THE CHURCH AT SMYRNA: THE SUFFERING CHURCH

Reverend Albert went to the little man-made basement to have his usual study of the Bible. This was kind of a hideout in his friend’s single story house, far away from town. His underground house churches, which were growing like tentacles all over the province, had authorities wanting his head. It was not that bad that he lost his house confiscated by the government but the grief was about his two boys languishing in jail for preaching Christ. He hoped God would see all these and respond appropriately. He always knew his turn will come. It was not a matter of if but when.



What saddened him a lot these days was the members of his house churches, who had lived not only in abject poverty but also in danger everyday from being captured. If imprisoned, they would most probably be tortured for their faith. Some were reportedly executed without proper trial. He prayed everyday for them as he preached and taught in secret meetings all over the place. To evade detection, Albert would shift from house to house to stay. Once, he was almost captured by the secret police when a family from the neighbourhood betrayed him. They purportedly wanted to hear the gospel but reported him to the authorities instead. God planned the escape when Albert’s friend came back in the nick of time and swiftly ferried him elsewhere. The friend lost his property as he couldn’t go home either.


In the stillness of that humid basement, he knelt down and cried. He told God to help him not to entertain the temptation to give up. He needed divine strength. Then he saw a bright light shone towards his face. Although he shielded himself with his hands, he could see it was an angel.


A strong voice spoke…


“These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”*


Albert’s fear turned to faith in God. He cried with tears of joy, not because God took away the problems of persecution but that he was in the centre of His will. That day, he rejoiced that God saw the works all His suffering children did. Deeply encouraged, he told God that he was ready for anything. Then he heard a commotion outside the house followed by loud knocks on the door. Reverend Albert got up and said, “Lord, I am ready, even unto death!”


*The above verses are taken from Revelation 2:8-11


Next: The CHURCH AT PERGAMUM: THE COMPROMISING CHURCH http://psbible.blogspot.com/2011/07/church-at-pergamum-compromising-church.html

THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS: THE 'SUCCESSFUL' CHURCH

Reverend Johnny leaned back on the revolving chair in his church office and grinned. Delighted to have finished the latest one year plan for next year although it was only July, he whispered a soft, “Thank you, Lord.” He felt a vibration from his side pocket that held his one of the two hand phones. He glanced and saw several missed calls from home. Delighted that he had a fantastic meeting with a large committee for a big conference coming up entitled “Either you build or you will be torn!” he called home reluctantly, slightly agitated by the disruption of his time spent in the glow of success.



“Hi Honey! Still haven’t slept yet?” Johnny said softly. “I have been calling you. Our son is not feeling well and I need you back. Anyway it is okay as I had taken him to clinic already. I am tired. I need to go,” Irene, his wife, answered. He could hear the frustration in her voice. “Okay. Should be back real soon,” he chipped. Johnny felt that a little sacrifice from the family should be alright for the work of the ministry. “God would bless my family as I serve Him,” he would often think.



He closed his eyes and began to journey back his many years of serving God. In the stillness of his office, he reminisced how he had success after success in handling the work for the Almighty. He often preached about the fear of God in not serving Him. Out of the many subjects he preached, his favourite theme was, “Either shape up or ship out!” For Reverend Johnny, there were no two ways about it. Always the either or! Through the years, the church had been filled with activities of either or!



He too had many share of oppositions and difficulties in the church as a pastor. He remembered how he had to excommunicate some false apostles who were out to cause dissension. Those were friends and it was a hard decision. He reasoned that the church belonged to God and every life must not be wasted with infighting! Every church member must be seriously living for God!



Then he thought about a group that called itself, the Nicolaitans. They did not believe in living for Jesus. Having the spirit believed would be enough to attain salvation. Johnny hated their idea of “You can then sin up a storm!” He had to dissolve two house groups and kicked out few leaders from the church. He gave them the ultimatum, “Either you change or you leave!” All those incidences had toughened him quite a bit.



Over the years, due to busyness of the ministry and the increase of activities in the church, he became disinterested in counselling problems with either leaders or members. “I think everyone should know how to live for Jesus and serving God by themselves,” he often thought to himself.



As he began to lift himself up from the ‘success’ chair, he saw a white bright light shone directly at him. A figure looked like an angel stood beside him and he quickly knelt down, waiting to receive a message from the throne room of God.



