An interesting and sufficient blackboard illustration of the miracle at the pool of Bethesda may easily be made by any one, whether he knows how to draw or not. Let an oval drawn with blue chalk represent the pool. Close to the pool place a large number of short horizontal marks to represent sick men, and beside each draw an upright mark, representing some friend ready to put the sick man into the water at just the right minute. Some have several of these friends beside them, and one person of importance has around him quite a company of helpers.
And here off to one side and behind the rest, is a horizontal mark, a poor sick man all alone, with no one to help him. Only one sick man can be cured, and what chance has he? He has come here often before, but it has always been the same way. He has no friend, and he is too sick to struggle for himself.
Ah, but here comes his helper! Represent Jesus by an upright red mark, placed beside the lonely sick man. Tell about the conversation between the two, and Christ’s blessed words, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” Quickly rub out the horizontal white mark, and draw it upright, standing beside the red mark. The miracle has been wrought.