Leaving My Bethesda!

Last week I wrote about the man at Bethesda who was healed after 38 years. If you missed it, you can read it here.
Well, I am still researching and still discovering the depth of this story.

The Bible actually blows my mind. It is filled with story after story that has so much depth and meaning in every single one. We can never exhaust the goodness and wisdom if we continue to seek God and all He has for us in His word!

Anyway, back to the pool of Bethesda. What struck me this week is when Jesus said to the man:

“Get up. Pick up your mat and walk.”

Pretty simple command right?
But I got to wondering, why did he have to pick up his mat?
This was done on the Sabbath and so it was not lawful to pick up your mat, he could have easily just left it behind.

If the man was to pick up his mat, it would mean he would not return. Again, pretty simple right?
But how many of us get healing, and then return to where we were?

We accept the healing, even claim it in the name of Jesus, but then when things get a little tough, the healing feels like it is no longer complete, or the buzz wears off, we go back to what we knew. We go back to comfort. We go back to our Bethesda.

When Jesus commanded the man to pick up his mat, I believe it was because he didn’t want the man to return. He wanted him to leave Bethseda and walk a new path. Not to look back, not to return to what he knew.
Jesus knew there was nothing good for the man at Bethesda and a new path was the best thing for him. If the man had left his mat, the temptation would have been to return.

It is so easy for me to keep returning to my Bethesda. When life is uncertain, the road is hard and things are not making sense, I head toward comfort. Even if I know it’s not the best option, sometimes easy is my go-to!

But what if there was no Bethesda to return to?
What if I picked up my mat never to return?
It would mean I would need to find comfort in something new. It would mean I would actually have to trust Jesus 100% and not go back. Not return to those things that may have been comfortable but were actually holding me back from all Jesus has for me. I would have to find new comfort and a new normal.

And so I am choosing to pick up my mat.
My mat is a reminder of where I have come from.
I am taking my mat with me because there is no reason for me to return to where I was. The truth is, I am who I am today because of that mat. My story is woven into it. It has my DNA and it is a reminder of where I came from. I am taking it so I don’t return to my Bethesda. And I am taking it because that is what Jesus commanded.