“I have no one…”
It was the lonely and sad answer of the paralytic who was waiting for thirty eight years that someone would help him into the pool to be cured. But he had no one… until Jesus came, cared for him and solved the problem with one word.
Sometimes I wonder why God lets us experience such moments of loneliness. Is it only because it is part of every human life? Even Jesus had to experience this loneliness when he was arrested and all his friends abandoned him and fled. When He died alone, suspended between heaven and earth, on the cross He cried out, “My Father, why have you abandoned me?”
Or does God have a purpose allowing us to experience such moments because we rely too much on the people instead of relying more on Him? We try to solve our problems alone. That is not bad. We rely on others for help. That is also not bad. We live in a human community where we are supposed to rely on each other and support each other. But then comes the moment when we might rely too much on ourselves or on others and forget that the source of all our strength is God.
The cure of the paralytic is just another one of the seven “signs” we find in the Gospel of John. The story deals with more than a miraculous cure. Jesus tells us that He is always there when we need him. He tells us that He is there to heal us, to give us life. God has shared His life with us when we were baptized but sin paralyzes us again and again. There is only one person we can turn to: Jesus Christ. Why not turn to Him when you sigh once more, “I have no one…”?
