Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
The man by the pool in Bethsaida is a truly pitiable character. Ill for years, he sat by the pool unable to walk. The very illness which makes him need the healing waters also prevents him from going to them. When Jesus asks him why he has been at the pool so long without healing, the man says “I have no one to put me in the pool” (Jn. 5:7). Before Jesus, he admits he is weak, admits he is friendless, and admits he needs help. His honesty is his salvation.
Lent is a time to admit you need help. This is a season when we acknowledge before God that we are weak, that our sins have driven others away, and that we need help. This is not an easy thing to admit. Everything about the American ideal prizes the sort of individualism where you pull yourself up by your bootstraps and fix things on your own. But if we are honest, ignoring others—be it those around us or even God Himself—is how we got into this mess. To deny our weakness is a lie. As with the man by the pool, we must admit before Jesus that we need help. Our honesty will be our salvation.