A strong voice spoke,



“These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.



Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”*



Reverend Johnny almost could hear Jesus said, “Either you shine with love or you shine not at all”



Fear of God rushed into his every vein. Tears began to flow like something in him had turned the tap on. He couldn’t remember when the last time he cried like this. The message directly from heaven had softened his insensitive heart towards intimacy with God and His love. When he was able to calm himself down, his next thoughts were his wife and his children. He rushed home, driving and saying “God, I am sorry” incessantly. For the last couple of years, he had often come home finding his family asleep. He intended to make it right this time. He got home and found a note on the dining table. When he read it, he slumped onto the sofa, covering his face with his palms. The wife and children had left him. That night was the last straw for Irene.


*The verses above are taken from Revelation 2:1-7.

As we inch closer to the coming of the Lord Jesus to take control of this broken world, we must be prepared to live righteously before Him so that when He does appear, we will not be ashamed. PS Bible Ministry takes a fresh look at the seven churches in the Book of Revelation. They reveal to us many aspects of today's churches. Here, the Jesus we are so accustomed to as the loving Saviour now speaks as Christ the Judge. He speaks not only to the churches as a whole but also to everyone of us in every generation, how we ought to be watchful so that we will not turn away from God, thus escaping the wrath of Him that will come upon the sons of disobedience.



In the time of the apostle John, whom the visions and words of the book of Revelation were revealed, the churches mentioned were real, functioning churches in Asia Minor, under the Roman Empire. Although all we see are ruins of these churches in modern day Turkey, churches obviously as a whole have not been obliterated, only changing and evolving with environments and times.


(Rev 1:20) The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.


This verse reveals how close churches are to the heart of Jesus! A lamp does not have light in itself, it is only the instrument of giving out light, and it must receive both oil and fire before it can shine; so no Church shines on its own. It must receive all from Christ as head, or else there will be neither light nor life.


In other words, churches need to stay close to Him. In Rev. 1:13; 2:1, Jesus walks among the lampstands where He takes care of and provides for the churches! Every church and every member of its family are His heartbeat and He loves them fervently!! Not only that, Jesus wants the lampstands (churches) to shine brightly!! All Christians to be witnesses for their Saviour! And Jesus gives us power so that the churches (hence every individual) are influential in whatever they say and do, wherever they may be.


Next: CHURCH AT SMYRNA: THE SUFFERING CHURCH
http://psbible.blogspot.com/2011/07/church-at-smyrna-suffering-church.html

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD

“Lord, the one you love is sick,” the messenger says in an urgent tone. Lazarus, the handsome and the likeable brother of Mary and Martha, must be very sick to press Jesus to go over. The sisters are almost like personal friends of Jesus, having had close contact with him several times. Expecting their Master to quickly move on, the disciples are surprised when he says, “We shall stay put for two more days.” “Huh? Master, Lazarus is very sick,” Matthew protests. He knows that His Lord’s relationship with the boy is close.


“This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it,” Jesus speaks confidently. The disciples are encouraged by the first sentence and cannot figure out the second. But no death is good enough for them.


Two days later…


“Let us go back to Judea,” Jesus tells his followers. “But Rabbi, a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?” John says, reminding his Master of the danger. Why the hurry? Anyway, he reasons that Lazarus is going to be alright.


“Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light,” Jesus responds, slightly agitated. Obviously, whenever one does what’s right in the eyes of God, wouldn’t there be simple protection from Him up above? Remember how I walked on the treacherous water just the other day? Jesus prays that they would trust God for simple matters like that.


“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up,” the Son of God adds. “Er…Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better,” James utters. “Lazarus is dead!” Jesus clarifies. The eyes of the disciples widened. “And for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him,” Jesus explains further. The “dead” word hits them like a sudden twister. And the “wake” word sounds too far fetch for a dead person.


“Let us also go, that we may die with him,” Thomas says sadly to the rest of the disciples. Jesus shakes his head and waves them on.


A little later…


“What a shame to die so young!” Jesus and his disciples have overheard the commotion about Lazarus being buried in the tomb four days ago.


