John 5:9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, This text feels like we are just cherry picking a little bit. And we should probably include the following text in today's devotional. However, I am not because I want to discuss something very specific today. The text begins with the man being healed as he stood up. H...  Read More

John 5:8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”We want Jesus to talk to us. We pray for this, we hope that we will someday hear his voice and understand his will. But what I have noticed is that when Jesus talks, when he gives us commands, he often makes it simple enough to understand, and hard enough to make it impossible for us. It is impossible for us, until he makes it possibl...  Read More

John 5:7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”This man is speaking directly to his need for community. He doesn’t have anyone who can help him get into the water when the bubbles come up. His inability to get help means that he has no chance of being healed. Interestingly, this is probab...  Read More

John 5:5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”What an obvious question Jesus was asking this man. Would you like to get well? Of course, this man would like to get well; who wouldn’t? What comes along with getting well? We know that this man would be brought back in...  Read More

John 5:1 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. You have probably heard this story, and if you have a bit of imagination, you have created what this structure might look like in your head. I have seen artis...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPEN QUESTIONSWhen you and your closest friends or family get together, what is an activity you enjoy doing together and why?HEADRead Mark...  Read More