We’ve all encountered those pithy sayings that seem to carry the weight of scripture, yet upon closer examination, fall short of true biblical alignment. One such phrase, “God helps those who help themselves,” stands in stark contrast to the very essence of Jesus’s ministry.

In John 5:2-9, we are presented with a scene at the pool of Bethesda, a place ironically named “house of compassion,” yet filled with multitudes of desperate souls, overlooked and left to their own devices. Among them lay a man, an invalid for thirty-eight years, a testament to the isolating nature of suffering. Jesus, amidst the chaotic scene of Passover crowds and the clamor of the afflicted, saw him. This act of noticing, of singling out the one, is a hallmark of Jesus’s ministry. Unlike the religious leaders of his day, whose focus was on rules and rituals, Jesus’s heart beat for the individual, the forgotten, the seemingly insignificant. Just as he engaged with Nicodemus in John 3 and the woman at the well in John 4, he stopped for this man, acknowledging his pain and offering healing.

The man’s plea, “Sir, I have no one,” echoes the cries of countless individuals who feel unseen and unheard. Jesus’s response, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk,” is a powerful declaration of God’s love for the one. This narrative challenges us to reconsider our own perspectives, urging us to move beyond self-help platitudes and embrace a ministry of notice. We are called to embody Jesus’s compassion, to love the unlovely, to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to mourn with those who mourn. This requires active listening, a willingness to see the unseen, and a commitment to creating environments where people can experience God’s love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

The religious leaders of Jesus’s time, preoccupied with the observance of the Sabbath, failed to extend a helping hand to the man at the pool. They had time to criticize the healing, but not to offer assistance. This stark contrast highlights the difference between religious performance and genuine compassion.

Our Jesus challenge, then, is to become more absorbed with the needs of others than with our own preferences. We are to put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing one another’s burdens and extending forgiveness. We are called to bring our friends to the beautiful feet of Jesus, where they can find true healing and hope. In a world that often overlooks the hurting, let us be known as those who see the one, love the one, and bring them to the one who truly cares.