“Lord!” Martha cries and runs toward Jesus. “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask,” she says in between sobs. “Perhaps, two days ago, there may still be hope as the body has not decomposed yet but now, I really don’t know,” Martha thinks to herself. She struggles between belief and unbelief.


“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus says authoritatively. “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day,” Martha says, showing sign of resignation. But deep in her heart, how she wants to hold her cheerful brother in her arms again right now.


“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus says gently to her. With the Son of God, there will always be life!


“Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” Martha answers. She is theologically right but practical wise, as every human is, she struggles to the fact of actually believing in an extraordinary miracle like this.


Martha is greatly consoled at the words of Jesus. Seeing Jesus turns his head around, her mind suddenly thinks of Mary, her sister who needs the touch of grace from the Master too. She runs to get Mary.


“The Teacher is here. He is asking for you,” Martha tells Mary. The name of Jesus is like a healing balm to her dejected body. She feels enlightened already at his call for her. The Messiah is all she wants to talk to at this moment. She has been hearing cries of disappointment and despair and now, all she needs is a word of God! Mary dashes out of the house like a desperate woman. The mourners in her house follow suit trying to help her cope with death. But their words are not enough to console her.


When Mary sees Jesus, she falls down at his feet. She says the same thing to the Messiah as her sister, Martha, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” But Jesus senses a deeper hurt in Mary than in Martha. Jesus thinks about his own violent death not many days from now and that another Mary, his own mother, will have a deep cut in her heart too.


“Where have you laid him?” Jesus asks. One of the mourners answers “Come and see, Lord.” The Son of God looks at the tombs all over the place and begins to weep. He knows everyone who buried in these tombs by name and how some who had rebelled against God and rejected His love. How he wished he can just call everyone to come out of the tombs, giving some an eternal second chance.


“See, how he loved him!” they exclaim. They see Jesus crying for the first time. And they say dejectedly, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” They look at Jesus with eyes of you-could-have-healed-Lazarus-and-not-hurt-the-sisters look.


With tears still streaming down his face, Jesus says, “Take away the stone.” Martha protests gently, saying, “But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”


Jesus knows Martha has accepted the fate that death is part of life and she will see her brother again when the time comes. Who wouldn't, as Lazarus' case is like beyond the grave! “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” the Son of God says. Words of life always proceed from the mouth of the Saviour of the world. Jesus waves to the caretakers to roll away the stone. He looks up and prays in a loud voice, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” The people turn to look at each other. They are surprised that no bad odor seems to emanate from inside the tomb.


“Lazarus, come out!” Jesus shouts. The crowd is hushed and a sense of fear hovers all around. A sound of breathing can be heard from the inside the tomb. Everyone tries to hide behind Jesus. Then the figure covered with white linen from head to toe starts to hop out, like "it" is asking the people to unbind him. Shrieks of fear and anticipation from the crowd inch up few decibels. Mary and Martha are now on their knees praying that the walking, breathing white ‘figure’ is their brother.


Then, the air of confusion is torn away by the words of Jesus, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Many people in the crowd are stunned and astounded follow with tears of joy. Before the caretakers can release the resurrected Lazarus completely from the wrapped linen, Mary and Martha already hanging on to him tightly.
 
“Hey, sisters, let me breath or else…” Lazarus says in between wonders. His eyes lock on Jesus’ and Lazarus gives the miracle worker the widest grin of his life. It's like Lazarus is saying, I-knew-you-can-do-it. The three in the family quickly kneel before Jesus and worship him. The crowd follow suit. The disciples, seeing all that is happening, kneel before their Master, believing that indeed, Jesus is truly God!



The story above is taken from John 11:1-44. This is the last story of Jesus’ seven miracles in the Gospel according to John. Although I added some words into the stories, it is in no way deviated from what God wants to teach us. What I do with PS Bible Ministry is turn readers back to the Word of God, the Holy Bible and find for themselves what God is saying there. And I believe that God’s Word is always fresh for all generations!

HEALING OF THE MAN BORN BLIND

His ears listen intently at the commotion. Some big-shot must have arrived to the street of beggars. He can hear of much excitement of a man named Jesus. Some are arguing among themselves too. “Anyway, who will even think of this dirt-filled blind man?” he utters to himself frustratingly. Before he can call for alms, he senses a gentle pat on his shoulder. For a long time, he has been untouched in this sort of a way. He can feel love flowing from whoever this person may be.



