Reflecting on John 5:1-10, Steve Chun spoke to our church community last Sunday about the story of the man healed by Jesus at the pools of Bethesda.
This story is different than many in John, in that he doesn’t appear to respond as a follower of Jesus, and we don’t see a transformation beyond the physical. But what this narrative might do is give us an important and challenging insight into the lives of people with disabilities.
Steve invites us as a community to fully affirm the image of God in all of humanity, and live into our call to be peacemakers.
He references pentecostal theologian Amos Young, a professor a Fuller Theological Seminary, who compares ableism, exluding people with disabilites from full participation in society, to racism and sexism. Because we value the voices from racial and gender margins, that critiques the things we do and believe, we should also value voices of people with disabilites. It is their voice that will challenge us to think about our communal practices.
Jesus leaves Cana, to go up to Jerusalem, to a place with a multitude of people with disabilities. The pools of Bethesda are a sick bay, an isolation ward, an infirmary, a hospice, and perhaps a place where the healthcare system has failed. And Jesus asks one man if he wants to be healed.
What if he didn’t? What if what we label a disability is instead a characteristic of someone, just as some of us are blonde or brunette, tall or short? Steve goes on to share some stories from Jean Vanier, recently passed away, who worked with L’Arche, an international federation of communities spread over 37 countries, for people with developmental disabilities and those who assist them.
And from these stories, Steve challenges society’s narrative of disabilities as being differences needing to be healed — and how we structure society to allow these characteristics to disable people.
Hear Steve’s words and thoughtfully shared stories here:
Image from: TriHealth, Bethesda Medical Center at Arrow Springs – Lebanon, OH; designed by Schickel Design.
Pasadena Mennonite Church 