Thru the Gospel of John Загвар

Look to Jesus!

Jesus continued to heal people and became more popular, and the religious leaders started paying attention. What happens here in John 5 marks the turning point in Jesus’ time on earth.

Let’s meet the paralyzed man whom Jesus healed. For 38 years, he sat by the pool of Bethesda, hoping to be healed. Jewish folklore said that angels stirred this pool with their wings, and when the water moved, the first who got in would be healed. 

When Jesus meets this man, Jesus’ first words to him are, “Do you want to be made well?” Why did Jesus ask such an odd question to someone who has been sick for so long?

First, to stir hope in him. More importantly, Jesus wanted to get his eyes off the pool and looking to Him. What about you? Are you stuck in your current situation, waiting for something to happen? Look instead to Jesus. 

That’s what the paralyzed man did. At Jesus’ command to get up and walk, he picked up his bed (proof that he was healed) and walked.

You’d think everyone would be overcome with joy at this miracle, but the religious leaders objected because the miracle happened on the Sabbath. They also objected to Jesus making Himself equal with God (see verse 18), saying Jesus said these three great principles about Himself: 

• “I’m God. I do what God does. I can forgive sin.” Read John 5:19. 
• “I raise the dead because the Son is God” This is also the reason He can give us everlasting life today. Read John 5:20, 21.
• “I came to save, but will also come to judge the next time.” Read John 5:22. But if you’ll hear the Word and believe on Him, you won’t come into judgment but will pass from death to life. 

The Lord Jesus is a life-giver (verse 26) who will make you a new spiritual creation. Jesus was the living Word of God, yet the spiritual leaders they looked for God in Scripture, but didn’t recognize Jesus for who He was. If you look for Him, you’ll find Jesus on every page of the Bible.

Next: Find out what God can do with 5 hamburger buns and 2 sardines…

Question: Sometimes God uses a difficult thing to help us look for Him—or discover Him. If that something hard in your life never happened, would you be looking for God?