Thursday 2 July 2026

Psalm 67

Background
As an Irish Methodist minister, I’ve had a lot of privileges in my ministry, one of which is being able to visit Jerusalem about a dozen times. And today’s story is one about which we know where it actually took place. If you were at the Garden of Gethsemane and walked the ten minutes to the old city through Lion’s Gate, walked another five or so minutes along the Via Dolorosa and then looked to your right, you would see St Anne’s Church and behind it an area of caverns and caves with a bit of dodgy looking water in the bottom of some of them. That is Bethesda, where our story happened.

And this is a story with a lot going on in it. There are issues to do with breaking Jewish laws, by healing and about why someone might be ill – none of these issues are straightforward. But it’s the moment of healing that we’ll focus on for now. The paralysed man had been there for 38 years. Jewish tradition had it that when an angel stirred the water at the pool, then the first to enter would be healed. But the paralysed man could never get there. He was helpless. Jesus comes and perhaps surprisingly asks the man whether he wants to be healed. And then tells him to pick up his mat and walk, which he promptly does.

For the Jews, the area of Bethesda was holy ground because it was a place of healing. For this paralysed man it was holy ground because there he met Jesus and found his life restored. For us? We talk about the Holy Land, knowing the area is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims. But what makes it holy ground? For me, it's not because Jesus walked on a particular piece of ground, as Church tradition might claim. It is holy ground for me because generations of Christians have come here, and Christians have lived here for over 2000 years. It is their presence today and their faith that for me makes it holy ground. People of faith have and still do walk here. Middle Eastern Christians hold on to faith in a hugely uncertain region of the world. They walk by faith. They make it holy ground.

To Ponder:

• Is there somewhere that for you is holy ground?
• What privileges have you experienced as a follower of Jesus?

Prayer
Gracious God, we pray for all the peoples of the Holy Land and Middle East. We pray for permanent peace. We pray your blessing on the Christian community living in that region, and that we might always be part of the answers and not part of the problems. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Stephen Skuce
The Revd Dr Stephen Skuce is the Superintendent for Growing Churches within the Methodist Church in Ireland.