“The Gift of Visitation”

John 5: 13, 14a: “But he who was healed did not know Who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple …” The formerly lame man did not know Who Jesus was, for he had seen a lot of people come and go as he had been sitting impotently under his portico for the last thirty-eight years. But Jesus knew who he was, and went to find him twice, both in Bethesda and in the temple. This is the great story of Christmas: We didn’t know Jesus, but He knew us, and came to find us and restore our lives.