Joseph Prince - What Happens When You Stop Trying to Get Healed (01/20/2026)
Pastor Joseph Prince teaches that the pool at Bethesda, meaning «house of grace,» symbolizes how only in God’s grace (not human effort or law) can we find true healing and supply, as seen in Jesus healing the paralyzed man on the Sabbath. Drawing from John 5 and references to Nehemiah, he emphasizes resting in Christ’s finished work rather than striving, because when we rest, God works miracles. The key takeaway is to labor only to enter God’s rest, trusting Him for healing, provision, and victory.
The Pool at Bethesda: House of Grace
Now let’s look at John chapter 5: «After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool». Now, keep this in mind. In Jerusalem there’s a place called the Sheep Gate. There are a number of gates around Jerusalem and one of the gates is called the Sheep Gate. «And by the Sheep Gate there was a pool, which is called in Hebrew, 'Bethesda', having five porches». The word here, «Bethesda, » is the word bet-hesed. Bet is house. Bet is house. Like you would say, Beth-lehem. Bet is house; lehem is bread.
Jesus was born in the house of bread, and he is the bread of life, amen? Bet-hesed. Hesed is…grace, amen. Bet is house. And notice that it has five porches, five colonnades, five porches. Five is the number of grace. Five is the number of grace. If you look at the tabernacle, it’s all in measurements of five and multiples of five. The fifth time Noah’s name was mentioned, it says, «Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, » amen. The fifth time Ruth’s name was mentioned, Ruth says, «I shall find grace, » amen?
So five is a number of grace, amen. Just like… in the Bible, Scripture numerics, God is very careful about portraying truths with numbers, amen. And this is not numerology, okay? This is Scripture numerics, which means every number has a meaning. Just like the Hebrew, even names have a meaning, which we’ll see soon. Just like right now, we see Bethesda, you know, the house of grace. Hesed is grace. As I was preparing this, the Lord reminded me of the five loaf and two fish, so five is hei, and then you have the two fish, which is bet, amen. Number two is bet. Alef, bet. Bet is number two.
So what is God saying here literally? Bet is also house, right? Bet is a picture of a house. Like we said, Bethesda, Bet-lehem. Bet is house. And you have five. House of grace. Only in the house of grace can you find food and supply. No wonder the prodigal son, what attracted him to return to the Father’s house was this: «In my Father’s house, there’s bread enough and to spare, » amen? There’s bread enough and to spare. And Jesus demonstrated that he is the bread of life, amen? In the house of bread.
So today the house of grace, the house of bread is the church, amen, the church. Every time you invite someone to tune in to the church, amen, and to be part of the church, you are doing them the greatest blessing ever, amen, this side of heaven. Because you are introducing them with all their needs, with all their multitudinous problems, and you are bringing them to the supply. In the Father’s house, there’s bread enough and to spare. And by the way, Jesus calls healing the children’s bread, amen. It’s all about feeding, feeding, feeding, amen? We eat the bread, we become strong and whole, hallelujah.
The Law vs. Grace: Effort vs. Rest
Back to John 5. «In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had».
Now, again, it’s a picture of the law. Why? The law always demands for some strength on your part to execute an action, amen. But we are bankrupt. We are spiritually bankrupt. We have no strength of our own. The Bible says we are without strength. Christ came and died for us, amen? But we are such creatures of laborious effort. You know, we are always trying to be worthy enough, to be deserving enough, to receive, to be holy enough to receive from God. It’s always work, work, work. And we don’t realize we cannot. And the idea of the law is «Thou shall not, thou shall not».
It puts back the whole thing on your strength. And God knew from the start, when God gave the law, that man cannot. So why did God give the law? By the law is the knowledge of sin, amen? The law is like a mirror. It is so true to the reflection, right? Of who you are, the mirror reflects. But you see a blemish on your face. You look at the mirror, you see the blemish. You cannot use the mirror to wipe away the blemish. That’s what the law is, amen? God knew we cannot keep the law. God knew that, amen? That doesn’t mean today, we’re not under the law, we don’t live a holy life. No, no, no. A thousand times no.
