Episode Summary
After 38 years of living with a disabling condition, a man lying beside the pool of Bethesda encounters Jesus, who asks him an unexpected question: “Do you want to get well?”
In this episode of Life Reclaimed, Kim and Brenda welcome their friend Tanya as they explore John 5:1–15. Together, they reflect on Jesus’ compassion, His power to heal, and what happens when His work doesn’t look the way we expect.
Through Scripture and personal experiences, they consider the difference between physical and spiritual healing, the challenges of waiting, and the peace we can find in Jesus even when our circumstances haven’t changed.
What might this encounter reveal about the way Jesus sees us, meets us, and invites us to trust Him?
Listen to the Episode
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In This Episode
- An unexpected question: Why does Jesus ask a man who has suffered for 38 years, “Do you want to get well?”
- The compassion and power of Jesus: What this encounter reveals about a Savior who sees our suffering and can change a life with just a few words.
- When healing doesn’t look the way we expect: How our assumptions, expectations, and excuses can shape the way we respond to Jesus.
- Physical healing and spiritual restoration: Why these don’t always happen together, and what it means to experience God’s peace while still facing difficult circumstances.
- Finding hope in the waiting: Personal reflections on trusting Jesus, recognizing His work in the small things, and keeping our eyes on Him when healing hasn’t come.
Transcripts Coming Soon
John 5:1–15 (NIV)
Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
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Disclaimer
The hosts and guests of Life Reclaimed share personal experiences, faith-based perspectives, and reflections on Scripture.
We are not speaking as pastors, licensed counselors, or medical, legal, mental health, or financial professionals.
Our conversations are intended to encourage and inspire, not to replace professional medical care, mental health treatment,
pastoral counseling, or other guidance appropriate to your situation. Please seek qualified support when needed.