A Man with a Thirty-Eight Year Infirmity - John 5:5

John the apostle wrote how, “there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had”, and in chapter five and verse five of his book, John shared how about, “a certain man … which had an infirmity thirty and eight years” where we read:

And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.

The verse reads, “And a certain man was there, ...”. John began with the words, “And a certain man” or “and a particular male human being” “was there” which means “was at the location and place of the pool of Bethesda”. John shared how a particular “man” was at the “pool of Bethesda”.

The verse continues, “... which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.” John added the words, “which had an infirmity” which means “who was possessed with a weakness, frailty and disease” “thirty and eight years” or “for thirty eight years”. John shared how the particular man was stricken with an “affliction and disease” for “thirty eight” long years.

When we think through John's words in this verse, we learn about a “particular man” who was among all the afflicted people who were seated and lying around the “pool of Bethesda”. This man was very close to receiving a “miracle” from Jesus, and he did not know it at this time. We can only imagine how it was for him to endure this affliction for “thirty eight” years, and we may only speculate how desperate he was to be healed. God's desire is to have a personal relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and when they humble themselves before Him, He will forgive their sins and grant them everlasting life.

Next time John shares how Jesus asks the man with the infirmity, “will you be made whole?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".