Jesus is on his way to a religious feast in Jerusalem—kind of like the priest and the Levite of the Good Samaritan story. Jesus stops at a pool by the sheep gate, where “lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the waters” (John 5:3).

“What would be the equivalent of the pool today?” I ask a group of inmates.

The first man mentions hospitals. Others say “bars,” “drug houses” and “right here in this jail.” They talk about being sick and paralyzed by addictions, negative emotions, charges, imprisonment, debt and fines. The inmates have no difficulty envisioning themselves there among the multitude of those desperate for a breakthrough.

We talk about the image of God in the story, portrayed to people by an angel who would stir up a pool with his presence, healing the first one in. This god would be there only for the strongest and quickest ones, rewarding the best competitors and those who follow the rules. This god leaves the weakest and most hurting ones submerged in their problems—like the man who had been laying there paralyzed for 38 years.

This “god who helps those who help themselves” deity that underlies our justice system and society is what makes many feel paralyzed, or completely damned. I’m glad this “god” is an idol, a no-god to be uncovered, denounced and turned away from.

We notice together that Jesus saw the paralytic and knew he’d been there a long time. We talk about how Jesus didn’t impose his agenda on the man but was highly respectful in asking him: “Do you want to get well?”

The man’s response shows that he was paralyzed by the reigning system. “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me” (John 5:7). So many people are paralyzed because they haven’t had opportunities, have failed with ones they have had, cannot meet the requirements, don’t have the resources or other reasons. A Latino guy with a shaved head laments that he hasn’t been able to get a driver’s license because of unaffordable fines, can’t get a job because he’s a felon, and names a host of other obstacles that keep him down-- vulnerable to his alcohol addiction. We’re all ready to hear the next verse, which I ask a volunteer to read:

          Jesus said to him, “Arise, take up your pallet and walk.” And immediately the           man became well, and took up his pallet and began to walk” (John 5:8-9).

The men can see that Jesus represents a completely different, liberating image of God. Jesus bypasses the entire system. He could have called the angel down to stir the pool and then helped the man in ahead of the others. Instead he shows total respect and belief in this paralytic-- that he can get up, take up his pallet and walk. I illustrate this by looking right at a Swinomish Indian guy to my right and saying: “It would be like if I just said to you: ‘Just stop drinking. You can do it! I believe in you,’ even though you know you’ve failed over and over. The Swinomish guy’s eyes widen and he leans forward.

“Hey, what you just said really affected me, seriously. Just saying that really affected me dude. The people I know out on the streets need to hear exactly what you just said to me. They need to be believed in like that,” he says.

In conclusion we talk about how Jesus believes even in a guy who has failed to get free for years and years, 38 long years. I look across at the guy with the shaved head, wondering how old he is and decide to ask. “I’m 38,” he says, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. “And I’ve been stuck my whole life,” he adds.

He tells me that it helps him to know that Jesus sees him, knows his whole history and still has faith in him. God’s faith in us and invitation for us to stand up and walk may be exactly what we need in order to have faith in God. Jesus sees us, knows how long we’ve been stuck and still has the highest respect for us. He offers to free us and heal us right now, just like he did way back then.

The Latino guy with the shaved head remembers something he decides to share. “Yeah, two years ago when I was in here you guys prayed for my shoulder which was dislocated and terribly painful. The pain went away and has never come back. What’s weird is that there’s still the same bump there as when it was dislocated. Maybe it’s there to remind me.”

Jesus’ calling people out of paralysis into hope continues today. We at Tierra Nueva feel called to share God’s radical faith in people nobody believes in, a faith that has nothing to do with appearances that meet the eye. This faith comes through invitations and declarations that free people from paralysis so they can become empowered disciples. God seems to like to confirm these words with the signs that follow—making the love even more irresistible. Let’s join Jesus in this ministry to call people into new hope for a fruitful life.

Bob Ekblad
directs Tierra Nueva (New Earth), an ecumenical ministry that seeks to share the Good News of God's liberation in Jesus Christ with migrant farmworkers, new immigrants, and permanent Hispanic residents in Western Washington
is author of Reading the Bible with the Damned and A New Christian Manifesto: Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom of God
is husband of Gracie and father of three children ages 17, 15 and 12
blogs here