Signs // How to Experience the Mercy of Jesus

Have you ever desperately wanted something, only to discover it wasn't what you truly needed? At Bethesda—literally the "house of mercy"—a man had spent 38 years fixated on reaching healing waters, while the true source of healing stood directly before him unrecognized.

This powerful message explores the transformative nature of God's mercy through the story of Jesus healing a disabled man. We see ourselves in this man's struggle—focused on our own "pools of Bethesda," the things we believe will fix our lives, while missing Jesus standing right in front of us. Like the disabled man, we often answer God's direct questions with excuses rather than honest vulnerability.

The message makes a crucial distinction between consequences of our choices, God's loving discipline, and punishment for sin. For those who trust in Jesus, we may experience the first two, but never the third—because Jesus bore all our punishment at the cross. This revelation changes everything about how we approach God. We don't run from Him as from an angry father; we run to Him knowing His correction flows from love.

God's mercy transforms our lives in practical ways. It allows us to wake up knowing we're loved unconditionally. It frees us from shame and the exhausting pursuit of others' approval. In a performance-driven world, God's mercy offers an alternative path where we receive freely what we could never earn.

The greatest barrier to experiencing this mercy is our pride. Whether we think we're too good to need mercy or too broken to deserve it, the solution remains the same—humble recognition of our dependence on God. When we surrender our self-reliance and receive what Jesus offers, we discover that His mercy truly changes everything.

Where are you fixating on the "water" when Jesus stands before you offering something better? Humble yourself today and receive the mercy that transforms from the inside out.