Jesus' Waters of Life"

Today's Mass Readings

One of the debates we encounter throughout John's Gospel, for example in today's reading and in this past Sunday's reading, is the issue of what constitutes work on the Sabbath. In the case of these readings, the question revolves around healing. Can one heal on the Sabbath? Jesus' answer would clearly be yes, one can heal on the Sabbath. But there is far more than simply the first century Jewish debate about what constitutes working on the Sabbath at issue here in today's Gospel text. Notice that the man who is ill is trying to get physical healing from special waters in the pool of Bethesda. The man has been unable to get into the water because of his illness. Jesus does not place the man in the water, rather He heals him on the spot. Notice too that Jesus never makes any claim like, "your faith has healed you." Often when Jesus heals someone He makes this claim, but not here.

In the Gospel passages where Jesus informs individuals that their faith has healed them, it is almost always in response to the petitions of these people. Typically, people approach Jesus because they know Who He is, or because they think He might be someone Who could heal them. They petition Jesus asking for healing, and then Jesus shows them the connection between their faith in Him, and their healing.

With the ill man from today's Gospel reading, there is no mention of the man petitioning Jesus for healing, nor that he even knows Who Jesus is. In fact, the texxt explicitly states that, "The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away" (John 5:13). Jesus does not leave the man in the dark forever. Later He encounters the man again and says, "Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you" (John 5:14).

Jesus is the one Who has the living waters that can make us whole. In Ezekiel's vision from today's first reading, we see living waters flowing from the Temple. In the heavenly Jerusalem, as the Book of Revelation makes clear, the Temple is God and the Lamb (Jesus). Jesus is the source of living waters that heal and that save.

The warning in the passage is not to sin, not because our sins make us physically ill, but because they make us spiritually ill. The things that are "worse" that "may happen to you," are not necessarily physical maladies, but spiritual ones. The spiritual illness sin causes is far worse than physical illness. Physical illness provides an opportunity to cry out for help. In the words of Pope John Paul II, the sick create spaces of mercy.

Lent is a season of mercy, not for physical healing, but for spiritual healing. Let us heed Jesus' words to the healed man from today's Gospel, and let us turn to Jesus and "sin no more." Let us allow Jesus to wash us in His living waters, living waters which we first received at our baptism. For the healing waters Jesus provides heal more than physical ailments; they can heal spiritual ailments as well. All of us are in need of such healing. Let us turn to Christ today and ask Him for the healing we need and desire.

Jeff Morrow