In fact, the more you fall in love with Jesus, you fall out of love with sin. The more you fall in love with Jesus, the want-to’s and all that just falls into place. «If you love me, keep my commandments, » Jesus says. Don’t see that as «You’ve got to love me by keeping the commandments». No, «If you love me, keep my commandments, » amen. And the commandment of Jesus, not the Ten Commandments, it’s «Love one another as I have loved you». Does that mean today we are not under law, we don’t keep the Ten Commandments? No, we supersede the Ten Commandments. Instead of «Thou shalt not steal, » we become generous, amen? We lavish ourselves, of all that God has given us, we pour out unto others, amen.
You know, you can keep «Thou shalt not steal» and still not be generous, amen. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Well, a lot of people interpret that as physical adultery. «I don’t jump into a bed with another woman other than my wife, all right, I’m okay». No, no, friend. As long as you’re giving someone, you know, the eye, the lustful eye, Jesus says you’ve committed adultery already. So you know what? The law was given to expose every one of us so that all of us will see our need for the Savior, amen? So today, when you have the Savior in your life, amen, the very thought of being unfaithful to your wife, amen, you shrink away from it. And that’s something that no one can see because it goes on inside. The Holy Spirit is there, praise God.
So I remind you once again: When you are under grace, it was more than fulfilled the law, amen? Love is the fulfilling of the law, hallelujah.
Jesus Heals the Man: Rest in Grace
Now back to this again. So the one who has the effort, who can step in after the angel stirs the water, right, it implies some effort. He’s the one that gets healed. So how about the guy who is lame, paralyzed? He can’t even, like, he has to… while he’s crawling, scooting his way through the water, someone else step in, which is the case here.
The Bible says, «Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, Jesus said to him, 'Do you want to be made well? ' The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.'»
There you go, amen? He is lame. He cannot. He cannot even walk, right? «Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk.' And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, 'It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.'»
Now let’s see what he said. «He answered them, 'He who made me well said to me, „Take up your bed and walk“.'» You know, if you are lying down flat, for 38 years, you can’t walk. What is rest to you? What is rest to you? Is rest lying down some more? No, of course not. For the person has has been lying down for 38 years, rest is getting up. So Jesus says, «Rise, take up your bed and walk. Take up your bed. Take your rest, » amen? Now you can’t take, unless you are standing. So it’s a picture of righteousness, amen. Now you are the righteousness of God in Christ. Take your rest with you, amen? Take your rest. Walk in rest. Don’t leave your rest behind.
The principle of rest is still there. «Now that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, 'Rise, take up your bed, and walk.'» Only then, when we proceed from rest, amen, and realizing our position that we are righteous before God, amen, confess daily, «I am the righteousness of God in Christ». Then you can walk. Then you have the power to walk in the Spirit, walk in holiness, walk worthy of the glory of God, hallelujah, amen, walk a victorious life, amen. And notice what they said. The Jews saw him carrying his mat. «And they said, 'Today is the Sabbath. How come you’re carrying the mat? ' He answered them, 'He who made me well said to me, „Take up your bed and walk!"' Then they asked him, 'Who is the Man who said to you, «Take up your bed and walk»? '»
Now let me call your attention to these two again, these two verses. «He answered them, 'He who made me well said to me, „Take up your bed and walk“.'» Notice the emphasis of the man who was healed was «He who made me well»! «They asked him, 'Who is the man who said to you, „Take up your bed and walk“? '» Their focus was on work. Their focus was not on the fact that he was healed. Now, which is supernatural? Which is really something that will bring joy to your heart? To know that your body is healed or «Take up your bed and walk, » amen? Which is the work that they are emphasizing.
So it’s a matter of perspective. For them, they look at the man and they ask the question «It is a Sabbath day. Why are you carrying your bed»? His answer was «He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'» And they said, instead of seeing that he made him well, «Tell me who made you well, » right? «Come on, tell me who made you well. I want to bring him to see my aunt who is flat on her back with this paralysis. And come, tell me who is the one that made you well. Tell me who is the man. I want to bring him to see my son. I want to bring him to see my daughter. Come on, tell me, tell me, who is the man?» instead of focusing on that.
