Word to the Wise
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 - 4th Week of Lent - Tues
[Ezek 47:1-9, 12 and John 5:1-3a, 5-16]"Do you want to be well?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me."
The dramatic quality of the Gospel of John once more provides us with a colorful character to interact with Jesus. Our imaginations could take hold of the scene because of the description. There is a background legend about an angel stirring the water of the pool after which the first person into the pool would be cured! One can imagine a stampede! However, in the case of the sick man, we are told that he has been there 38 years! Some speculate that he had made his living from his situation by begging. If so, Jesus' healing comes as a "mixed" blessing!" An infamous movie about the life of Christ has this man upset with being healed!
The lectionary teams this story with a passage from Ezekiel about a vision of water flowing from beneath the temple! The water has the power to create life. As I write this, I am at a parish in Texas to preach a parish mission. My parish missions emphasize the power and commitment of baptism. It is doubtful that Ezekiel or John had the sacrament of Baptism in mind, but the imagery serves the subject well! The gospel makes the story culminate in explaining the growing tension between Jesus and the religious authorities of the time. His sabbath healings were a threat to their way of understanding, and this healing took place on a sabbath.
Baptism is not some past event but a present power in a Christian. It gives life (Ezekiel) but it also commits us to doing what is right even when this may not be convenient to the persons involved! (John) The irony in a life-giving force resulting in a death-dealing tension comes through to me. AMEN
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