“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind,” Peter asks quietly.


“Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life,” Jesus answers him.


“Huh?” The blind man scratches his head. “Oh..” Peter nods, trying to readjust his theology.


“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” the Messiah adds.


Before the disciples can respond, Jesus bends down and scoops some hard soil onto his hands. He wets it with his saliva and manages to make some mud. He proceeds to break them into half and applies them to the eyes of the blind beggar. The urgency of Jesus has taught the disciples another dimension in serving the plan of God. That ‘night’ for Jesus is indeed coming. In fact, all the disciples will have their ‘night’ coming, soon. Therefore, the light of the world must shine, now!


“Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam,” Jesus orders the blind man.


“Unlike other men who are often harsh and confusing, the voice of Jesus is so soothing yet authoritative. Of course, the rest see my condition as a curse,” the beggar speaks to himself as he gropes along those familiar steps leading to the pool.


The Son of God smiles as he sees this man’s faith and obedience. The blind man steps into the cold water, squats and washes his eyes. He senses ‘something’ being added inside his eyes as if somehow the mud has gone into them. It has been impossible to open those eyelids that were shut since he was born but he feels it is possible now. His head throbs painfully as the sunlight penetrates his eyes. He squints and sees light for the first time. Then he opens them wider and witnesses the colours of the world. Although everything seems so confusing around his new found sight, he still kind of remembers his way home as he has done that every day.


The family shouts in jubilation to the extraordinary miracle on one of its sons. Tears flow freely. They think they will lose him to beg but God begs to differ. He was blind but now he sees! The same day, they offer a toast to his bright future.


“Jesus! It was Jesus! He healed me!” the once-blind man shouts those words everywhere he turns.


The disciples of Jesus marvel at the awesome miracle. In fact, some of them are discussing about the creation of the eyes of this blind man with mud. “Remember, God created Adam from mud,” James adds to the excitement. “And our Master made mud to……”


The man who now can see is determined and desperate to find Jesus. He prays that he can bump into Jesus again and asks this ‘man of God’ about the Messiah that was promised to Israel. "Maybe Jesus is the One," he thinks loudly to himself.

Meanwhile, Jesus thanks the Father for the gift of sight to the blind man, who was extremely happy to receive it. He rejoices that he comes to this world so that the blind can see. Ironically, the Son of God also knows there will be judgment for some who can see, that their eyes would be blinded to the truths of God.


This story is taken from John 9:1-41


Next: The Raising of Lazarus from the dead
http://psbible.blogspot.com/2011/07/raising-of-lazarus-from-dead.html

WALKING ON WATER

“Wow! What a miracle!” Andrew still whispers to himself about the miracle Jesus did as he rows the boat. The disciples couldn’t shake off that afternoon’s astounding multiplication of bread and fishes. “Amen to that. It reminds me of manna from heaven, simply from nowhere,” John speaks excitedly as he overhears the soft utterances of Andrew. “Come on guys, let us go faster a little. I can smell rain already,” Peter warns. Just as he finishes saying that, they hear thunder cracking up above. The wind grows stronger by the minute. Their boat is already swaying left to right as they muster their strength to keep the boat going. To the horror of all the disciples. the waves now have begun to rock the boat in a dangerous way. “I think we are going to sink!” Phillip holds on to the sides. “Don’t tell me we are going to die like this. O..Let's pray!” Peter shouts desperately to everyone onboard.

“Hey, I saw something moving above the water! We are in deep trouble,” John cries out. “Ohhh! It’s a ghost!” Matthew shrieks. “We are doomed! JESUS….!” Andrew yells for his Master to help.

“It is I; don’t be afraid,” the figure walking on the water calls out in a loud voice. Peter falls down on his knees and blurts, “It’s Jesus! It's Jesus! Thank God!” Phillip chips in, “Hey, yes, it is Master! It is Master! And he is walking…”

The voice and the words of Jesus calm everyone down. “It is I,” Jesus walks nearer to the boat. Smiles appear on the disciples’ faces again.* They are actually more relieved in seeing their lives saved than being astonished in seeing a man walking on water. “If Jesus the Son of God can create bread and fish from nowhere, defying gravity should be by no means difficult. But how come we were so afraid just now?” John talks to himself, ashamed.