And there are people like that today, you know? They won’t focus on the ten people that are healed. They will focus on someone who is not healed and start to berate the entire ministry. No, it’s a matter of focus, amen. They look at that and they are focused on work. «No, no. You broke the Sabbath. You are carrying the bed. Who is the one that told you to carry your bed»? instead of «Who is the one that made you well»? And they could have been well as well before the day ends, hm?
Resting in God’s Work
Let’s keep on reading. «But Jesus answered them, 'My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.'» Did you hear that? «My Father has been working until now, » so when God works, people get healed, hallelujah.
Healing is God working. I repeat: Healing is the Father working, amen? And Jesus says, «And I work also. When I see my Father healing, I flow with him. I work also». And remember this: When God works, man should cease, man should rest. And that’s why the Bible says, «Our rest today, » in Hebrews 4, «and let us labor therefore to enter that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief». Therefore it tells us the opposite of unbelief is not to rest. And our only labor, child of God, your only labor today is to labor to enter the rest. The devil comes to you and says, «What about your children? What about that problem, that challenge, and all that… in school»?
You know, you just say, «Well, Lord, I’m entering into your rest even for this. I rest and I see you work». It doesn’t mean you rest, nothing will happen. For the world, it is true, okay? But for you, child of God, you have a shepherd, amen? You have a Father who watches over you. When you rest, God works. But if you want to work, amen, God rest. You choose, amen. When you rest, God works. The Lord is saying, «My Father is working, » amen? «There’s a reason I’m healing on the Sabbath. It’s because Sabbath is man’s rest day, amen. Man rests on that day. You don’t work». And that’s why Jesus performs so many healings on the Sabbath, amen. When man is rested, God is able to touch and heal.
Now, one thing about healing, I’ve noticed that when people learn about healing and all that, one of the things they do: They want so much to be healed that sometimes they get into works. They try to, «Have I confessed all my sins? Have I confessed the Word of God enough? Have I done this»? And whenever you find yourself striving, no more in rest, it’s a clear example of you are now in unbelief, okay? So don’t do that, amen?
When you find that, having done all, stand and say, «Lord, I’m resting in you. I’m resting in you. I don’t have the faith to believe for my healing, but I’m resting in you, Lord Jesus, that your faith will carry me through. I live by the faith of the Son of God. Lord, in regards to this situation, my financial situation, Lord, I rest in you, Lord. I thank you, Lord, because you are working on it. You are working on it, and I praise you. My job is just to rest and to praise you, to believe you, Lord, to thank you, Lord, to enjoy your love for me».
If you’ll do that, when you rest, God will work. And he will work wonders. Whenever he works, he makes all things beautiful, the Bible says, hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. «Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God, » amen? The Bible says, «My words, they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh».
The Sheep Gate in Nehemiah: A Prophetic Picture
You know, one of the times when I was reading the Word of God, just to excite you, okay, just to excite you, one of the times when I was reading God’s Word in Nehemiah 3, and this is what I read. The first time the Sheep Gate was mentioned is here. «Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with the brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate». Does that ring a bell? The Sheep Gate of John 5. We just read that. And this is the first time the Sheep Gate is mentioned in the Bible. And it’s the time when Nehemiah and his people were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. And they were rebuilding and repairing the gates of the walls, all the different gates.
But notice the very first gate they repaired was the Sheep Gate, was the Sheep Gate. So when I read this, I felt the Spirit of God impress on me to look up the names and then to study the names. So I studied Eliashib. Eliashib means «God restores». Wow, I said, this is interesting. So you have the sheep, right? And do you remember that, talking about sheep, Jesus’s love for the flock is such that he shared a parable one time: «What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go out to find the lost one until he finds it»? I love the way he says it. «Until he finds it». Even if you’re lost, the Lord is going to find you. He’s going to seek you out and find you. He won’t rest until he finds you, amen, praise the Lord. Until he finds it.
Now, he says, «What man of you will do that»? None of us will leave the 99 just to go for the one. We’ll say, «Let’s cut the losses, » amen? «If I leave the 99, something might happen to them». Just for the one that’s lost, but for the Lord, his perspective is different, amen? He’ll go for the one that’s lost, amen? I’m sure that he’ll put the 99 in the custody of another shepherd or someone else to make sure they are safe. He’s responsible, of course. But the Good Shepherd will look for the lost until he finds it. And Jesus illustrated the hundred sheep, okay?
