Christ the Better Bethesda

“Now in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Gate, there is a pool which in Hebrew is called Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these porticoes lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, limping, or paralyzed. Now a man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus, upon seeing this man lying there and knowing that he had already been in that condition for a long time, said to him, “Do you want to get well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.” (John 5:2-9, NASB)

Central Park is the biggest landmark in New York City– literally. Looking at a map of Manhattan, it’s impossible to miss the 843 acres that make up this huge, green rectangle in the middle of a city made of concrete, metal, and glass. There are so many iconic corners of the park that have been in movies, TV shows, and music videos.  But probably one of the most recognizable places is the Bethesda Fountain.

This fountain is the largest in New York City, and at the center of the pool is an 8-foot tall statue of an angel. New York City history shows that the fountain and the angel were created to commemorate fresh water being brought to the city in the 1800s. This source of clean water was considered “healing” to New Yorkers that suffered many outbreaks of disease due to the contaminated water they were drinking.

Emma Stebbins, the sculptor of the angel statue in the fountain, said that the statue directly references the Gospel of John, where a pool just outside Jerusalem bearing the same name is seen. This pool just outside the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem is the setting in the beginning of John chapter 5, where Jesus goes with His disciples. This Bethesda was also known for tales of healing. The belief was that every so often an angel disturbed the water of the pool, imbuing it with healing properties, and the first person to dive into the pool would be healed.

Because of this, many sick and disabled people would frequent the pool, hoping to be that fortunate person to be healed of their ailments. One day, Jesus entered this place and struck up conversation with a lame man laying on a mat. This man had been dealing with this issue for 38 years, and probably came to Bethesda so many times that he began to lose hope.

Jesus asks this man if he wanted to get well. The man replied that he did, but due to his condition, he was never the first into the pool and there was no one to help lower him into the pool when the water stirred. Mind you, the pool probably stirred often from any stray wind that blew through the place, so it’s very possible that people were constantly jumping into the water, maybe even while Jesus spoke to this man. Little did anyone know, that while they had their eyes on a pool that may or may not have been a fable– a path to healing that was not guaranteed to last or prove true– that the Son of God came into the room. 

If they knew who stood among them, they would have abandoned the water altogether. 

Because Jesus, the almighty Healer, the wonderful Savior, and the only Messiah was there. And He saw this lame man lying on his mat. He saw his feeble hope to one day be made whole, and Jesus told him to pick up his mat and walk out of Bethesda a healed man. 

Of course, Jesus didn’t heal him to make a spectacle. He didn’t do it so that everyone else would fall over themselves and a healing service would start. He healed that man so that others would believe and give God the Father the glory. He healed that one man so that others would be saved from their sin. A few verses later, Jesus searches out this man to address his soul, telling him to sin no more because he was made well.

To be honest, I see the present-day church when I read this story. I cannot tell you how many healing services I have been to where people run up to the altar, hoping to be anointed with special oil, to be touched by a famous preacher that claims a prolific healing ministry, or to be seen worthy enough to be healed of whatever they’re dealing with. Too often, people want to be that amazing miracle case of instantaneous healing. 

But Jesus healed in so many different ways, and the whole of the New Testament shows different ways that people were also healed in the early church. The people huddled around the Bethesda believed they needed water, but Jesus healed without water. He healed this man without touching him, without any bells or whistles. He simply willed it and it happened. His power and will are not limited by or contingent on anything. 

So why do we place expectation on how He should heal or not heal? Christ is the Bethesda that never runs dry. He is the living water and the better, more permanent answer to any prayer we have. What He has cannot be counterfeited, replicated, or revoked.

By now, anyone who knows me personally knows that my mom spent the better part of the last year battling cancer. When she was first diagnosed, there was a significant desire for a miracle to happen so that she wouldn’t have to go through chemotherapy and the many different struggles that come along with that. And yes, if God wanted a miracle in that way, there would have been a miracle. But God, in all His sovereignty and glory, healed my mother through the means of modern medicine. And that, in and of itself, is a miracle. That her cancer responded to treatment, that she had access to care, and that she is alive in a time and era where chemotherapy is even available. All those things are God grace to my mother in order to heal her.

And today, she is safe and well at home, with no evidence of disease. Was it a harder route than just being healed? Yes. Was it hard to watch her go through it? Absolutely. Did she probably struggle far more than she let me see? I have no doubts. 

But God did heal her. And He healed her His way, His timing, and His means. To His glory. And perhaps as a way to strengthen the faith of someone who witnessed her testimony.

We should remember that today, whatever it is we’re going through that we’re hoping God will deliver us from; whether praying for physical healing and relief from infirmity, believing in Him to save a loved one from sin, or trusting in Him to come through on what you’re going through– don’t train your eyes on your own personal Bethesda and completely miss God when He arrives. Don’t box Him in to answer prayer in the way you expect Him to, or rely on something other than God Himself to provide that answer.

And if He doesn’t answer your prayer, don’t lose hope. Jesus works so that others might believe, even if that person is you, and sometimes He uses our weaknesses as a way to keep us leaning on Him.