Water or the Healer

After writing about the Seven I Am statements in the book of John and creating a whole collection around them, I was intrigued to dig into the Seven Miracles John writes about.  In the Gospel of John, the Signs (or miracles) are given to us to lead the reader to faith.  You can read his purpose as he closes out his book in the last chapter.

John 20:30-31: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Today I read about the third miracle where Jesus heals the lame man by the pool.  If you are not familiar with this miracle, in Jerusalem there is a pool of Bethesda where many blind, lame, or paralyzed people will lay by.  It is said that whenever the pool stirs/bubbles up, the first one into the water would be healed.  The miracle isn’t about the waters but a lame man who has been sitting there for 38 years.  And Jesus came to heal this man.

What caught me today was a quote from Spurgeon per the (BBB),

A multitude of needy people were there, yet none of them looked to Jesus. “A blindness had come over these people at the pool; there they were, and there was Christ, who could heal them, but not a single one of them sought him.  Their eyes were fixed on the water, expecting it to be troubled; they were so taken up with their own chosen way that the true way was neglected.”

Chosen Way vs. True Way

This idea of chosen way really made me think.  What is my chosen way?  What ways of this world am I following?  What ways of “church religion” am I following versus the Jesus’ way?  This was truly humbling and I sat almost the rest of my morning time contemplating this thought.  So many things came to mind. I’m not about to bare my soul and tell you about all the ways I’m screwing up, but I do urge you to sit with this question yourself.  What is your chosen way verses the true way?  How are we like the group of sick people waiting by the pool for healing when all we need to do is look up to the One who heals.

What do we think we “need” from this world to feel whole? 

If I could only have this? Do this? Be with this person? Be this way?

Where are our eyes fixed? Where is our focus? What do we desire?

The water or the healer?

photo by joanna klapperick

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