St Timothy Presbyterian Church

Scripture Passage John 5:1-9 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The Hebrew word Bethzatha means House of Mercy . Many ill, blind, lame and paralyzed people gathered around the pool called Bethzatha hoping to receive mercy. The pool was inside the Sheep Gate. The Sheep Gate and the pool inside it remind me of Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. (Psalm 23:1-3) Inside the Sheep Gate, they wanted to be healed. They wanted to be restored. They wanted mercy. But the pool was anything but a place of mercy. This is what the man said when Jesus approached him: Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am making my way someone else steps down ahead of me. (John 5:8) There was no one to help him. Everyone was looking after themselves. A place meant for healing became a place without mercy. People believed that when the water in the pool was stirred up, they