Scripture to Read: John 5:1–5
God set the stage for Jesus to minister so others would know He is God. In John 5:1–5, we read that Jesus went to Jerusalem. Remember that Jesus never did anything without the Father’s will being accomplished, so, going to Jerusalem was the Father’s will for Him. Jesus was Jewish, and it was the time for observing the Passover. According to God’s Law in Deuteronomy 16:1, Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. So, it was time for all the Jews to celebrate the Passover, remembering God’s deliverance of the Jews from Egypt in the days of Moses. We also read in John 5:3–5 that many in Jerusalem needed to be healed and waited by the pool called Bethesda. Some Bible translations add [waiting for the moving of the waters; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted], but this is not found in all translations. But the evidence of healing taking place by being first in the water is noted in John 5:7. The point is that many needed healing, and one in particular “had been ill for thirty-eight years.” Though we may not understand God’s timing, we can trust that His timing is always perfect. God works in ways to bring others to Himself.
Challenge & Application
• How do we know that Jesus was following God the Father’s will by going to Jerusalem, and how do we follow God’s will?
• How have you seen God’s perfect timing in your life, even though it may not have happened as quickly as you desired it to happen?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!