These verses tell the story of a man who had been sick for longer than I have been on this earth and whose hopelessness was turned to joy by the Savior:
Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, (called) Bethesda, having five porches.I have turned to this chapter often when I want to spend some time with the scriptures but have no particular place that I need or want to read. I love the story.
In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.
Today during priesthood class (the class for men during the last hour of church), the lesson was about Jesus Christ. The teacher read a few words from the lesson manual, but then he wanted to give most of the time for the class members to share some of their favorite scriptures about Christ. It was an inspired choice; the power of the Holy Ghost filled the room as people taught and testified to each other.
Someone beat me to sharing the first scripture I had been thinking about sharing, so I decided to turn to John chapter 5. But I wondered, what should I say about this? Why is this one of my favorites?
Finally, I began to understand why this story has always struck a chord with me.
This is the story of a man who wanted to be well. He wanted to solve a problem in his life. There was a very simple task required to reach this goal, but accomplishing this task was out of his reach. But still he stayed by the healing waters in hopes that, someday, he would be healed.
Jesus did not offer the man advice on how to try harder, how to find a friend who could help him out, how to sit closer to the water, or how to anticipate the angel and therefore be ready to take advantage of its healing powers. Instead, he blessed the man with the healing he had sought for so long.
The atonement of Jesus Christ is especially for the imperfect, the weak. It's for those of us who try again and again and still can't seem to get 100% home teaching, overcome addictions, serve completely unselfishly, or rid our hearts of envy. No matter how close we stay to the "healing waters," we all have have some weakness that we struggle with, a spiritual infirmity that hinders us in our quest to overcome that very weakness. If any of this sounds like you, the atonement of Jesus Christ is for YOU.
"My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me," the Lord told a Book of Mormon prophet. "For if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
Today, I finally understood what this story from the New Testament actually means to me. None of us has the power to fully overcome all mortal weaknesses on our own. But the grace, mercy, and perfect love of Jesus Christ are such that he will seek us out and help us overcome these things in his time. The atonement is for us.
