There was a pool in Jerusalem named Bethesda, near the sheep market. There were five arch covered porches around this pool. Those who were sick, afflicted or crippled would lay around on these porches, waiting for an angel to stir the waters. It was said that whoever got into the water first, after the angel stirred the water, would be healed of whatever affliction they had.

On this particular day, there was a feast of the Jews, so there were large crowds of people in Jerusalem. “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath”. (JOHN 5:5 – 9)

On another occasion, Jesus had told the Jews that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath, but they just couldn’t understand, especially the scribes and Pharisees. Since they did not have a heart after God’s heart, they could not understand that God’s desire was for man to seek God’s heart and walk humbly in holiness with Him, not just to follow the letter of the law, without their heart being in it: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (MICAH 6:8) “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” (2COR. 3:6) “…there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (MARK 12:32b – 33).

These Jews were fault finders who didn’t care to get their heart into serving God, but tried to serve God with “head knowledge” and not the heart: “He (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people hounoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.” (MARK 7:6,7). That’s what so many “professing Christians” do today. They don’t have the mind of Christ, because they have never truly repented and ask the Lord to be their Lord and Savior. They have never given themselves to the Lordship of Christ and simply go through the motions of worship and have never received the life and mind of Christ. Even though they are spiritually dead, they have deceived their own hearts to believe that if they do certain things and don’t do other things, then they are pleasing God. They think that by following certain rules, then they will gain eternal life. But, they can’t quit sinning and teach that no one can live without sin, when the word of God says: “ Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you…He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil (1JOHN 3:6,7a & 8) . And Jesus said: “Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (sin).” (MATT. 7:22,23). This is the reason the Jews accused this crippled man, who had been healed, of breaking the sabbath and demanded for him to tell them who told him to carry his bed on the sabbath day!

There are several things wrong here, but we will focus on just two of them. 1 – These hypocrites didn’t have anything better to do than to accuse a man who had been crippled and unable to walk for 38 years of sinning because he was carrying his mat (bed) back home. Did none of them care that this man had received a miracle of healing after 38 years of impotency? They were so blinded by their self-righteousness, that they could only feel rage against anyone who would tell someone to break one of their rules!

2 – Wouldn’t you think that a man who had been crippled and unable to walk for 38 years would want to know who healed him? “ Then they ask him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” (JOHN 5:12 – 14).

You would think that a man that was just healed of such a terrible thing, would humble himself unto the Lord and worship Him and thank Him. Is that what this man did? No! Even when Jesus had told him to sin no more, he went running to the Jews, whom he knew hated Jesus, and sought to kill him (v. 16). Then he told them it was Jesus who healed him. I can almost imagine this fellow enthusiastically crying out “I know who it is now, it’s Jesus! If you come quickly, you can catch him before he gets away!”. What kind of gratitude is that?

Now let’s look at another healing and then we will compare the two. In JOHN chapter 9, we find Jesus had hid himself and escaped out of the temple from the Jews who had taken up rocks to stone Him to death, because He had told them that He was the “I AM” (JOHN 8:58). There was a man who was born blind and some of the Lord’s disciples ask him if this man was born blind because his parents had sinned or because of his own sins. “Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” (JOHN 9:3). Jesus spit on the ground and made some mud, which he applied to the blind man’s eyes, and told him to go to the pool of Siloam and wash the mud off. The man didn’t question Jesus, he just went to the pool and did as Jesus said. “…He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” (JOHN 9:7b). Well, it wasn’t long before several people who knew this blind man could see that he had received his sight. When asked how he had received his sight, he simply told them what happened and he let them know that it was Jesus, who had performed this miracle. The people brought the man to the Pharisees ( probably those on the Sanhedrin Council). This was a sabbath day and these Pharisees didn’t like it one bit that Jesus had healed this man on the sabbath. When asked, he told them how the Lord healed him. Some of them said that Jesus couldn’t be of God, because He had healed this man on the sabbath, but others said such a miracle had to be of God.

These Pharisees couldn’t agree if the man had really been blind and healed, so they sent for the man’s parents. The parents were afraid, because the council had already declared that if any one said that Jesus was the Christ, then they would be put out of the temple (disfellowshipped). The parents said this is our son and he was born blind, but we don’t know how he received his sight. He is an adult, so ask him and let him speak for himself. When the Pharisees told him to give God the glory, because Jesus was a sinner. “He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” (JOHN 9:25). Then they asked him to tell them again how he was healed. He said, I have already told you, do you want to hear it again so that you can become His disciples? Now they were really mad! “We know that God spake unto Moses; as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out (disfellowshipped him), (JOHN 9:29 – 34).

When Jesus knew that they had disfellowshipped him, He sought him out and asked him: “…Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.” (JOHN 9:35b – 38).

In the first healing, the man didn’t even care to know the name of the one who healed him after 38 years of being crippled. When Jesus told him to sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee, he showed his lack of gratitude by running to the enemies of Jesus and telling them: Jesus did it! He’s the one who healed me on the sabbath day and told me to carry my bed, contrary to the law of Moses! You can almost hear him telling them where Jesus was, like he wanted them to catch him.

But, we find this man who was born blind and then healed by Jesus, boldly telling the council: “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.” And when Jesus tells him that He is the Son of God, this man believed on Him and worshipped Him!

I hope that none of us act like the crippled man, but the truth is, there are many that do. To one degree or another, we are guilty of this same attitude when we take the blessings of God casually. Every day, God blesses us in some way or another, even on our worst days. If we let the devil cause us to dwell on what’s going wrong, rather than all the things God has done for us, then we don’t worship Him and Give thanks to Him, as we should. Let’s strive to worship our Lord and Our God and give Him praise and glory in all that we think, say and do.

“I WILL ENTER HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING IN MY HEART, I WILL ENTER HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE. I WILL SAY THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, I WILL REJOICE FOR HE HATH MADE ME GLAD”!

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (EPH. 5:19,20).