A awake sleeper, and rise from death, and Christ will shine on you.“ (Ephesians 5:14)

“After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda,  having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” (John 5: 1-8)

I woke up this morning and got out of bed, and what did I do next? I started walking. it’s the first thing we do when we get out of bed: if we are able to walk, we walk somewhere. it might not be long before we sit down again, but we have walked. When we are born again the first thing we do it to start walking. Our spiritual being that has just risen from death needs to put its feet somewhere.

The word Jesus uses for the man who was lying by the Pool of Bethesda is the same as that used in Ephesians 5:1 – its primary meaning is to rise from the sleep of death. When someone has been born again – risen from spiritual death – we encourage them to join a church. As a rule, it is “our” church that they join: they may have come along to a service as visitors, or they may have responded to a gospel outreach that our church has put on; but most of us would agree that this is secondary to their need to become part of a local expression of the body of Christ where they can be fed, nurtured and supported in their new walk with Jesus. When they get out of bed, the first spiritual steps of their new life will usually be on the “floor” of a church.

The House of Mercy.
So what is the meaning of Bethesda, where the sick were gathered in their multitudes? It’s an Aramaic word meaning “house of mercy.” The Strong’s citation also gives “flowing water.” Whether we take the meanings individually or in combination, it’s hard to see that they point anywhere other than to the church, where the water of the Holy Spirit flows in the house of God’s mercy.

The pool is by the sheep gate. We, the body of Christ, are “the sheep of His pasture.” The sheep gate was the entrance through which the sheep will lead into the temple where they would be sacrificed. When Jesus said “I am the gate (also translated door) all the sheep“ (John 10:) He was pointing to his own sacrifice, through which we have access to the temple. The Sheep Gate is a picture of the blood of Jesus, the only means of our salvation.

Sick, lame, paralysed and blind
In many of the gospel accounts, the sick and the demon-possessed are grouped together in the record of those whom Jesus healed or who came to him for healing (eg Mark 1:32, Matt 4:24, and Matt 8:16). However there is no mention of demon- possessed people here, which again suggests a connection between Bethesda and the Church. Christians can be oppressed by the devil, but I think most readers of this article would subscribe to the belief that a born-again spirit cannot be possessed. As in the Church, it would appear that no-one at the Pool of Bethesda was demon-possessed. What is true, however, is that many were sick, lame, paralysed or blind. Alongside those of us who need healing of “whatever disease they have,” there are many who are blind, lame, or paralyzed. They – or we – can’t see, can’t walk, or can’t move.

The Porches
God said to Jeremiah (and I’ve quoted it before on these pages): “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you,
Then how can you contend with horses?
And if in the land of peace,
In which you trusted, they wearied you,
Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” (Jer 12:5)

The porches were a covered colonnade, where people sheltered from the elements. We come to salvation through the Sheep Gate, and in the porches we find shelter, rest for our souls. We are sheltered from God‘s judgement on sin; we are under the shadow of His wings. From our place of shelter, or to quote Jeremiah, our “land of peace,” we can see the pool and enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the waters are stirred, we see people step in, and we see their lives transformed. But it’s not our turn, not today. Nevertheless it’s great to have the pool…

Days of turmoil are on us. The waters are rising, and the hoofbeats of horses are in the wind. Those who can’t walk, can’t move and can’t see in the spiritual realm will find it difficult to survive in this season, let alone live a victorious life. But Jesus is walking by the Pool with healing in His wings, strengthening us and and encouraging us to take up our beds and walk.

Some of us have been there a long time, waiting for someone to help us in. While we are strongly exhorted in the Bible to love one another, bless one another, and pray for one another, we still need to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.“ (Phil 2:12) To live in the good of our salvation, we need to rely on the Lord ourselves and not depend on the ministry of others. It is the Holy Spirit himself who is the Helper, not the pastor, the prophet, or a small group leader. We must have our own encounter  with Jesus, even if we are lying down in the shelter of Bethesda and watching the waters move.