Get Up and Walk

In Jerusalem there was a pool called Bethesda. Sick people waited near the water, hoping for help. People believed that an angel came down and stirred the water, and that the first person to enter afterward would be healed. Many watched the pool with hope.

Among them was a man who had been unable to walk as he wished for thirty-eight years. His wait had been very long.

Jesus came to the pool and saw the man on his mat.

He did not look at him as a bother. He knew his need and came closer to speak with him.

Jesus asked if he wanted to be well.

The man explained that no one helped him reach the water. When he tried to get there, someone else arrived first.

Jesus did not ask him to race to the pool.

He told him to get up, pick up his mat, and walk.

The man received strength and stood. After so many years, his legs could hold him.

The man picked up his mat and began to walk.

How different it was to carry the thing that had been his place of waiting!

It was the Sabbath, the day of rest. The law said people should not do their everyday work on the Sabbath. Some Pharisees considered carrying a mat to be work, so they questioned the man. But he knew the one who healed him had told him to do it.

Later he met Jesus again. His life had received a new opportunity.

This miracle reminds us that Jesus sees people others may overlook.

If a friend needs more time or help to move, we can make room. We do not need to hurry them or tease them.

We can ask how to help and listen to the answer. Every person deserves respect, friendship, and care.

Jesus cares and helps, and we can share his kindness.