John 5:2-6    
Inside Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.  One of the men lying there had been sick for 38 years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
I love spending time in Jerusalem but it is often impossible to know exactly where the events that we read about in the Gospels took place. But not so with the pool of Bethesda. We know exactly where it is, and you can still see a part of it, adjacent to St Anne’s Church, near St Stephen’s Gate. The pool had a reputation for being a place of healing, but Jesus met a man who had been ill for an extremely long time.
Curiously, he asked the man if he would like to get well. On first hearing, this might sound a rather callous question. Surely the answer was obvious. Who wouldn’t want to be healed if they had been sick for 38 years? But it is actually a profoundly caring and important question. No doubt the man’s sickness had become an integral part of his personality. For many years, I suffered with a bad back. The typical greeting that I would receive during those years was: “Hi Jonathan. How’s your back?” As soon as people saw me, they thought of my back, because it became such a major part of my identity.
Jesus’ question showed a deep respect for the man. He alone needed to decide whether he wanted to be better. If he was healed, his life would be completely turned around, profoundly different from that day forward. And I believe that the Lord still comes to us with that same question. He can give us his forgiveness, peace and joy but he may well ask us whether we want to receive them. Perhaps we are so used to living with unforgiveness, tension and joylessness that we couldn’t cope with his gifts. I thank God that he doesn’t steamroller his way into our lives but asks us whether or not we want his help.
Question – How would you like God to bless your life today?
Prayer – Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your sensitivity and grace. I ask you to come into my life afresh and give me your blessings. Amen

Released on 19 Jul 2022