None of us likes to be accused of being lazy. We like to assume that we have worked for and deserve everything good we have received! Our reading today reminds me that there are some attitudes and actions that accompany laziness that may be more common in my life than I would like to admit. One is the propensity to make excuses.

The smooth natural English of the CEV hides a key to understanding this whole passage. If you have another translation or can find it online, it is worth looking at either the ESV or the NIV.

The key word is “day,” which occurs ten times in verses 10-14 in yesterday’s reading, with phrases like “the day of misfortune,” “the day of calamity.”

“Do you want to be healed?” The first time I read this passage I thought what a dumb question! Was Jesus being dense? Of course he wants to be healed! He has been sick for thirty eight years, beside a pool believed to heal anyone who can be the first to enter it after the waters move. Why would he be there if he didn’t want to be healed?

My boys loved Sesame Street. Thus, I have watched a lot of Sesame Street shows. One of my favorite songs was the song that helped children group things. Perhaps you know it? “One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn’t belong. Can you tell me which thing is not like the others by the time I finish my song?”

When we hear the question, “do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?” we recognize that the setting is a courtroom and the person taking the oath is giving testimony. Today’s passage has a similar setting which is often missed by the distance between our two cultures. It presupposes a Jewish law court where evidence must be provided by the witness of others rather than oneself.

Throughout Jesus’ life and ministry he asked questions he already knew the answer to. He did it again when he asked Philip where they would get enough food to feed the crowds that were coming upon them.

The Bible says it was a test.

“Confidence properly placed.” That’s a great definition of humility. In Psalm 118 David’s humility is inspiring. It is a picture of a man not bowed down to the ground like a worm, but leaping into the air, rejoicing before the altar of God. We can almost see him dancing through the streets of Jerusalem as he cries out for all of Israel to acknowledge that God’s love endures forever while he acknowledges that it was God who has given him the victory over his enemies.