He Loved People

"GET UP! PICK UP  YOUR MATT AND WALK"

A few months passed after Jesus' encounter with the leprous man in Galilee. His travels took him from Galilee into Judea to preach and declare the good news of God's Kingdom.  The lives Jesus touched with his message and his manner must have numbered into the thousands. He clearly desired  to declare the good news to the poor,to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to bind up the brokenhearted. -Isaiah 62:1, 2; Luke 4: 18-21. 

Then the month of Nisan arrived. In obedience to his Father's command, Jesus journeyed to  Jerusalem for the Passover. The city was alive with activity as the people arrived for this sacred festival. Just north of the temple was a pool known as Bethzatha, and there Jesus encountered a sick man. 

Large crowds of sick and infirm people would gather at Bethzatha. What drew them to this location?  For some unexplained reason, they believed that if a sick person entered the pool when the waters were agitated, they would be miraculously cured. Imagine the feelings that must have prevailed!  Desperation, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness no doubt hung heavily in the air.  But what is it that drew Jesus  there, a perfect man without physical  defect?  Well, moved with pity, Jesus approached a man who had been sick longer than Jesus had been alive on earth. -Read John 5:5-9. 

Can you picture the despair in the sick man's eyes when Jesus inquired if he wanted to get well?  The response   was immediate.  The man wanted to be healed but he could not see how, for he had no one to help him into the pool. Jesus then commanded the man to do the impossible-to pick up his mat and walk.  Taking Jesus at his word, the man picked up his mat and began to walk. What a heartwarming foregleam of what Jesus will do in the new world! In this miracles, we also see Jesus' compassion. He sought out the needy. Jesus' example should motivate us to continue to seek out people in our territory who are depressed about the terrible things happening in this world. 

Next time: He Loved People - "WHO TOUCHED MY OUTER GARMENTS?" 

From the Watchtower magazine