In the Gospel of John, chapter five, we meet a man who had been crippled for thirty-eight years. Day after day, he lay near the pool of Bethesda, a place where people believed healing waters would restore the broken. But for nearly four decades, his life was defined by waiting. He was always on the edge of hope, but never stepping into it.
Then Jesus appeared. He asked a question that almost sounds unfair: “Do you want to be made whole?” Of course he wanted healing—or so it would seem. Yet the man’s answer revealed how deeply he had settled into his condition: “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool.” His focus was still on what he lacked, on what others had not done for him, rather than on the One who stood before him.
Jesus cut through the excuses and spoke directly: “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” With that, the man’s waiting was over. He didn’t need the pool. He didn’t need someone else to carry him. He only needed to trust and act on the word of Christ.
The Pools We Sit Beside Today
Many of us sit beside our own “pools.” We linger by opportunities, waiting for conditions to change, for someone else to notice, for a door to open. We tell ourselves that if only the right moment, resource, or person came along, then we would finally step forward.
It might be the job you’ve been putting off applying for, the relationship you know needs mending, the dream you’ve buried under years of delay. Or it might be spiritual—waiting for the “perfect” time to pray, to forgive, to surrender your life to God.
Like the man at Bethesda, we can spend years circling around the possibility of change without ever moving toward it.
Christ’s Call Is Still the Same
The words of Jesus have not changed: “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” He calls us to step out of paralysis and into faith. Notice He didn’t simply say, “Be healed.” He gave a command that required action. The man had to stand, gather his mat, and walk forward.
Today, following Christ often means moving even while our fears and excuses try to hold us down. It means trusting His word above our circumstances. Where we see obstacles, He sees possibility. Where we see only what we lack, He offers Himself.
Stop Waiting—Start Walking
So the question is not just about the man by the pool, but about you and me: How long have you sat by the pool?
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How long have you been waiting for the “right” time to begin again?
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How long have you been letting excuses define your faith, your work, your relationships?
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How long have you been measuring your life by what you lack instead of who Christ is?
The call of Christ pushes us past waiting. He invites us to rise—not in our own strength, but in His.
A Step Forward
Faith is often one small step, not a leap. For the man at Bethesda, that step was standing on legs that hadn’t worked in thirty-eight years. For you, it might be making a phone call, writing the first page, praying the first prayer, or forgiving the person you’ve held back from.
Whatever your “pool” looks like, don’t stay there another day. The Healer is present, and His words still echo through time: “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.”
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