Musings on John 5:1-9

We have read and/or heard the story of the man at the pool many times. We know that Jesus worked many miracles in his time, certainly many more than those recorded in the Gospels. This story touches me today in a different way from the way it has in the past. What stood out for me in today’s reading is the great respect that Jesus demonstrated when he approached the man. When Jesus met the man at the pool, he did something very interesting. He asked the man, “Do you want to be made well?” Jesus made no assumptions about the man’s desires, no assumptions about his health condition, not even assumptions about what may have seemed obvious. I suppose Jesus could have healed the man when he saw the man lying near the pool. Jesus could have even offered to help the man get to the pool that was known for its healing properties.  Instead, Jesus asked the man whether the man wanted to be healed. The man’s answer, though not a direct answer according to our reading, did affirm his desire to be healed. Once the man responded with the reasons why he was unable to get to the pool, Jesus told him to pick up his bed and walk. The man got up, walked, and became another example of God’s miraculous healing power. The miracle, however, took deliberate action, not on Jesus’s part, but on the man’s part.

Just like the individual at the pool, our miracles will be activated by our own action. Many times, we expect a miracle to happen, but we do not get up to take the action steps necessary to manifest our miracles. Even those of us who often say that we have faith, neglect to see the role of our own action in the fulfillment of our miracles. I invite you this week to think about your answer to that question. “Do you want to be healed?” And if your answer is yes, step out on faith, pick up your bed and walk. Your miracle will begin with you taking deliberate action.

Rev. Elder D. Parrish-Harris, Pastor

Unity Fellowship Church of Columbia, Maryland