John 5:1-14
The pool of Bethesda (meaning house of mercy) was a picture of Old Testament times. The cripples had to have strength to get themselves into the healing water and in order to have this strength, they had to be cured already! Similarly the Law can only give life to a person who can fulfil its demands and no one is capable of this – short of first having received the life that comes from God. One might ask why, amongst this multitude of invalids, of blind and lame people, the Lord Jesus seems to be concerned only about this paralytic. This is because in order to benefit from His grace, two conditions are necessary: one must experience both desire and need. These two feelings are highlighted by the Lord’s question, "Wilt thou be made whole?" and the reply from this unfortunate man, "I have no man . . ." Someone always got into the water before him; his entire unhappy life had been one deception after another. Doubtless he had once counted on his family or on his friends to help him, but these had left long before. And it had taken no less than 38 years for him to lose his last illusions. Now that he has nobody to help, he can return to the Lord Jesus. My friend, if you are still not converted, do not wait any longer to realise that only the Lord Jesus can save you. But do you really want to be saved?