Healing Possible ...

Thursday, May 15, 2014. The bible offers us fantastic healing stories. Let us have a look at John 5, where Jesus heals a lame man just by one sentence. Have a look …

The Paralysed Man …

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews4 said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

First of all: Jesus can heal with just one sentence. The whole bible is full of such stories. He even calls Lazarus back to life, just by one sentence. You might have your personal doubts, but when you look a little closer into all of these, you will find a universe of wonders which are quite realistic in the light of God!

Light and Freedom …

Where Jesus is, there is light and freedom. It is light of the mind. It is freedom to help. It is the freedom of the power of the most high. Where he is, he is taking us right into his light!

Jesus found this man in the temple. Somehow, the man seems to look for God. He seems to be attracted by God. And there, Jesus finds him. I see here message: God sees our search, he clearly sees it when our heart longs for him.

Jesus did not care about the Sabbath here. This is clearly difficult, since the Sabbath reflects God's rest and God's own rules, given to Israel. But healing is more important than the Sabbath rule. Jesus is above the rule, not below the rule which was given to help to heal humans - to prevent them to become completely absorbed into their worldly goals.

And Jesus is calling the healed man to change his life. He is calling him to live in his light, not to sin any more. Sin is any action which separates us from the light of God. So we all are called to be healed as well. With many parts of our life we are as paralysed as the man here. But the power of Jesus can overcome all our difficulties. Talk to him! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts