Dr Jesus

There is a strange story in the Bible (John 5) about a pool called Bethzatha, which was said to have healing properties. Every now and then – or so the story goes – an angel of the Lord would go down to the pool and stir up its waters. Then, the first sick person who entered the pool would be healed of whatever was their affliction.

It was no surprise, then, that the pool was surrounded by the sick and disabled: blind people, paralysed people, people who couldn’t walk. This was a time when many people had disabilities, and many more were burdened with sicknesses that couldn’t be cured. For the sick and disabled, the healing pool of Bethzatha was their only hope at being well.

There was one man who had been lying by the pool, sick, for 38 years. Thirty eight years! All this time, waiting and hoping that he would be made well. Jesus sees him there, and hears his story. “Sir,” says the sick man, “when the water is stirred up by the angel, there is no one to help me get into the pool. When I try to get in, somebody else always gets there first.”

What we see here is an inadequate system of healthcare. It is a system that, evidently, brings a degree of healing – but only to the privileged few. If you have legs that move you fast, or good friends who can carry you, then you might be able to be healed by these mysterious waters. For everyone else: the too-sick, the too-disabled, the too-lonely, then they would have to wait. Wait for a time that might never actually come.

Jesus circumvents the healthcare system that’s on offer. He doesn’t help the man down to the pool; instead, he says to him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” And the man does. He is healed.

In Australia, we have a public healthcare system that is the envy of the world all over. But still, it is the most privileged people who have the best access. The ones who can afford health insurance. The ones who can afford to go to the dentist, or see a psychologist, or get an appointment with the specialist. The ones who have the right visa. There are some who always get into the pool first, while others are left behind.

I wonder…who can’t access healing from the system of healthcare that we have on offer? And what healing might Jesus – and us as his followers! – be offering instead?

Words by Rev Andreana

Image by Natanael Melchor, Unsplash