Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. (John 5:3)
Expanded Passage: John 5:1-4
My wife and I recently returned from a trip to Israel. Over a ten-day period, we visited dozens of sites, many considered to be “holy” or “sacred” because of their proximity to Christ in the days of antiquity. They were breathtaking, certainly—but not inherently “blessed.”
The pool at Bethesda was a place where the frail, the sick, and the lame could gather with the hope of receiving healing. In those days, you would travel to where the healing could (hopefully) be found. It could have been a priest in some town, or a man of God passing through a nearby village. There are multiple accounts in Scripture of Jesus traveling through regions, the roadways filled with people hoping to catch a glimpse of him, to receive a blessing or a curative touch.
Today, we don’t need to go anywhere special to receive God’s healing, because he has left us with everything we need. We have the church, the gathered body of believers, where the Spirit of God dwells. We have the Word of God, which is the voice of God speaking actively to us. We also have the Holy Spirit that lives inside every believer, whom Jesus sent to take his place. With all the access we have to God, we need only to bring ourselves near to him, and he will give us all that we need.
Take a moment to meet God right where you are.
Jareb Collins is a senior pastor in Warrenton, Missouri, in the Tri-State District of The Wesleyan Church, and the author of Handbook for the Broken Hearted.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
