JESUS never tried to do away with the old ways which the Jews had followed except when it was a case of many man made regulations being superimposed on what God had originally commanded. Here, for example, we find Him going to Jerusalem to keep one of their feast days. The scene that confronted Him was one of great sadness and He was touched by one case in particular who had been going there since before Jesus was born. This man was an example of our inability to help ourselves. He believed that healing would be available if he could get to the water first, but, no matter how firm his belief, he was powerless to help himself. He needed Jesus, and when Jesus came the help was different from what he was expecting. Don’t imagine that God will always respond to your prayers in the way you ask Him to, but be ready for a very different – and a much better – answer.

            The man was so amazed that he didn’t even get the name of his healer. Let’s make sure that we acknowledge the source of all our blessings and thank Him for them. The petty mindedness of the Jews cast a shadow over the joy of the day and their concern over Sabbath keeping prevented them from sharing in the man’s happiness. Their jealousy sprang from their own threatened feelings. We would think that they should be pleased that a man had been healed, but Jesus hadn’t done it in their way or in their time.

            When Jesus warned the man about sin He was pointing out that there are worse conditions than physical disability and emphasising the importance of spiritual health. It is obvious that Jesus cared very much about men and women’s temporal needs, but our eternal welfare is always His first concern. We need to be sure it is ours too!