What are you waiting for?

John 5 1:16

For some reason Jesus had gone to the sheep gate and more specifically to the pool named Bethesda.
Was it by chance that he went to the pool or was it on purpose because he knew that this is where the weak, the poor and the sick people would be?
Bethesda means "house of mercy" and mercy is defined as "compassion which causes one to help the weak, the sick or the poor." I think Jesus went to the pool of Bethesda because mercy compelled him too.

The passage homes in on one man, a man who had been at the pool side for 38 years, a man who had lost all hope of being healed, a man who had given up trying. Even when asked the question by Jesus in John 5:6 "Do you want to be made well?" he couldn't even answer a resounding yes, he came up with an excuse, "I don't have anyone to help me, someone else always gets there before me." When Jesus enters into our lives and our life space, he has no time for excuses. John 5:8 sees Jesus cut to the chase and say "Rise, take up your bed and walk." When Jesus speaks faith is imparted.

What we see in John 5:9 is that the man immediately takes up his bed and walks. It does not appear that this man debated the theory or question how this was possible. The faith imparted by the spoken word of God quickened this man physically so he was able to get up and walk.

The passage continues to tell us that this man had no idea who had healed him. He was put on the spot and needed to testify to how he had been healed John 5:10-13. It is possible for us all to be in that situation, we can experience God in wonderful ways and yet still go on blindly living, not knowing who has intervened in our lives.

The great thing is that we read in John 5:14 that Jesus found him, Jesus does not just leave this man to flounder in his ignorance. He finds him and extends Grace for the forgiveness of Sin. Notice that Jesus says "Sin no more", not sins. Jesus died to abolish Sin not sins, He died for the cause not the result, the root not the fruit. He died for the rebelion and disobedience to God our creator. Having our Sin forgiven puts God in His rightful place in our lives and re-establishes a right relationship to God.

The passage brings together Gods great Mercy and Grace. For men and women to be lifted out of their despair  to be given hope, they need to be shown compassion. Compassion in itself does not get us into a right relationship with God. Grace on the other hand does.

Paul writing to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 2:4-5 combines both Mercy and Grace.

"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)"

So what are we waiting for. God has shown Mercy, let's receive His Grace and live and move forward into all that God has for us.