Addicted To God (Part 1)

“Now there is...a pool, which is called...Bethesda...And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. ~ John 5:1-5

Todd and Amy have two children, Alex and Garret. They love them and they do their best to provide for them. And when the news comes that Amy is pregnant with a third child they are both overjoyed. They are as excited as ever to know that they will soon have another child. After eagerly and painstakingly waiting nine months they are blessed with a beautiful baby boy. He is healthy. He is strong. He is everything they wanted in a child. They name him Jacob. They take Jacob home and begin to take care of him. Throughout the months to follow they watch as he develops as the other two children had done.

But after several months they begin to notice a problem. You see Jacob has a problem with his legs. They bow out in a peculiar way and Todd and Amy get worried. They take their child and they go the doctor’s office to see what the problem might be. When they arrive they are told in detail how his legs are formed wrong. But the doctor encourages them by telling them that the corrective surgery to fix this problem is nothing but routine for him. He tells them they can have his legs fixed and in only months he will be walking and running as well as any child his age. Without a doubt they go for it. The surgery is performed and Jacob is soon running and playing, as we all know, as well as any other child.

But let’s go back and change the scenario just a bit. Two thousand years ago a man and woman just like Todd and Amy are thrilled to know that they soon will be the proud parents of a little baby. And when the day comes they are overjoyed to hold a healthy little boy in their arms. Perhaps they even name him Jacob. It was a popular Jewish name. They begin to take care of him and they watch as he begins to develop into a young boy.

But just as in Todd and Amy’s case they begin to notice a problem. His legs are not formed correctly. They rush to get the help of the doctor and the doctor gives his diagnosis. His body will continue to grow, he tells them, but his legs will grow weaker and weaker until he is no longer able to use them. Perhaps, he’ll be two years old when they become too weak to use, perhaps sooner. They beg the doctor for a solution, but in those days there was no solution. Jacob would have to live his life without legs. Now in those days there was no state aid. There were no wheelchairs. At the age of one year old he had been condemned never to be wed, never to have a family, and never to understand any of the joys of society but only to live life as a cripple.

To Be Continued Tomorrow...