All Jesus wants is to get on to the other side to serve his Father by all means and that includes walking on water. As he walks on the treacherous water, he knows this miracle itself will teach the disciples to trust God in whatever circumstances they may face. More so, he would leave them one day for heaven, more storms will come into their paths. All followers of Jesus then would have to “walk on water” amidst "storms" to the other side to serve the will of God! But then, another like "Jesus", the Holy Spirit, will walk with them!

This story is taken from John 6:16-21.

*(In Matthew’s version of the story, Peter steps out of the boat and walks a few steps with Jesus before he sinks – Matthew 14:22-33; see also Mark 6:45-52 for another version of the same story).

Next: Healing of the man born blind.
http://psbible.blogspot.com/2011/06/healing-of-man-born-blind.html

THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

Jesus looks up and takes a deep breath. He particularly enjoys a breezy day sitting on the mountainside, fresh air fills his soul. Overlooking the vast lake from his view, he orders his disciples to sit down and rest a while. “Look, Master!” Peter points to some distance away. Jesus turns around and sees a crowd heading towards them. The disciples groan at the lack of privacy, especially when they want the Messiah to themselves. As their Master’s fame being reported far and wide, to every nook and corner, they know this will be inevitable. How they wished that today they would just rest and reflect of all that have happened. It has indeed been fast and furious. The disciples have seen how Jesus never shows signs of fatigue or apathy, like this is his cup of tea. Like he is born to serve, heal and deliver.



Looking at the people’s faces, Jesus senses physical exhaustion but definitely not the enthusiasm. They may have walked few hours to reach where he is and way past lunch time. “Teacher, perhaps, we should send them away to get food,” Peter suggests. The rest of the disciples nod in agreement. It is perhaps a good excuse to dismiss the crowd on a tired day.


“Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Jesus turns to Philip. Philip looks at his Master stunned, as if he did not hear that. The control in Jesus’ tone of voice makes it even scarier. “He doesn’t seem like joking. Or maybe he doesn’t know that we are not that rich,” Philip thinks to himself.


“Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Philip reminds his Teacher of the herculean task ahead. Even if they had enough money, the logistic would be incredibly hard.


“You have to give them something to eat,” Jesus speaks compassionately to his disciples. He knows that sending them away at this hour would be disastrous in this remote region. Furthermore, with such a huge crowd, about 5,000 men alone, it can even cause a riot.


All of a sudden, Andrew jumps up, “I have an idea. Let us ask some people to share their food that they brought for the trip.” He gathers the rest to look for willing donors. Hungry people can become selfish people they soon found out. Only Andrew’s enthusiasm got him a small lunch pack. And that is from a young boy whose heart of sacrifice is larger than so many grown men and women. “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” he turns to Jesus dejectedly, his plan failed miserably. Jesus pats him on the back for trying.


Finally Jesus stands up and tells his disciples to arrange people to sit on the grass in orderly fashion. He takes the loaves from the small boy, looks up to the clouds and prays “Father, thank you for your provision.” Right in front of thousands of prying eyes, the loaves which he breaks miraculously whip back to their original shape. Then he proceeds to break the fishes and they appear again whole. The crowd roars in rapturous awe. Their hunger temporarily forgotten!


Jesus signals to his disciples to feed the crowd and let them eat as much as they want. With awe and disbelief, the disciples quickly dispense all the foods to the people. They cannot imagine that they can ever witness such 'hand of God' at work. Everyone, from young to old, eats to their hearts’ content. The boy who gave the initial lunch is surrounded by people thanking him for his generosity. When the disciples collect the leftovers, it fills twelve baskets full. God always leaves no one unsatisfied when He blesses.


One man from within the crowd shouts, “Jesus, you are the Prophet who is to come into the world.” He whips up a commotion, people shouting on top of their lungs for the Miracle Worker to be their King. When they start to stand up, Jesus quickly withdraws into the other side of the mountain. He has a plan far greater than what men conceive in their mind.


