Jesus saw him lie

I recently read an interesting interpretation of the story of Jesus and the man by the Pool of Bethesda. The writer's insight was in this phrase, :...and Jesus saw him lie".  This Pool was surrounded by porches filled with 'impotent' folk, those who were blind, halt, withered. They waited there for the waters to be stirred by an 'angel'. When that happened, the first one into the Pool would be healed of whatever disease they had. Jesus was walking by the area one day and noticed a man who had an infirmity for the past 38 years. Jesus perceived that he had been in this condition for a long time.

The account given in John's gospel says, "...and Jesus saw him lie."  This man had been lying to himself for all those years, accepting a false belief about his condition. But of all the people gathered around the Pool that day, the Master singled this man out for healing. He must have sensed that he could be awakened from that belief.

Jesus asks him if he wants to be made whole. Instead of an emphatic 'yes!' the man blames his failure to be healed on the fact that he had no to help him get to the Pool ahead of the others. I once worked with this story for someone who was having a hard time finding employment. He had called me and asked for prayerful support as he waited to be offered a job. The job 'pool' seemed to offer limited opportunities and someone always seemed to get hired ahead of him. This man was looking at his problem from the wrong perspective. We worked together to see what it was he had to give, why he was a good 'hire', how he could bring good qualities to an employer. It was not who he knew or what contacts he could provide. He soon was offered a good job.

Jesus tells the man by the pool to rise up. This is a good first step. Lift your thought out of the lie that seems to be holding you, limiting you, or labeling you. See yourself as God's beloved image and likeness with all the good that you reflect. Jesus did not offer him his arm and offer to race down to the Pool. He lead his thought away from any reliance on material aid.

He also told him to pick up his bed. Surely someone had carried him there on that bed and it was a symbol of his infirmity. Now he was perfectly capable of carrying it away with him on his own. He is also to walk. From the text it implies he had not done a lot of walking, if any, over that past 38 years. Jesus did not believe he would need some rehabilitation time to get those muscles into shape. He could instantly express complete strength and freedom. Immediately that man was made whole. Actually, his wholeness was revealed. It had always been there but he had been accepting the lie.

There is no law of God's that would impede, limit, or cause His child, His very idea, to be infirm. Quite the opposite. Principle, a synonym for God, is all about God's law of present good. uninterrupted good. Always being expressed and reflected. Sickness is not real and we can make the choice to stop listening to the lie and respond to the Christ's invitation to be whole right now. There is divine authority for this.

Reject the lie! Demonstrate the truth.