The Pool of Bethesda
Friend of the Friendless
The Pool of Bethesda was a place, in the time of Jesus, where sick people were taken in hope of a miracle. It was said that occasionally an angel came down and disturbed the water. At that point, the first of the sick people to get into the pool was cured of their sickness or disability.
One day, Jesus went there and saw a man who had been crippled for 38 years. He asked the man if he wanted to get well. The man replied, "Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; while I am getting there, someone else steps into the pool before me." Jesus told him to stand up, take up his bed and walk. He did so.
In our daily life we have to put up with many disappointments when we lose out to other people. From time to time we think we are doomed never to win anything as others beat us to it. We apply for jobs, we get interviews but someone else always gets the job.
I have a friend who put in for countless jobs for which he was well qualified. We were out of work at the same time. My friend could get on countless shortlists but never win the job. Yet not once did he ever complain. Always the optimist, he kept on scouring the job ads looking for the next place to mail his CV. He is an Asian and at that time he lived in a town with a high Asian population. When he eventually did get a job it was in Scotland in an area where there were hardly any Asians. When another job came up he put in for it and got it. For some reason, he could not get a job in an area with a large Asian population. This was after trying for several years. But he never gave up or suffered from low self-esteem.
The positive thing that came out of the long period without a job was that his undying belief in himself kept my spirits up. Eventually, I too found employment. Sadly, Peter, the leader of our Job Club died some years later. He had been the one who supported us both throughout our job search activities.
From this experience I have found that Jesus comes to you in many different ways. In my case he came as a Muslim who kept me going when the rejections were coming in. He also came in the guise of a job club leader who convinced us all that it was the job that was redundant, not us. But I also believe that when there is no one to help he just carries us through.
Many years ago I remember a student for the Christian ministry preaching at my church. He listed three ways in which God pulled us through. The first was the fact that we had personal gifts and attributes which would do the job. Secondly, when things were very difficult, he helped us get through. Thirdly, when the situation was just impossible he carried us through. It reminds us of the footsteps in the sand, doesn’t it? But it’s true.
We are not left to suffer alone. I tell this to mourners at funeral services. "God will not leave you alone to grieve." The great ancient philosopher once said, "What we need is a hand let down." We know whose hand it is we see let down. As the man at the Pool of Bethesda discovered, this is absolutely true. There is deliverance. St. Augustine once said, "God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love." He is the friend of the friendless and seeks recruits to go out and do his work in his world. Is he calling you?
The Pool of Bethesda was a place, in the time of Jesus, where sick people were taken in hope of a miracle. It was said that occasionally an angel came down and disturbed the water. At that point, the first of the sick people to get into the pool was cured of their sickness or disability.
One day, Jesus went there and saw a man who had been crippled for 38 years. He asked the man if he wanted to get well. The man replied, "Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; while I am getting there, someone else steps into the pool before me." Jesus told him to stand up, take up his bed and walk. He did so.
In our daily life we have to put up with many disappointments when we lose out to other people. From time to time we think we are doomed never to win anything as others beat us to it. We apply for jobs, we get interviews but someone else always gets the job.
I have a friend who put in for countless jobs for which he was well qualified. We were out of work at the same time. My friend could get on countless shortlists but never win the job. Yet not once did he ever complain. Always the optimist, he kept on scouring the job ads looking for the next place to mail his CV. He is an Asian and at that time he lived in a town with a high Asian population. When he eventually did get a job it was in Scotland in an area where there were hardly any Asians. When another job came up he put in for it and got it. For some reason, he could not get a job in an area with a large Asian population. This was after trying for several years. But he never gave up or suffered from low self-esteem.
The positive thing that came out of the long period without a job was that his undying belief in himself kept my spirits up. Eventually, I too found employment. Sadly, Peter, the leader of our Job Club died some years later. He had been the one who supported us both throughout our job search activities.
From this experience I have found that Jesus comes to you in many different ways. In my case he came as a Muslim who kept me going when the rejections were coming in. He also came in the guise of a job club leader who convinced us all that it was the job that was redundant, not us. But I also believe that when there is no one to help he just carries us through.
Many years ago I remember a student for the Christian ministry preaching at my church. He listed three ways in which God pulled us through. The first was the fact that we had personal gifts and attributes which would do the job. Secondly, when things were very difficult, he helped us get through. Thirdly, when the situation was just impossible he carried us through. It reminds us of the footsteps in the sand, doesn’t it? But it’s true.
We are not left to suffer alone. I tell this to mourners at funeral services. "God will not leave you alone to grieve." The great ancient philosopher once said, "What we need is a hand let down." We know whose hand it is we see let down. As the man at the Pool of Bethesda discovered, this is absolutely true. There is deliverance. St. Augustine once said, "God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love." He is the friend of the friendless and seeks recruits to go out and do his work in his world. Is he calling you?
posted by Keith Alexander at Thursday, January 05, 2006
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