I sometimes wonder if the healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda was a ‘mistake’ by Jesus. John 5: 1-15. The results are miraculous, and I honor the Lord’s grace, mercy and power – but was the disabled man honest with the Lord? Was he thankful? Why did Jesus tell him to ‘stop sinning’ after the man was healed and in the temple?

Did the healed man, after meeting Jesus in the temple, go to the Jews to proclaim it was the Messiah who had healed him, or did he act as an informer so that the Pharisees could build a case against the Lord? I wonder if the greater miracle in this text is that Jesus, who knew the heart of this man, still went to find him specifically at the pool to heal his body AND soul, even though the man was reluctant, manipulative and devious. This thought makes me kneel in reverence to our great Redeemer.