The healing of the lame man at the pool known as Bethsaida is unusual in a number of ways. First, there is no mention of faith. The lame man did do what he was told to do, but obedience is not faith. Secondly, the man who was healed did not even know the name of the Healer. And later on when chaos seem to grow around him, he made no effort to find the Healer. The Healer found him. And then, there is no expression of gratitude on the part of the man who had been lame. He just picked up his mat and went to walking. (John 5:1-14)
The whole business seems a bit outside the realm of other incidences of healing. It was also outside of any religious rituals. In some ways it seems like a random act of healing on the part of Jesus. The lame man was not the only man at the pool that day who was in need of the healing touch of Jesus, but he was picked out by Jesus to receive it. One can only wonder if the other broken people called out after Jesus to help them when they saw the lame man walking. If they did, it would seem that Jesus simply walked away healing one and leaving the others to wait for the stirring of the waters.
There are so many questions to be asked. There are so many unexplainable parts of the story which are not told. There is a kind of tension in the story which is seen as we begin to read the words not written between the lines. Perhaps, it should not be surprising that everything about the moment is not nailed down as tightly as we might choose. It should not be surprising for few of us live a life where everything is nailed down securely. And, most assuredly, after an encounter or two with Jesus, it becomes clear that He is likely to be more unpredictable than predictable and so gracious in giving that it goes beyond understanding.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment