Pool of Bethesda Bible Study About Healing
At the Pool of Bethesda, some people walk away healthy, while others don’t. Supernatural healings are a controversial issue to this day.
Brief Pool of Bethesda History: Located near Beth Zeta Valley in the oldest part of Jerusalem, archeologists in the 19th century discovered the pool. According to scripture and other Biblical writings, sick people hung out there waiting for an angel to come and refresh the water. Apparently, word spread that people regained health immediately.
People in every century wonder why disease and suffering are their constant companions. Maybe, like them, you aren’t sure what you believe about healing because you did everything to become well.
For instance, if you think Jesus picks and chooses who He heals, then you always doubt where you stand with Him. You wonder whether you’re good enough or maybe you did something to tick off God. Perhaps you believe Jesus never stopped healing people but you have annoying symptoms.
Keep in mind you aren’t entirely to blame for what you believe. Living a Christian life means your adversary, Satan, injects lies into your mind. If you aren’t aware of his tactics, you fall prey to doubt and unbelief. Likewise, healing isn’t taught as a component of redemption.
In this brief Bible study, the Holy Spirit will shine His light on never-ending questions. “Why do I continue to battle and suffer disease?” “Was the healing at the Pool of Bethesda a one-time event or does it indicate Jesus wants to heal me?”
Healing at the Pool of Bethesda
Here’s the Pool of Bethesda Bible study scripture:
John 5:1-9 –Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there was an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned about his long-time condition, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water stirs. While I try to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The Sheep Gate Points to Jesus
It’s not an accident that the Bethesda pool is near the Sheep Gate. Jesus is the Great Shepherd who gathers His sheep close to Him. To understand the importance of the relationship between shepherd and sheep, read Psalm 23. Jesus even refers to Himself as the “gate for the sheep” in John 10:7-10.
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.
It’s not a coincidence that Jesus visits the pool. He constantly thinks about sheep—not natural sheep—but you and me because He knows us personally. Jesus further exclaims in John 10:15 that He lays down His life for His sheep (the crucifixion).
Jesus visits the pool because people are on His mind. He wants the best for them which includes the healing of their bodies. He hates suffering. People understood this relational reference to sheep because owners drove animals through the Sheep Gate in order to sacrifice them.
Sick People Gather at the Pool of Bethesda
It may seem incredulous but sick people gain a measure of comfort from each other. They discuss their ailments and feed on sympathy. Unfortunately, those thoughts cement the idea that they’re sick and without hope.
Is it possible the man at the Pool of Bethesda had those types of sickness thoughts for 38 years rendering him helpless to reach the water in time?
Notice that Jesus said very little to him and certainly didn’t discuss the ailing person’s disease. Jesus only said, “Do you want to get well?” That’s a valid question after hearing from the man’s lips that this condition tormented him for decades.
Jesus already knew the man’s condition and long wait. He wanted the man to hear himself answer the question. The man never says, “Yes, I want to be healed.” He simply repeats the same 38-year-old thoughts.
Are you tired of sickness to the point that you get up off the couch and purposely do something, anything? Then, did you notice how much better you feel because you no longer think about how bad you feel? Most people don’t realize how thoughts, circling like gerbils on an exercise wheel, can negatively affect their health.
People condition themselves to feel sorry for someone like the man at the Pool of Bethesda. Jesus, not me, is challenging you and me to pay attention to the words we speak regarding our health. Then, listen for His instructions on how to change your health.
The simplest of statements can radically change your health and your life.
Lessons from the Pool of Bethesda
Jesus didn’t mince His words upon seeing the man lying prostrate. In the Bible, the phrase translated “get up” is followed by an exclamation mark. For me, that emphasis indicates that Jesus shouted the command. He wanted to wake up the invalid, on the inside.
Today, if evangelists do the same thing, we’re furious and call them cruel and heartless. People living in a fallen world are programmed to bow to sickness no matter the seriousness of the disease. Authored by Satan, the purpose of dis-ease is to overtake people so they die a premature death. Yes, it’s a fact. We all die but who says we draw our last breath in agony?
Jesus told the invalid to get up because he needed a dose of gumption which Jesus gave him by speaking, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” This command was specific to the man and his condition.
If you listen closely, Jesus gives you Rhema words (spoken versus written) specific to your condition. Ask Jesus to reshape your thoughts, to give you His mind to overcome illness.
Jesus’ approach in this instance didn’t involve knocking over people to reach the water first. Has Jesus also been telling you to “get up” on the inside so you can walk tall and strong, symbolically and physically?”
Once Healed, Praise God!
It’s important once you’re healed to thank God and worship Him. Jesus finds the man at the temple (again not by accident).
John 5:14 – Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
Here’s where people, once healed, become frightened about the “something worse” possibilities. Living a life of holiness offers your mind, body, and spirit—wholeness. Apparently, this man needed Jesus to remind him that a person’s body lines up with what his mind thinks.
Jesus always wants to do more than heal your body. He wants a relationship with you. Healing is a gift of grace, but your greatest reward is eternal salvation. Jesus’ message to the invalid and to us is that sin always opens the door to “something worse.” Jesus is the life-giving sustainer when sin attempts to move in.
Takeaways
Jesus takes time to teach Kingdom principles. Multitudes of other disabled individuals were within earshot of the invalid. Even though Jesus focused on the invalid’s needs at that moment, His words brought life to all who listened.
Some of those people gained a new perspective by watching and listening to Jesus. Our Lord never wastes words. He multiplies them. You can be sure some people received healing on the spot or later on because they heard Jesus’ words of life.
I’m challenged to believe what Jesus said in Matthew 9:5 – ” Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” I don’t have the first doubt He forgives sins. What we may not believe is that He wants us to be healthy too.