3/12/2024 (Tuesday) Today’s gospel reading: John 5:1-16

1 There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.
3 In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.
5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?”
7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”
9 Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. Now that day was a sabbath.
10 So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”
11 He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’”
12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?”
13 The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.
14 After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.”
15 The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
16 Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.

3/12/2024 (Tuesday) Today’s gospel reflection / homily /sermon: John 5:1-16

In the gospel reading above, we read the stirring story of a man healed by Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda, a place where many believed healing could be found in its waters. This man had been ill for thirty-eight years, lying among a multitude of sick people, waiting for his moment of healing. When Jesus saw him and learned of his long affliction, He asked, “Do you want to get well?” This question was not about the man’s desire for physical healing alone but touched on a deeper willingness to change his life.

Jesus’ command, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk,” was an invitation to faith and action. Instantly, the man was healed, picking up his mat and walking for the first time in decades. This miracle, performed on the Sabbath, sparked controversy among the religious leaders, yet it underscores a profound message about the essence of God’s work in our lives.

This narrative is a powerful reminder of several truths. First, it speaks to the compassion of Jesus, who seeks us out in our places of waiting and suffering, offering healing and transformation. It challenges us to consider what we are waiting for and whether we are ready to embrace the change God offers.

Furthermore, the story illustrates that God’s blessings often come in unexpected ways and times. The healing at Bethesda wasn’t just about physical restoration but about breaking free from the limitations that bind us, whether they are of the body, mind, or spirit.

Let this story inspire us to never lose hope, to believe in the possibility of change, and to act on our faith. May we always be ready to answer when Jesus asks if we want to be made well, embracing His healing and the new paths it opens for us with courage and trust.

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