Welcome To Story Hour

While reading my bible this morning, a particular phrase caught my eye.

They asked him, Who is the Man Who told you, Pick up your bed and walk? Now the invalid who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had quietly gone away [had passed on unnoticed], since there was a crowd in the place. (John 5:12-13).

Did you catch it?

The story goes that there was a man who "suffered... a deep-seated and lingering disorder for thirty-eight years," (v. 5). Every day he hung out by the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem hoping to be one of the lucky ones to make it to the water first when an angel of the Lord would stir things up... this meant a for-sure kind of healing (v. 2-4). Jesus walked by him one day, noticed him there, and (after listening to the guy explain why he could never make it the water first) told him to get up, roll up his bed, and walk. Not surprisingly, the man did just that (v. 6-9).

He goes on to tell others what happened. In verse 10, he is admonished for having the nerve to be healed on the Sabbath: It is the Sabbath, and you have no right to pick up your bed. He, in turn, tells them he was only doing what he was told to do. The Man Who healed me and gave me back my strength, He Himself said to me, Pick up your bed and walk! (v. 11). Now the kicker is that this guy had no idea that Jesus was... well, Jesus. When they (the nosy, self-righteous men) asked him who told him to get up and walk, the guy was clueless.

That takes me back to my original thought.

They asked him, Who is the Man Who told you, Pick up your bed and walk? Now the invalid who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had quietly gone away [had passed on unnoticed], since there was a crowd in the place. (John 5:12-13).

According to the scriptures, this particular pool was a pretty crowded place. I guess it would be with all the sick and lame and blind gathered together with the hopes of experiencing a healing that would transform their lives. It just caught my attention. Made me reread it a couple of times and break out the pen to underline it and think on it some more.

Jesus passed on unnoticed.
In the midst of a hurting crowd.
The miraculous occurred.

No spot lights. No praise band. No three-point outlines or tape table by the front door.

Oops. Maybe I'm getting a little off track here. The point is, my point is... have I ever been in the midst of something and totally missed Him in my presence? Has He been right there and I walked on by expecting Him to be somewhere else? These are the things I think. Whatever His reason was for keeping things quiet that day, He sure ticked the people off about the whole Sabbath day-thing. People do have a tendency to get caught up in the rules and regulations and proper ways to do things, don't they?

Yeah. I may have lost half of you by now.
I just don't want to miss Him, that's all.
My miracle is at hand.