An underwater spring caused the pool of Bethesda to bubble occasionally. The people believed the first person to touch the water after the bubbles would be healed. “A man was lying there who had been sick for thirty-eight years” (John 5:5). What do we have in common with this four-decade invalid? Simple – our predicament and our hope.
Our predicament is described in Hebrews 12:14 (NCV): “Anyone whose life is not holy will never see the Lord.” Perfection is a requirement for eternity. We, like the invalid, are paralyzed. Our only hope is that God will do for us what he did for the man at Bethesda—step out of the temple and step into our ward of hurt and helplessness. Which is exactly what he has done. “God made you alive with Christ, and He forgave all our sins” (Colossians 2:13 NCV).
