Word to the Wise
Tuesday, March 8, 2016 - 4th Week of Lent - Tues
[Ezek 47:1-9, 12 and John 5:1-3a, 5-16]TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016 TUESDAY IN THE FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 and John 5:1-16] When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be well?" There is an old saying, "No good deed goes unpunished!" One might apply it to the incident in today's gospel scripture. The crippled beggar, probably to get back in the good graces of those who criticized him for carrying his sleeping mat after Jesus healed him, goes and "tattles" to the accusers about Jesus' identity, which leads to persecution. Indeed, the beggar presents us with a mix of impressions. When Jesus asks him if he wishes to be well, he does not say, "Yes," but gives an excuse as to why in thirty-eight years he hasn't made it to the pool. Some preachers have opined that the man made his living begging, and once healed would lose that living! Perhaps he was walking around in a daze with the mat when he was accosted by pious Jews about doing work on the sabbath. When Jesus finds him later to warn him about further sins, he promptly goes and tells the Jews what they wanted to hear. It was Jesus who had broken the sabbath and healed him. Do WE want to be healed? Would we risk the criticism of others who are threatened by Jesus' actions and teaching? Do we have a "stake" in a less than happy circumstance that we will accept so as to make a living?The beggar is faced with a new dilemma. He can believe in Jesus or mourn the loss of his living. We are left to imagine the possibilities now open to him, but that is the power of John's gospel of dramas! AMEN
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