Knowing Jesus

They story of the man at the Sheep Gate pool is a fascinating example in the life of Jesus for a few reasons, but most notably because of how the healing takes place.

Most of the instances in the Bible of Jesus conducting a healing are centered around the faith of those seeking help. Consider, in some cases the person that needed to be healed wasn't even present, but the faith of the petitioner made them well. Or the example of the woman who touched Jesus cloak, believing that if she simply came into contact with him she would be made well, and she was.

And often, Jesus forgave those that sought healing of their sins. It wasn't just a physical act of intervention, he offered them spiritual healing as well. That is where we get our notion of the importance of faith in the healing process.

But the question is, do you always have to have faith to be healed by God? The answer we get with the paralytic at the Sheep's Gate pool is no.

The man was crippled, and had been that way for 38 years. He had no idea who Jesus was, and he didn't ask for help. But Jesus healed him and slipped away quietly into the crowd. Later, when the healed man came upon Jesus again, Jesus offered him instructions important for restoring his spiritual health.

I have always been amazed by the fact that God offers us healing if we simply believe and ask for it. But even more amazing is the fact that, even if we don't reach out to Jesus, he will reach out to us. That's what he did for the man at the Sheep's Gate pool. He created an opening. Then the rest is up to us.

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