We all can see ourselves, in a sense, helpless, weak, crippled and lame, lying at the Pool of Bethesda. We all need help. We all find ourselves paralyzed at times, unable to do the thing we want or ought to do. We find we are lame: we do not walk very well spiritually. This story is included in the gospels in order that we might understand how God proposes to help us through the ministry of Jesus.
John goes on to say what Jesus did:
"When Jesus saw him and knew he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, 'Do you want to be healed?' " (John 5:6 RSV)