Now watch this in this Nehemiah story. «They built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred». There you have the hundred. Hundred sheep, God restores. Mm, interesting. I was getting very excited when I saw this. «And consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel». Hanan-el. Hananel. Hanan is favor or grace. El is God. So it’s the grace of God. It’s another way of saying the house of grace. Isn’t this amazing? The Father put the story that we just read just now of his Son at this point in time when the walls were being rebuilt. It’s in the Old Testament. He has not yet come. He has not yet come even as a baby, amen?
The story of John 5 has not yet happened. Yet the Father loved his Son so much, amen, the Father put this in the Nehemiah, in the Old Testament, amen. The very first mention of the Sheep Gate has an idea of, has a hint of, John 5, where Jesus would heal that lost sheep, amen, lost, amen, lost in his sin, lost in sickness, and he would heal, amen, that one out of the hundred. And, the grace of God. So put this, there’s a message here.
And the message is this: God has restored that one lost sheep out of the hundred into his grace. Now I just want to excite you because… by the way, this is my Bible when I first wrote it down, quite some time ago. And notice this is exactly how I wrote it down. And this is my white-margin Bible. I want to encourage you. Have a relationship with your Bible like this, amen? Get excited. Read the Word of God. Not every name you have to look it up. But when the Spirit of God, you know, touches you or impress on you to look it up, just, if you’re curious, you know? And then the Holy Spirit put that desire there. Look it up, look it up.
Sometimes you look up the numbers, and the numbers have a meaning. Sometimes you look at a story and just a wide reading of it, you feel a washing of the Word of God, amen? I mean, you can take time with your Korean drama and this drama and all that. But if they are taking so much of your time that you don’t have time for the Word, these are not healthy things. Why eat things that does not satisfy, amen? I’m not saying you cannot. I’m just saying don’t get overboard with it, amen? Don’t get so obsessed with it to the point that, you know, the most important thing the Bible says: «Attend to my words». Right before it says they are life, it says, «Attend to my words». Attend means what?
If I’m busy and you say, «Pastor Prince, can I», I’ll say, «I’ve got something to attend to. I’ll come back to you again». Attend means there’s a priority. There’s something I need to do, something important, could be a matter of life and death, right? Attend, put things first, amen? First things first. And then it says, «They are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh». Praise God.
So get into the Word of God. Get into the Word of God, amen? God’s Word is exciting. It has drama, romance, and pictures. The chazon vision that God want to impart to you that will steady you. I believe that every time you tune in to God’s Word, amen, every time you are hungry and you get fed, amen, you get fed, I believe that the messages, the food that God gives me for you, will nourish you, sustain you, amen, strengthen you, revitalize you, and prepare you, equip you, for the coming challenges, amen.
So God feeds you before he brings you to the battle, amen. The battle is coming, and it’s not from the Lord. Listen, God doesn’t fight against you, okay? The battle is from the enemy. But God nourishes you. He makes sure that you are fed, amen? Remember this? Melchizedek met Abraham before the king of Sodom met Abraham. The king of Sodom is a picture of the devil. Melchizedek is our Lord Jesus. God will always feed you before your temptation, before your testing, before your trial, before your battle, amen? He nourishes you. So when God wants to feed you, allow him to feed you, will you? Praise the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus, hallelujah.
Closing Prayer and Benediction
I pray, Father, right now, in the name of Jesus, that you will just impart to them, Lord, that rest, Lord, into their hearts, their minds, and their spirits, and help them, Father, give them the grace to labor throughout this week only for one thing, Lord: to enter the rest. Labor to enter the rest. I know it’s an oxymoron, but labor to enter the rest, will you, amen? The Lord protect you and your loved ones from every harm, danger, throughout this week. The Lord favors you, smiles on you, grant you supernatural favor everywhere you go. You are a blessing going somewhere to happen throughout this week. And the Lord lift up his countenance on you and your loved ones and grant to you and yours his wonderful shalom, well-being, wholeness, and peace. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.