Jesus’ Power to Heal

Read this beautiful new poem from our contributing poet, Dan Doyle. In it Dan tells the story of Jesus healing the crippled man by the pool from the perspective of the man healed. Imagine spending a life broken and weary – then looking up to see Jesus’ smiling visage and feel his healing hand. For many of us that has been our experience. See what it must have been like to actually experience Jesus’ healing power.

Bethzatha: John 5: 1-9

Thirty–eight years I’ve been coming here.

In the beginning my parents brought me,

But they went to their graves

And left this duty to my brother and his son.

I was a burden to them.

They didn’t say as much,

But I knew it in their eyes.

They’ve left me here every day

And gone about their daily business.

I was alone. I had no one to

Carry me into the waters

When the Affirming Angel

Stirred the pool into life.

Someone else always got there

Before I could crawl to the pool’s edge.

So I laid there among the broken,

Watching them rush madly

Toward the pools edge

When the waters moved.

I saw so many cured.

And I grew weary of the effort,

My hope faded into

A heavy, dispirited ennui.

Until You came and asked

If I wanted to be cured.

It seemed a cruel question.

“Look at me”, I said.

“I have no one to carry me to the water

When it is stirred up.

What I want, I cannot have”.

Then you said, “Hear me,

Pick up your mat and walk.”

And something within me shouted,

“Yes! Yes!”

I could say nothing less,

For I felt a sudden brightness

Surging within my breast

And coursing through my veins.

My whole being split open with YES!

And I walked!

By all that is holy, I walked!

And I have been walking ever since.