When Jesus asked the invalid man at the Pool of Bethesda
whether he wanted to get well, the man replied:
“I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.
While I am on my way, someone else goes in before me.”
Then Jesus said, “Stand, take your mat, and walk.”
Immediately the man was healed,
and he picked up his mat and walked.”
From John 5
Some Ideas to Contemplate:
- In this story shared by the Gospel Writer called John, Jesus—Master Healer, Mystic, Teacher, and Wayshower—recognizes the seemingly invalid man’s absolute wholeness. Jesus knows him as one of God’s divine beloveds, created whole and holy, in God’s glorious image and likeness. As Jesus consistently teaches, and as the man demonstrates, acceptance of our divinity and wholeness is healing.
- Nevertheless, recognizing the truth of our wholeness can be challenging. Some of us have been led to believe that something (the medicine) or someone (the physician) outside ourselves heals us. When we feel unwell, we may argue for the limitation of dis-ease, owning the ailment like a valuable possession. We may falsely believe that we have no one to help us into “the pool.” Perhaps we view that pool as our only source of healing, when in reality, God (Higher Power, Divine Spirit, Supreme Universal Energy, etc.) and God’s power within us is already that source. We are the ones who must stir the waters and initiate the healing energy.
- At its core, all healing is spiritual. If we have a physical ailment, we heal best when we focus our energy within and notice what we are feeling and experiencing with hopeful curiosity and loving attention. Since our bodies continually want to release all energy that is out of harmony with our wellbeing, sickness is a way of clearing toxins. So rather than condemn the dis-ease, we can activate our own life force, our divine energy signature, to restore and renew us to perfect soul resonance.
Practices for the Week:
- Reflect, with self-compassion, on any physical ailments or pain you are experiencing.
- Imagine and visualize how your life might be if you viewed the dis-ease as a path to wholeness.
- Illustrate, journal, and/or record the ways your spiritual energy is healing you.
You are a spiritual being with a radiant soul, living in a sacred body temple, having human experiences. Love your body as the precious home for your beautiful soul. Whatever discomfort and dis-ease you are experiencing, turn within. Affirm and embrace your divinity. Behold your perfect vision of wholeness. Then treat yourself like one of God’s divine beloveds and accept your healing now.
© 2026 – Rev Jenn Sacks – All rights reserved.
Photo from Shutterstock by marujiro2.
