We meet some interesting characters
in the Bible.
Some are inspirational heroes.
Some are villains.
Some are role models.
Some are anti-role-models.
This guy from Bethesda in today’s
Gospel falls into that last category.
Not a villain, but certainly a
far-from-admirable person.
He’s been sick, lying on a mat,
unable to work or live a normal life.
For thirty-eight
years!
Jesus comes by one Sabbath and cures
him in an instant.
The Jewish leaders warn the man
against carrying his mat.
And ask who cured him on the
Sabbath.
He knows the leaders don’t have
anything good in mind for the healer.
But he doesn’t know
who it was, so he can’t tell them.
It appears that that’s the end of
the matter.
He’s not facing any punishment.
He’s not threatened and told he’d
better come up with a name.
But then, later, he finds out that
it was Jesus who cured him.
And he betrays Jesus.
He goes back and tells the leaders.
Where’s his gratitude?
Where’s his loyalty to the man who
freed him from his infirmity?
The one who saved him.
He should have been just bursting
with gratitude for the great gift he’d received.
Eagerly searching for anything he
might do to try to show that gratitude.
It’s pretty easy to see the
failings and weakness of this guy from Bethesda.
Pretty easy to look down on him.
… Until we catch a reflective
glimpse of ourselves.
He knew that—thanks to Jesus—
he could now look forward to years
of normal, healthy life.
We know that—thanks to Jesus—
we can now look forward to an
eternity of joy-filled, glorified life
How eagerly are we working to show
our bursting gratitude?
Tuesday, 4th Week of Lent
Jn 5:1-16 Read this Scripture @usccb.org
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