The disciples crave for the day that Israel will become a proud nation again. Their Master must be the One to lead them after what he has done today. Nothing is impossible for him. The well-fed crowd want not only food today, but someone from God to help them all the time. Jesus must be the One, compassionate yet invincible. The young boy walks home with a great story to tell. Suddenly he is reminded of the story of King David. “With a small stone and a sling, he killed Goliath. I gave away a small pack of lunch and it fed thousands. It must be God! And…..Jesus is …..”


The above story is taken from John 6:1-15. (See also Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44 and Luke 9:10-17)


Next: Walking on Water
http://psbible.blogspot.com/2011/06/jesus-walking-on-water.html

HEALING AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA

Jesus shakes his head with deep compassion. “What a broken world!” he laments. The disciples cautiously walked through hordes of disabled souls, the blind, the lame and the paralysed. “Sorry, I got no money,” Peter shakes off the wrinkled hands of a blind man that hold on to his foot. “No, no, keep watch on the water for me, please!” the old man, with white spots in the pupil of his eyes, pleads. Peter has heard of the purported healings of lame people in the pools near these covered colonnades.


Occasionally, when the water ripples, it would create a commotion of a rushing throng into the pool. The belief is that whoever gets into the water first will get healed. Invariably, most if not all will climb out of the pool disappointed. Perhaps, once in a while, there would be a shout of joy of one lucky soul at the feeling of getting better. The pain relieved and a seeming pride of being the first to get into the water.


Jesus stops for one guy whose eyes are fixed on the water in great expectation. He has that, ‘the-next-time-the-water-is-stirred, I-will-be-the-first-one-to-go-in’ attitude. Eagerness is one thing but being able to do so is completely another. Paralysed from his waist down, he has been in that condition for the past thirty-eight years. He prays that the next time when the 'angel' comes to stir the water, it will also help him to be the first among the rest to taste the water. That is his only hope and prayer. But waiting for so long has sapped his confidence and now he finds excuse for his predicament. He even blames his sins for this hopeless situation.

Jesus bends down and taps his shoulder. “Do you want to get well?” he asks gently. Sensing hope at someone who is willing to help him into the water, he pleads that Jesus will watch the pool for him. “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,” he shrugs. “Can you help me, sir?”


“Get up! Pick up your mat and walk,” Jesus commands. Instead of seeing a stirring of the pool’s water, he feels the stirring of the inside of his body. He hasn’t felt this kind of sensation for God knows when. Both of his feet grow strong at an instant, those bones and muscles making a strange sound from within his body. At first, he kneels with his new found strength, and then rises to a brand new world.


Mat in hand, his only possession, he dances like a madman. “Hey, I am healed!” he shouts incessantly. Before he can leap on to proceed to the temple further south, the place he has always wanted to go, a man violently takes his mat and slams it to the ground. “It is Sabbath: the law forbids you to carry your mat,” he lashes out. Taken by surprise, the healed-man utters, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” He is shocked that there are people who are not shocked over such marvellous wonder of healing. And moreover, that healing is wrought just by some spoken words!


“Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” another man angrily asks. “Oh! It was so exhilarating that I have forgotten to even thank him,” the once paralysed-man suddenly realises. He tries to look for this ‘Healer-Man’ but the crowd is just too big. “Excuse me!” he quickly dashes out of the compound to proceed to the temple to praise and worship God!

At the temple ground, he quickly kneels down and utters a thanksgiving prayer. “God, thank you. I know I do not have the offering right now but I will do that as soon as I have it!” When he finishes praying, he looks up and sees Jesus staring at him. “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you,” the Son of God speaks authoritatively, words that are as effective as the healing earlier. “Yes, Sir! Thank you! Thank you! Jesus, you must be the Messiah we are all waiting for. I will shout of your Name from now on!” the scrawny man replies with tears in his eyes.

The disciples now know that Jesus deliberately stopped by the pool for this man, hopeless if not for a divine intervention. Sometimes they wonder why Jesus chose this particular invalid for healing to be performed. Perhaps the man wanted the healing more than the rest! Or maybe he is ready to follow Jesus all the way after the healing. That’s why they reason that their Master searched him out in the temple ground in the midst of a huge crowd. They put their faith in him even more, not only as the Son of God who heals but also One who knows everything!

The story above is taken from John 5:1-15

Next: The Feeding of the Five Thousand
http://psbible.blogspot.com/2011/05/feeding-of-five-thousand.html