Show me your friends and I can tell who you are

Do you know the story about the people by the pool of Bethesda? We can learn some lessons from that story in John 5:1-5.

Lesson #1

Be care who you hang out with

Be careful of the company you keep. In this story, a large number of disabled people (the sick, the blind, and the paralyzed) lingered by the pool of Bethesda near the Sheep Gate.

Do you see that? Many people who were destitute (physically) stayed together. This is definitely not a wise idea.

How are two blind people or two paralyzed individuals going to help each other in a major way?

Matthew 15:14 tells us that “If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." You have to make sure your circle of friends do not consist of people who find it difficult to profoundly support each other.

Lesson # 2

Only God can heal you

When you have been stuck in a terrible situation for a long time, only God can set you free.

One of the individuals near the pool was actually there for thirty-eight years.

In verse 6, the Bible says when Jesus sees him lying there and learns that the man has been in his situation for a long time, Jesus asks him, “Do you want to get well?”

The man answers, “Sir…I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

That was when Jesus says, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” The man is then healed instantly, picking up his mat and walking.

Final thought

If you have been trapped in a distressing situation for a long time, you have to evaluate your relationships. These people near the pool did not develop systematic plans of improving their lives. In fact, the only strategy they had embraced was “whoever gets there first.”

Not only must you evaluate your relationships, but you have to keep your eyes and ears open because God will speak to you, showing you a way of escape.

The Bible says Jesus sees the man lying there, learns about his condition, and asks the man if he wants to be healed.

Instead of answering, “YES! Heal me now!” the man starts telling the same dry testimony about why he is stuck in that rut.

Nevertheless, Jesus, who is filled with compassion, restores the man’s health.

What do you think about that passage in the Bible?

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