Jesus Wants Us To Be Well

𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐄𝐳𝐞 𝟒𝟕:𝟏-𝟗, 𝟏𝟐

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟒𝟔: 𝟐-𝟑, 𝟓-𝟔, 𝟖-𝟗 “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬;

𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐉𝐍 𝟓:𝟏-𝟏𝟔

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍?” (𝒗.6)

Today’s Gospel reading reveals in no uncertain terms the plan of God for each one of us beginning from the man who had been sick for 38 years to whom Jesus posed this question: 𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍?” (𝒗.6)

In this very simple question, we find the totality of God’s plan for all of us whom he has created who are just a notch below the angels. And that plan is for all of us to be well which simply means that God wants us all to be sound in body, mind and spirit.

An abundant life that he cited as the reason for why he came (𝐉𝐧 𝟏𝟎:𝟏𝟎) is what God wants us to have. Again, an abundant life meaning we are at peace with everyone including ourselves and with everything that is around us.

And who wouldn’t want to live in abundance? Anyone who has been sick for that long would jump to his feet if such an opportunity presents itself. I may not have experienced what this man underwent for 38 years, and I could only imagine the torment, the struggle, the humiliation and the self-pity at being immobile not to mention the feeling of unworthiness.

His illness and pitiable state have become a way of life for this man. Notwithstanding the fact that there was no one to help him to bring him to the pool of Bethesda (some manuscripts say Bethsaida while some said Bethzatha), this man lay at the portico leading to the pool hoping against hope for a miracle.

The Jews at that time believed that the pool was endowed with healing properties and this was the reason why the gate to the pool was crowded with sick people – blind, lame, or paralyzed (𝐯.𝟐) and it was this scene that Jesus saw upon his return to Jerusalem following his journey to Cana where he turned the water into wine, in Galilee where he healed the dying son of a government official.

But historians claim that beneath the pool was a subterranean stream that releases bubbles that creates a stir at the water’s surface and the Jews in those days believed that this stirring of the pool was caused by an angel and the belief then was that the first person to get into the pool after the water had been stirred would be healed from any illness.

And for 38 years this man waited for his chance to get near the pool but since there was no one to help him into the pool when the water is stirred, someone else manages to get before he could (𝐯.𝟕). Then and now, we see invalids who have not only lost hope of being cured but have even used their afflictions to an advantage.

But this man was different, and Jesus probably saw through his desire to get well if only there was someone who will help him get into the pool. His desire to get well was what moved Jesus to say: “𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝒖𝒑! 𝑷𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒖𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌” (𝒗.8).

In effect, what this Gospel passage is showing us is that like the man in this narrative we need to have the desire to be healed before we could be healed. What we can learn from this passage is that Jesus is compassionate to those who recognize their own helplessness and their dependency on God and miracles do happen when we are able to subordinate our human will to God’s Will and power.

What this passage also shows is that regardless of the kind of afflictions that we are experiencing now or no matter how big our problems may be, God can meet our deepest needs for his Grace is more than sufficient for our needs.

Let us not dwell anymore on the actuations of the religious leaders who accused Jesus of violating the law of the Sabbath but let us look closely and reflect on the last few verses towards the end of this Gospel passage.

When Jesus met the man again at the Temple, he told the man: “𝑺𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏. 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖” (𝒗.14). As we draw near towards the Holy Week, it is important that we are reminded of the connectedness between sin and sickness. As the Jews generally believed then that when a man suffers or becomes ill the assumption was that he has sinned and the Rabbis claim: “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯.”

This Gospel passage also shows us the life-giving properties of water. In the First Reading we see water flowing out in trickles until it became a torrent and into a river where trees at its banks grew and bore much fruit. In the Gospel of John, we read of the water in the pool that anyone who dips in it when the water was stirred would be healed.

Such is also the Grace of God that is given to all. It starts as a trickle until such time that we can comprehend the beauty and vastness of God’s Grace, and it is by this Grace that we are able to love God more and our neighbor as well.

In this Lenten Season, let us spend some time to look at how we have lived our lives and see the parts where we have become like the invalid man in this Gospel passage. It would probably be a good idea if we will score ourselves in relation to the following six situations in the next paragraph which puts in motion our calling as Christian disciples (𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝟐𝟓:𝟑𝟓-𝟑𝟔).

1) Was 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵-𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺? (2) 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘺? (3) 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴? (4) 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴? (5) 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬? 𝘢𝘯𝘥, (6) 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺? You may not be aware of it but if you came up short in at least four of these six situations and if you scored anything below 4 you may be experiencing the symptoms of becoming an invalid. Being an invalid does not necessarily mean a physical disability but also spiritual disability.

This happens when we become oblivious to the situation around us and we tend to look at the poverty that pervades in our society as being part of the landscape. It is when we close our fists and withhold our help to those in need that we suffer from becoming an invalid spiritually.

And we can be cured of this sickness by simply having the desire to seek the power of Christ to fill our lives for it is only through Jesus that we can emerge victorious in this life. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 1, 2025)

“𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍?” (𝒗.6)