Our lesson this week is about faith, one of my favorite subjects. Jesus gave some wonderful examples of faith in his healing parables. One is in John 5:2, the story of the man at Bethesda.
Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool—in Hebrew called Bethesda, which has 5 porticoes, and in these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for 38 years. Now when Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” And that is the important question.
The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going, another steps down before me.”
And Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet and walk.” And at once the man was healed and he took up his pallet and he walked.
The noteworthy part is the fact that this man had been in this condition for 38 years. This says to us that if we have been in a situation for a long time and we begin to lose hope that this can ever change, or if we are repeating a pattern, it reminds us that once we make that connection, then we can be healed in a moment.
The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary speaks to the 5 porticoes where all of the sick people are resting as signifying the 5 senses. And when we are in that sense-conscious realm, we may have the appearance of illness, but once we move into the pool—the healing pool, which is that place within where there is stillness and healing power, and we make that connection with the Christ, the Divine within, then all illness can disappear and we can be healed in a moment.
And that applies to all kinds of healing, not just illness…it might mean healing in our finances, our relationships, our emotions, and so on. We engage a deep understanding faith by moving into the pool, by moving into the Consciousness of the Christ. Then, we think, speak, and act as though our desire is already fulfilled.
Have a faith-filled week!
Love & blessings,
Rev. Kathy