"Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk."
John 5:8
This statement by the Savior is directed to a man who "had an infirmity thirty and eight years" (verse 5), and who was waiting by the pool of Bethesda, hoping to find some way to be healed, even after all that time.
To me, taking up the bed shows us a couple of things. First, it illustrates that the man still had hope and faith. The scripture records no hesitation or doubt... just that immediately he was healed and took up his bed and walked. Indeed, he likely was initially unable to fulfil such a commandment, but the Lord gave him the power to fulfil it, and he was willing, and did so as soon as it was possible.
The other thing that I see here is a lesson about healing. Like so many other things in life, sometimes we think that healing is the end of all of our struggles. If we could just be whole, physically, mentally, spiritually..., then everything would be okay. What we don't realize until later is that healing is the beginning of the journey, not the end. We get so used to hiding behind our weaknesses that even when they aren't there anymore, sometimes we try to hide in them anyway, and don't do the work that it takes to actually more forward and improve.
Today, as God heals us, of sin, of doubt, of fear, and so many other things, let's take up our beds symbolically and walk--becoming more than we are. Let's take the gifts that the Lord has given us and expand and even multiply them, taking the baseline that God has given us and making everything better. :)
John 5:8
This statement by the Savior is directed to a man who "had an infirmity thirty and eight years" (verse 5), and who was waiting by the pool of Bethesda, hoping to find some way to be healed, even after all that time.
To me, taking up the bed shows us a couple of things. First, it illustrates that the man still had hope and faith. The scripture records no hesitation or doubt... just that immediately he was healed and took up his bed and walked. Indeed, he likely was initially unable to fulfil such a commandment, but the Lord gave him the power to fulfil it, and he was willing, and did so as soon as it was possible.
The other thing that I see here is a lesson about healing. Like so many other things in life, sometimes we think that healing is the end of all of our struggles. If we could just be whole, physically, mentally, spiritually..., then everything would be okay. What we don't realize until later is that healing is the beginning of the journey, not the end. We get so used to hiding behind our weaknesses that even when they aren't there anymore, sometimes we try to hide in them anyway, and don't do the work that it takes to actually more forward and improve.
Today, as God heals us, of sin, of doubt, of fear, and so many other things, let's take up our beds symbolically and walk--becoming more than we are. Let's take the gifts that the Lord has given us and expand and even multiply them, taking the baseline that God has given us and making everything better. :)
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