April 12, 2022
What does it say?
Jesus healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda and affirmed that He is God’s Son.
What does it mean?
The Jews in today’s passage cared more about entrapping Jesus than they did about the physical and spiritual healing of a crippled man. As a result, they missed sharing the excitement of the miracle and recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. These same men read the prophetic Scriptures describing Jesus every day. So how did they miss it? Jesus revealed their root problem – they did not have the love of God in their hearts. They thought that the act of reading Scripture would give them eternal life, when that life was found in the One they were reading about. They had outward religion with no inward reality.
How should I respond?
Spending time in God’s Word daily is an essential discipline for a growing follower of Christ. However, today’s passage warns that you can read the Bible regularly without experiencing spiritual growth. Do you have preconceived ideas about God and religion, as the unbelieving Jews did? If you humbly approach the Bible with a teachable heart, you’ll find life-transforming truth every time. God can then use you as an instrument of love and compassion to the hurting people around you.