Jeremiah 29:11 This is verse is about 70 years of exile and trial, but this is their promise. God is for me and provides grace and perseverance. He will keep until the end.
The pool
The waters had to be moving when one completely entered the pool, but there was a limit and the man in the story had limitations. Bethesda (“house of mercy”) is where God is. Jesus didn’t pick him up and put him in the water. He asked, “Would you like to be made whole?”
The man
The man's strength had no part in his healing. He was likely exhausted, dirty, and injured from crawling to the pool. Perhaps he was the most hopeless of all. The man might have been under a cloak or cover to shade himself from the sun and others' view. This type of covering can symbolize disappointments and heartache.
The Savior
Jesus spoke to the man first. He wasn’t seeking for Jesus. His testimony was not, “I found God in some kind of spiritual experience.”
Healing is not as a result of personal righteousness or faithfulness. Only God is sovereign and can heal. The Old Testament is full of dysfunctional families and humans that do not always act virtuously. Salvation isn’t about the saving of righteous people.
The Sabbath
Which law did Jesus break by healing the man? What work did he do? His actions were not against the law of God, but against their law.
After creating everything, God rested on the seventh day. The Sabbath doesn't just represent the opposite of work. On the seventh day, he reigned and observed the creation he made. When Jesus was at the pool, he was reigning.
I can’t reign with God if I am sinning; I can't say I’m waiting on God if my life is in turmoil. Take it to the cross and leave it there. Discouragement, depression, and addiction separates me from good things. These things can also be left there. When Jesus took the “cup” to the cross, it died there and was no longer part of him at his resurrection. This process creates rest.
