John 5. The Gospel of John has offered us a glimpse into how Jesus interacts with many different types of people – wedding crashers, Jewish religious leaders (who are intrigued or hate him), a Samaritan woman drawing water at the well midday, and an official whose son is ill. John’s narrative now takes us to Jerusalem, to the mysterious pool of Bethesda, where we find a multitude of invalids – the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. Suffering is everywhere. They loiter in hopes of being the first to enter the water when it is mysteriously stirred up, for sometimes people have been healed in this way. Yet for many, these waters remain out of reach, for how shall a paralyzed man be the first to reach the water?

Into this scene steps Jesus, whose gaze does not look away from suffering, whose heart is attuned to those society overlooks. Jesus sees the man lying there and knows the depth and the duration of his affliction. In a voice both gentle and direct, he asks the man, “Do you want to be healed?” (5:6). The invalid answered Jesus by explaining that he would love to be healed, but it seemed an impossible task. Jesus said to him, “Get up, take your mat, and walk. And at once the man was healed and he took up his mat and walked (5:8-9).

This healing is the third miraculous sign in John’s narrative, but it is not just a regular weekday healing by Jesus. Oh no – the text tells us that day was the Sabbath (5:9). In fact, apparently Jesus is intentionally picking a fight with the religious leaders by intentionally doing this miracle on the Sabbath.

Consider the healing of the invalid:

– Jesus approaches the man to ask him if he wants to be healed. This is the opposite of what normally happened when crowds of people mobbed Jesus and wanted his healing touch.

– The invalid does not appear to recognize Jesus or know who he is. The religious leaders asked him, “Who is the man who said to you take up your mat and walk?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn as there was a crowd in the place (5:12-13).

– The invalid shows no sign of faith that Jesus could heal him. This is one of those healing miracles that takes place without any sign of faith on the part of the beneficiary; a reminder to all of us that healing does not always require faith.

– The healing is instantaneous and complete. The invalid stands up, picks up his mat, and walks away from the scene. As Nicodemus said, it is obvious that Jesus is from God, for no one can do the signs that he is doing unless God is with him (3:2).

Now the healed man is walking through the streets of Jerusalem – during a festival – on the Sabbath, carrying his mat. He might as well have set his hair on fire – he stood out and people noticed. The religious leaders interrogate Jesus, and he offers a long commentary on his identity and mission (5:18-47).

At the center of this encounter is the tension between the compassion of Jesus and the legalism of the Jewish religious leaders. When you encounter someone who is suffering, are you filled with compassion? Where in our own culture does religious zeal and “correctness” keep people from showing compassion to those who are suffering? Pray that the Lord would open your eyes and your heart today.