Bethesda

John 5:¹ “Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days.”

Back up and look at the person of Jesus. Jesus is God. Jesus is Anointed. Jesus knows everything. He was the Christ, the Messiah. But Jesus will still return to Jerusalem for a Jewish holiday. Why, what is the lesson here for us? Jesus did not have to honour the Jewish holiday. He returns to Jerusalem mainly because of people. Jesus knows that people will congregate at the festival, so Jesus would go to where the people are. You and I, as we are called of God, need to meet people where they are. We need to go to where people are. It is easy to want to be a Christian and be in your cocoon or be in your room. Just you and the Lord, loving God, praising, praying, anointed, and feeling goosebumps. But to what end? What is the objective?

What is the purpose of this if you are not going to interact with people? What is the purpose of this if you are not going to engage with people? It is in engaging with people that the power is released. It is in doing life, engaging where people are, and going to where the people are that the gifts are expressed. Jesus would go to the marketplace. Jesus would go to the festivals. Jesus would go even on a Sabbath because He knows that He had a great opportunity of ministering to people. God expects you to go and join that Golf Club. Go and meet new people. Go and join that dance club. Go there and meet new people. It is as you meet new people that you are able to let your light shine in their lives, and they come to your God, and God’s Name is glorified.

John 5:² “Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.” (emphasis added). The pool was named the Pool of Bethesda, hugely significant. Bethesda in the original means the House of Grace—grace everywhere! The pool was a depiction of grace. God just comes in His graciousness and stirs the water. Another meaning of Bethesda is the place of flowing Mercy, the place of flowing waters. In the Name of Jesus, you have come to the place of flowing mercy. It was a pool; it was not a river. So, for them to call it a place of flowing waters, a place of flowing mercy, they were not talking about the physical body of water because the physical body of water was stagnant.

It was a pool, but it was named the place of flowing waters, flowing grace, flowing mercy because it was not the water, it was the grace of God that was available in the place that was flowing into people’s lives. God wants His mercy to flow ceaselessly in your life. I pray that the mercy and grace of God will flow ceaselessly in your life in the Name of Jesus.

Prayer: Father, let Your rivers of mercy flow ceaselessly in my life, in Jesus Name. Amen!