Coffee With God

Reflection: John 5:1-3,5-16

The Gospel today speaks about the miracle of Jesus at the pool of Bethzatha on a Sabbath Day. Some Bible scholars think this passage is an allegory. Today’s liturgy makes us reflect on water as a sign of salvation. The sick man stands for the people of Israel. The five porches represent the five books of the law. In those porches the people lay ill. The law could show the people their sins, but could never redeem them from their sins; the law could uncover people’s weaknesses, but it could never cure them. The law, like the porches, sheltered the sick souls but could never bring healing. The 38 years could be explained as the 38 years in which the Jews wandered in the desert before they entered the Promised Land; or for the number of the centuries people had been waiting for the Messiah. The stirring of the waters stands for the baptism. In early Christian art, baptism was presented with a man depicted as rising from the baptismal waters, carrying a bed upon his back. The initiative for healing in today’s gospel comes from Jesus and he asks: “Do you want to be healed?” And the answer is interesting: he doesn’t say yes, but he complaints about having no one to help him! “I don’t have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed. While I’m about to go there – I’m about to make the decision to go – another gets down there before me.” The answer should have been, “Yes, I want to be healed!” But in his case, the response to Jesus’ offer to heal is a complaint against others. And so, 38 years complaining about others. And doing nothing to get better. Jesus healed him, although he did not really ask for it. But his indecisiveness would continue. The author of the Gospel does not say whether he was happy or sad about his healing. Unlike other healing stories, here he does not show any signs of happiness. Instead he continues to complain. “The one who healed me said to me. Take up your mat and walk.” And later he would go and tell the Jews that it was Jesus who healed him. This happens in our lives too. People perceive only what they want to perceive. We are sometimes too preoccupied with our prejudices and convictions and refuse to appreciate the goodness and beauty in the people around us. Are we too critical of those who are more popular and successful than us, and find faults with the situations and circumstances around us? Perhaps it is time for us to appreciate a colleague for a good job done, instead of criticizing him or her for being late in completing the assignment.