How Long Have You Been Waiting at the Pool of Bethesda?
by James Early
Sitting by the edge of the pool
the people wait…
waiting for the water to move
waiting for the angels to come
waiting for something to believe in
waiting for a miracle
waiting for someone else to do something
waiting for something outside themselves to change
waiting
waiting
waiting…
Some are new to the wait and full of hope they will be next.
Others have waited for years and almost given up,
but not enough to leave…
just in case, just in case…
They’re as settled in their spots between the porches and the pillars
as they are in accepting their fate,
until, of course, the angels come, very intermittently,
and free from bondage
one soul at a time.
Sometimes it’s minutes. Sometimes weeks.
Who knows when the waters will again be troubled,
and yet, the people wait.
The cry goes out:
“Look! The angels have returned.”
There’s a desperate scramble to reach the water first,
but some cannot even lift their legs or pull their tired bodies
to the water’s edge.
A young man, who arrived last month, got there first.
He only had a small rash on his arm,
and now it’s gone!
The look of joy on his face puts a secret sadness in the hearts of those who were too slow.
But outwardly they praise God. It reconfirms their hope that angels will come again,
and they will be next.
One tear-stained face looks into the distance, hopeless and defeated.
For thirty-eight years his legs have failed him.
Since boyhood, he has not walked a single step.
For years on end he has waited at this water.
His friends come by from time to time to give him hope,
but they’re never there when the angels stir things up.
There is never anyone to help him in.
Someone else always gets there first.
He dares not leave
and even if he did
he has no place to go.
And so he dries his tears
and settles in to wait once more.
But this time, he finally tells himself,
he knows he’ll never get there first.
He’s known it all along, at least for many years.
Tears again baptize his cheeks.
He knows his healing will never come
from the thing he cannot reach.
In total resignation his simple prayer goes up to heaven:
“Please help me, Lord.”
As if in answer to this plea for help,
a young man, in simple but spotless garb, approaches and asks,
“Do you really want to be healed?”
His mind is dizzy with disbelief at such a question.
Is it not obvious?
But composing himself,
he explains there is no one to help him into the water
when the angels arrive.
The warm smile from the stranger sparks hope in his heart.
Never has he felt such love engulf him.
Perhaps this man would be the one
to help him to the troubled waters.
What happened next is still a blur.
He remembers a firm voice command him,
“Get up! Take up your bed and walk.”
And suddenly he was on his feet;
not knowing how it happened.
One step. Two steps.
He felt the strength course through his body.
Three steps. Four.
Wild with joy,
he looked once more into the eyes of this young man by his side
to thank him for his healing.
The depths of peace he saw stopped him short
and quieted his boisterous ecstasy.
A deep settled calm descended on his heart,
an inner peace he’d never felt before.
In silent prayer
his tears flowed freely once more,
tears of gratitude and not despair.
With prayer complete, he realized he was once more alone.
Where had the stranger gone?
“He was here just a minute ago. I don’t even know his name.
I will search until I find him.”
As he picked up his belongings,
it was clear that no one had even noticed he was healed.
Their gaze was still fixed upon the water…waiting for it to move.
How long have you been waiting at the Pool of Bethesda?
How long have you been
waiting for the water to move
waiting for the angels to come
waiting for something to believe in
waiting for a miracle
waiting for someone else to do something
waiting for something outside yourself to change?
How long will it be
before you hear the voice of Christ within your heart?
It calls out to you this very moment and every moment after,
“Stand up. Pick up your bed, and WALK.
You are free.”
Yes, dear reader, you are free.
Many blessings to you,
James
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