The Lord Jesus Christ Heals a Crippled Man on the Sabbath

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The Lord Jesus Christ journeyed to Jerusalem and when He had arrived at His destination, He saw not too far from the Temple a pool of water called "Bethsaida".

All around this pool of water as far as the eye could see were great crowds of sick, crippled, blind and infirmed people. Bethsaida was a special pool of water known for its healing power to cure diseases and disabilities. Its waters would bubble and rise up and when this occurred the first to enter the spring of water was cured.

On the Sabbath day, a day set aside for rest and worshipping God, the Lord Jesus Christ was walking among the sick and disabled who were patiently waiting for the water to rise up and bubble. The Lord Jesus Christ looked upon a poor sick crippled man who had been unable to walk for almost forty years. He asked the crippled man, "Do you wish to be made well?"

The crippled man replied, "Kind sir, I have no one to put me into the pool of water when it moves. I have to slowly crawl down and someone always steps before me into the pool when its waters move and heals."

The Lord Jesus Christ said to the crippled man, "Take up your mat and walk!" As the Lord Jesus Christ said these words, the crippled man began to feel a new life into his legs. He immediately rose up, took his piece of mat on which he had lied so long, rolled it up, and went his way home in amazement.

The Jews ever skeptical of good works said, "Who was this man who instructed you to carry your mat on the Sabbath day?" The previously crippled man who was now walking did not know who had cured him of his disability. But as faith and works would have it, the Lord Jesus Christ saw this healed man once more and said to him, "You have been healed. Sin no more, or something even worse may come upon you."

The healed man went away from the Temple area and told the Jews that it was the Lord Jesus Christ who had made him well. The Jews did not honor the miracle of the healing of a crippled man nor did they respect the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, they were angry because the Lord healed a sick man on the Sabbath. The Lord Jesus replied to their anger by pointing out, "My Father works on all days to do good works to men and I will follow His example."

Blessed be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.