In this episode, we open our Bibles to John chapter 5 and continue traveling with Jesus as His disciples—His mathetes—watching how He ministers to both the religious and the rejected. John has taken us on a journey: from Galilee to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem into Samaria, and back again. Along the way, we’ve seen Jesus engage His own family, challenge the religious certainty of Nicodemus, and intentionally step into Samaritan territory—a place religion had written off. Most recently, we watched Jesus respond to a desperate father with a simple command of faith: “Go, your son will live.” Now, as Jesus returns to Jerusalem during a feast, the city is crowded, expectations are high, and word has spread—this man heals. And yet, of all the places Jesus could stop, He leads us to the Pool of Bethesda, a place known for suffering, competition, and false hope. At Bethesda—“the House of Mercy”—we encounter a man who has been paralyzed for thirty-eight years, surrounded by others who are all waiting for the same thing: a stirring of the water. But while everyone’s eyes are fixed on the pool, Jesus is standing right there in the room. This passage forces us to wrestle with deep questions: What happens when our method for healing replaces our dependence on Jesus? Why does Jesus ask, “Do you want to be healed?” What does healing cost us—not just physically, but in identity? And why does mercy so often offend the religious? As the story unfolds, a miraculous healing collides with Sabbath rules, and John reveals the true reason he includes this account: not simply to show a miracle, but to reveal who Jesus truly is. When Jesus declares, “My Father is working until now, and I am working,” the tension reaches its peak—because this is no longer just about healing, but about equality with God. John writes so that we might see Jesus clearly, believe who He is, and find life in His name. This episode invites us to stop staring at the water—and recognize the Healer standing before us.
