Do You Want To Be Healed?
A Reflection On John 5:1-15
At that time, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda which has five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and troubled the water; whoever stepped in first after the troubling of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.
One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked.
Now that day was the sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk.’ “They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
RSV John 5:1-15
Christ is Risen!
My apologies for the absence of a reflection last week. As I have entered a particularly busy period at work, balancing these reflections with daily responsibilities has become more challenging. Nonetheless, here we are in the third week of our Resurrection celebration, reflecting on the healing of the paralytic.
In today’s Gospel reading, taken from John 5:1–15, we hear the story of a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. Contrasting him with the paralytic in Mark 2:1–12, which we encountered a few weeks ago, we see that this man is alone in his struggle. Rather than having friends who bring him to Christ, we are told that as Christ comes to Jerusalem, He arrives at a pool called Bethesda. Around this pool lay many who suffered from various infirmities, all hoping for healing—including this man.
The difficulty for him, as he explains to our Lord, is that he has no one to place him into the pool when the water is stirred. Each time he tries to enter, others go before him.
In the persistence of this man, we see his faith on full display. Year after year, he comes to this place with hope for healing. His endurance reminds us that Christ’s healing power is not confined to a moment in history, but continues to transform lives today. It shows us that our Lord truly sees and knows us. Persistence in adversity often becomes the path through which God reveals His saving work, whether we recognize it at the time or not.
Before the man even explains his situation, we are told: “When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time…” This reveals that our Lord sees the fullness of who we are—even before we express it. God, knowing us completely, understands what we need most and asks the same question He asks the paralytic:
“Do you want to be healed?”
After this question, the man explains his condition, expressing his isolation. In response, Christ says:
“Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.”
And immediately, the man is healed.
What we see here is how our Lord works personally with us to bring about true healing. As we reflected in previous weeks, these Gospel readings speak to the reality of encountering the risen Lord and how we relate to Him. When we serve one another, Christ works through us. As He says: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). We become reflections of His presence to one another.
Through the outpouring of His Spirit upon all flesh, we are given ongoing comfort and hope. The Spirit’s work—made manifest in Baptism—reminds us that God is always present, especially in our darkest moments. He offers us what we need when we need it most, and it is up to us to receive His gifts with humility.
After the healing, the man is questioned by the Jews because he is carrying his pallet on the Sabbath, when such work was forbidden by the Law. Yet Christ, who is Himself the giver of the Law, commands him to do so. This reveals that the Law—and indeed our very lives—can only be rightly understood in the light of Christ.
When questioned, the man does not yet know who healed him, indicating that a fuller revelation is still to come. Later, Jesus finds him in the temple and says:
“See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you.”
After this, the man tells the Jews that Jesus had healed him.
In this command to “sin no more,” our Lord points to a deeper truth. His healing is not merely physical—it addresses the fullness of the human person. If sin is a separation from Christ, then life apart from Him is true sickness and death. But in His coming, Christ restores life, conquering death through His Resurrection. His healing extends beyond the body to the heart and soul, offering eternal life in His loving and saving presence.
This entire narrative reveals what happens when we truly encounter Christ: our distorted reality is transformed. He meets us in our isolation and suffering and lifts us into new, transfigured life.
It is often in the depths of despair that we encounter Him most clearly. In those moments, He renews us. The isolation we experience can feel overwhelming, yet it is precisely there that Christ offers the light of His Resurrection. When we feel alone, broken, or lost in darkness, our lives may seem tragic—but it is in that very darkness that His light shines most powerfully, guiding us toward who we are called to become.
Our Lord bears the scars of His Passion even in His Resurrection. Likewise, our wounds are not erased but transformed—they become part of who we are becoming in Him. We can either fixate on the darkness of this world or search for His light within it. When we find that light, it not only illuminates our lives but also enables us to become light for others.
We are called to reflect Christ to one another. Even when all seems lost, He is present, offering us what we need to find true life in His love.
So, no matter how bleak life may appear, we are called to persist—just like the man in today’s Gospel. In faithful persistence, we begin to see Christ present not only in our suffering but in every aspect of our lives. When we offer our struggles to Him, we discover that He is the one who restores us and gives meaning to our suffering. True meaning is found in the life He offers—a life that embraces even the brokenness of our fallen world.
If we truly proclaim the Resurrection, then we must also shine forth the light of Christ’s transforming presence. When we do so, we begin to see Him everywhere—in our lives and in the lives of those around us. If the Lord is truly risen, then He is with us in all things. Our calling is to seek Him continually and, when He feels distant, to call out to Him, entrusting our struggles to Him and clinging to the new life He offers.
Truly the Lord is risen!
If any of the topics in today’s reflection interest you, give our Bible Study Make His Path Straight: A St. John the Baptist Bible Study a stream!
We have completed sessions on Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, First and Second Corinthians, and are now in the middle of Hebrews.
Stream Make His Path Straight: A St. John The Baptist Bible Study Here
This publication is free to all, and if you are interested in supporting my work, please consider supporting this work through the link below. Any support is greatly appreciated!
Visit our website for more information about our St. John the Baptist Community, and consider joining us every Sunday for Orthros at 8:30 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at approximately 9:45 a.m. Our faith as Orthodox Christians is an embodied reality; therefore, to understand our theology, one must become part of a community.
If you aren’t in the Boston area and are looking for a parish to start attending, the following is a link to the GOA parishes directory to aid you on your journey toward Christ.