Article August 20, 1949 Issue

"WILT THOU BE MADE WHOLE?"

AVELYN M. KERR

For many years the writer, like most students of Christian Science, has daily studied the Bible Lessons in the Christian Science Quarterly. One morning human activities seemed unduly pressing, but she decided to put first things first. She knew that the truths contained in the current Lesson would sustain her for the day and make her tasks lighter.

One of the sections contained the account of Jesus' healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda, recorded by John (5:2—9). The suggestion came that she could skip that Bible section because she was thoroughly familiar with the story. But as she picked up the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, she was reminded that regardless of how often she had read familiar Bible texts and passages from our Leader's writings, she had always received fresh inspiration. So she turned back to the Bible quotations and read slowly and carefully the account of this remarkable healing. When she came to the verse where the impotent man, in reply to Jesus' question, "Wilt thou be made whole?" answered, "Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool," a new light dawned upon her consciousness.

Here was one who had had an infirmity thirty-eight years. Probably, she reasoned, in that length of time he would have exhausted every material method of healing and perhaps even been given up as incurable by the medical profession, yet he was still looking to matter for healing, still believing in the superstition of the times that the waters of the pool held some miraculous virtue of healing. He was also looking for some person to help him into the pool. The writer saw that this man was looking to person to help him regain his health. And she learned a valuable lesson from this: the need to overcome dependence on human personality.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
August 20, 1949
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit