Lectio Reflection on John 5:1-16 Reflection – Be Made Well
In the ordinary course of accepting Jesus as Savior through prayer and responding to the needs of others, there will be obstacles in the journey. We can counter these difficulties with the continuous desire to keep Jesus at the top of our minds and actions. What usually complicates the journey is not our being poor in some way, ostracized, or neglected but self-desire and other forms of evil that subtly weave into our lives. When we become ready to be made well and accept the invitation to take up our mat with Jesus, our task is to remain pure and sinless; otherwise, we become one of those in the worldly crowd.
The Piscina Probatica, or Pool of Bethesda by James Tissot
The full-resolution painting and more details are available on the Brooklyn Museum website.
John 5:1-16 – Scripture*
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. 3 In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.
Now that day was a sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath.
Additional Thoughts
Thank you for meditating on this daily Gospel reading and considering this Reflection on John 5:1-16 – To Be Made Well.
Would you like to contribute related thoughts to these Lectio reflections on the Gospel readings? Since Lectio is not the only contemplative prayer style, others might appreciate these types of expressions in this ministry. Do you see God’s grandeur everywhere and unconditionally enjoy sharing the love of Christ that you have inside? Are you willing to be anonymous in what you would share? If so, email me.
Prayer for young families:
Lord, let the young families of our communities get to know your joy, peace, comfort, and love despite worldly distractions.
Attributions
*This site has permission to use the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) Bible John 5 passage.
This site follows the guidelines for image web use at the website of the Brooklyn Museum , the Jewish Museum, and this Immersive Prayer website.