Reported

Meditation
John 5:15—The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

When a starved person chooses rocks over bread, there is a deeper disorder than hunger. A man was sick for 38 years. Jesus saw him and knew his situation. He asked him if he would like to get well. Instead of answering “Yes!”, the man shared a pool of woes. You can read about it in John 5:1-7.

Jesus was not interested in what didn’t work. He told the man the best eight words he had heard in almost four decades. “Get up! Pick up your bedroll and walk!” Instantly he was healed. Predictably, the religious leaders missed the awesomeness of his healing and zeroed in on why he broke Sabbath law by carrying his mat. The man explained what Jesus told him to do but he had no clue of Jesus’ identity. Later the Lord found him and said, “See you are well. Do not sin any more, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” Jesus, knowing all things, gave the man a warning. Why? What did He see in the man’s heart?

Why an immobilized man set free would need to curry the favor of the religious leaders who were helpless to help him for 38 years should tell us much about human nature. Evidently, what cured his illness did not touch his spirit. Instead of protecting the identity of his benefactor, the man reported Jesus to the authorities. This caused the Lord direct persecution by the Jews. It was also an eerie foreshadowing. When orchestrated by jealous religious leaders, the Jews blessed by Jesus’ miracles and teaching, eagerly yelled, “Crucify Him!”

Welcome to a mysterious pool called Bethesda. Here we discover a disease worse and more widespread than blindness, lameness or paralysis. It is atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Its victims would rather cooperate with those in control than to have faith. The miracle worker is expendable. The power of grace is blocked by the fear of disgrace. It is not the multitude that is cured when the pool is stirred it is the one who makes it first to the water.

The Bible tells us of days when children rise against their parents and vice versa. People will do what is in their self-interest in order to further their own preservation. If the authorities declare faith in Christ to be a crime, don’t be surprised when the neighbor you helped reports you. Veins too clogged for faith whisper betrayal. It happened to Jesus and He really was special. If after a spectacular healing the Master has to say, “See you are well, do not sin any more . . .” something is radically wrong!