He is trying to help the religious leaders put the pieces of their faith puzzle together.  Jesus is trying to show them the even bigger picture of who He really is.

Even if we have never been physically paralyzed, I don't think it's difficult to relate to times in our own lives when we have experienced some period of emotional and/or spiritual paralysis.  

And whether we have a strong belief in Jesus or not, we're human.  If we are honest, we can admit to periods of missing Jesus' point and purpose in our lives.  We have a tendency to get caught up in the less significant details of life.  We don't always connect the dots in our faith, to recognize Jesus' relationship to God's living Word and the way we live everyday... similar to the religious leaders of Jesus' day.

Jesus reminds you and me what we need to remember through our questions,

"My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working."

John 5:17

Jesus breaks the rules.  He is always at work.  And Jesus' work is often beyond our logical reasoning.  Yet we can believe in Him.  We can rely on Him.  We can hold Him to His Word.

A prayer for today-

Dear God,

Thank You for revealing Yourself to us as we go through our lives day to day.  

Forgive me for getting stuck at times in my logical and limited thinking.  

Lord, I pray You will help me to see people and situations through the lens of faith, through Your love, and Your amazing grace.

I pray especially today for ______________________ who is physically, emotionally and/or spiritually paralyzed.  I pray for you to bless ________________________ and make a difference in his/her life.

I praise You, Lord, and I love You.  Your works are so good.

In the name of Jesus I pray,

Amen

Peace of Christ,

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more.