JOHN CHAPTER 5 Lesson 6 THE HEALING AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA “That you might believe.” By Becky Kew – available online at

A special day had come for the people in Jerusalem. The city was crowded because there was going to be a special feast and many were coming to go to the temple to worship God.

There were some who could not go to the temple or to the feast. They were at the pool of Bethesda. Some were blind, others lame or paralyzed. These sick people lay on the porches that were beside the pool.

They only wanted one thing, to be made better. They stared at the pool, trying not to look away, not even for a moment.

Can you guess why?

An angel came at certain times and stirred up the water. The first person to get into the after it had been stirred was healed of his sickness. Day after day the people waited for the angel to come. One man had been lying on his mat for 39 years!

This man was about to give up hope. It seemed that someone else always got into the pool before he was able to.

Do you ever feel this way? Do you feel like you can’t keep up or that everyone else is better than you? Or maybe you think that life isn’t fair. Why do certain things always happen to you?

The Bible says that the Lord Jesus knows how you feel. He suffered the same things-yet without sin. The word of God says, he knows about the tears you shed and he keeps them in a bottle. Ps. 56:8

The sick man then saw the Lord Jesus. Jesus walked right up to him and asked him, “Would you like to be made whole?” John 5:6

What did he mean by this? There are two ways that a person can be made whole. P_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ y S_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ y Which is more important?

Jesus knew that this is what the man wanted. The Lord wanted to draw out from the man an admission of his own H__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __. It is the same with salvation. He knows that we need to be saved, but he waits to hear confession from our lips that we are L__ __ __ and that we want to accept him as our Savior.

He said, “I have no man to help me, when the water is moved, someone gets there before me.” Jesus then said, “Arise and take up your bed and walk.” Jn. 5:8

IMMEDIATLEY HE STOOD UP AND WALKED! HE OBEYED. JOY FOLLOWED!

The Lord never tells anyone to do a thing, without giving the power to do it! It’s the same with the Christian life. His command is for people to be saved, once they are, HE GIVES THE POWER FOR THEM TO LIVE A LIFE PLEASING TO HIM! He gives the power to: W__ __ __ R__ __ __ __ !

Because it was the Sabbath day, the Jewish people were forbidden to do any work on a Saturday. They were so religious but they omitted show mercy and compassion to others. They tried to find out who it was that did this to the man, but he didn’t know it was Jesus. Jesus had slipped away. The Jews from this point on, sought to kill Jesus. John 5:16

The Lord found the man later. He was in the temple, praising God. Jesus told him, “Not to continue in sin, because a worse thing could happen to you.” The man now knew who it was who healed him and he told everyone! The Jews sought to persecute Jesus, but he said, “My Father works and so do I.” John 5:17

The Lord Jesus was the Creator of the Sabbath! After six days of Creation, he rested. The entrance of sin disturbed his rest. Since then he has been working ceaselessly to bring men and women and boys and girls back in fellowship with himself. His love and grace could not be confined to only six days of the week!

The Jews sought to kill him all the more, because he said that God was his Father. John 5:18. His response?

THE SON CAN DO NOTHING OF HIMSELF, BUT WHAT HE SEES THE FATHER DO: FOR WHAT THINGS THE FATHER DOES, SO DOES THE SON. JOHN 5:20 JOHN 5:24 (READ)