About the Bethesda Pool

The name "Bethesda" is taken from a New Testament scripture account recorded in John 5: 1-9:

The Healing at the Pool

"Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem. Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves. Hundreds of sick people - blind, crippled, and paralyzed - were in these alcoves. From time to time an angel would stir the waters, and whoever was first in the pool would be cured of his disease.

One man had been an invalid there for 38 years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, "Do you want to get well?"

The Message as translated by Eugene Peterson

The account continues to describe the healing Jesus did in this paralyzed man's life. He took up his bed and walked! It also outlines the criticism Jesus received by the so-called religious people because He performed this healing on the Sabbath, which was a day when no one was allowed to work.

For those who struggle with sexual brokenness and those paralyzed by sexual sin and addiction, Jesus question rings clearly:

Do you want to get well?

Jesus, the Great Physician, challenged the man at the Pool of Bethesda to embrace the healing that was offered. Jesus extends the same opportunity for wholeness today.

In a religious climate that often condemns sexual sinners and the sexually broken without providing any help, Bethesda Workshops exists to provide a place of healing. We seek to point the wounded toward the grace of Christ and to provide them with knowledge and tools for a lifetime of healing.