It was a day he would never forget – a day he would never tire of talking about. It was the day he was set free.
That incredibly special day began like every other day had for the past 38 years. Thirty-eight years is along time. That’s an entire lifespan for some people. Thirty-eight years can seem even longer when you can’t move. His mind was alert, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. Doctors could do nothing for him. They could offer him no hope.
After the last disappointing doctor’s appointment, one of his friends suggested going outside the city gate to the Pool of Bethesda. The pool was rumored to have special healing properties, but only at the times the waters moved and only if you happened to be the first person to be in the water once it was agitated.
He didn’t really believe it. There was nothing about anything like this in the Hebrew Scriptures. But if there was a chance – even a small chance – of being healed, he would take it.
So his friends carried him to the crowded area surrounding the pool. They found a spot as close as they could to the water’s edge, but it wasn’t really that close. They made him as comfortable as they could, and then they left. And there he lay, day in and day out, for 38 years.
At first, when the waters were agitated he would will his unmoving body to move. He would try to wiggle this way and that way, but his paralysis kept him from even rolling over. After a while, he gave up trying to move and tried instead to catch the eye of someone he thought might help move him. And sometimes they did a little bit. But the area was crowded and they couldn’t move him very far.
Eventually, he gave up. There was no use. He was never going to make to the edge of the pool, much less ever be the first one into the water. He was never going to be healed. What was the use? He was imprisoned in a motionless body, trapped inside his miserable mind, and of no good to anyone. He might as well just die and let someone else have his spot.
But then on that special day, he opened his eyes and found the kindest eyes looking back at him. He was a bit startled. Most people around the pool tried to avoid looking at him at all, and here was a man not only looking directly at him, but smiling as well.
The man spoke: “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6)
What kind of question was that? Of course he wanted to be made well. He wasn’t at the Pool of Bethesda on holiday.
So he said to the man, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” (John 5:7)
He hadn’t meant to sound so pitiful. He had wanted to respond cheerfully this man with the kind eyes so that the man would be encouraged to help him. But the years of disappointment and frustration got the better of him. He fully expected this man to turn and walk away like everyone else.
But the man with the kind eyes continued to stand there. And then the man said the oddest thing. “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” (John 5:8)
He wanted to answer, “What? Don’t you think I would have done that long ago if I could? Are you crazy?” But he didn’t. Something in the eyes of this strange man told him that the man was serious. Something in the man’s voice spoke of authority and commanded respect.
While he laid there looking at the man he knew in his heart that he had to obey. So he gathered his courage and commanded his muscles to MOVE! And move they did. Before he knew it he was standing up. He looked for the man to thank him, but Jesus was gone. There was nothing left to do but to pick up his things and walk, no run, home.
Many people had spoken to the paralyzed man over the 38 years he had laid by the pool. What made the difference on that very special day?
The Word of God.
It didn’t matter that the man was completely paralyzed. It didn’t matter how long he had been held in his bodily prison. By His Word, Jesus was able to break the bonds that had held that man for 38 years.
Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.” Isaiah 42:5-7
This is why Binding Broken Hearts is passionate about getting God’s Word into prisons and into the hands of inmates who so desperately need the power of God to break the strong bonds that have captured their souls. Because these are men and women who need Jesus most.
Perhaps you want to help spread the power of His Word to an inmate who desperately needs its power. If so, please consider becoming a financial partner with us. Click here to see how you can help.