Sin no more

Ezekiel was a priest turned prophet at the time of Babylonian Captivity. He consoled the exiles and foretold the return to Jerusalem. There are 48 chapters in the book of Ezekiel which is famous for her visions. Her first chapters inspired Erich von Danikon to write a book called The Chariots of the Gods?: Unsolved Mysteries of the Past in 1968. In that generation, people fantasized that human civilizations were seeded by alien travellers around the universe. No wonder they saw God descending in flying saucers to pass on knowledge to human beings. However, it is more difficult to decide if the martial art novelist 「還珠樓主」had drawn inspiration from the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones of Ezekiel 37 in writing his 【蜀山劍俠傳】in 1932. Anyhow, similarity in visions probably reveals a deep archtype in the subconscious of the human psyche. There is no question of plagiarism in these literary creations. Ezekiel will remain a perpetual source of inspirations for the authors of science fictions.

The last chapters of prophetic books almost always offer consoling thoughts. Ezekiel 47 is no exception. She describes to us a vision of the living water gushing from the south side of the altar in the Temple (Ezekiel 47:1). The waters run deeper and deeper, ankle-deep (47:3), knee-deep then to the loins (47:4) until they become a river to swim in (47:5). The river revitalizes the surrounding, freshening the sea and sustaining all life forms (47:8-9). Whichever way you interpret this vision of living water, it must be God giving life to all creatures. At the end of time, a living water will flow from God and gives life to all creatures.
And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing (Ezekiel 47:12). This is a living water. It heals. Then God instructed Ezekiel to divide the land as the inheritance for all people, including Gentiles. Yes, we Gentiles will share the salvation of God.
John 5 tells us of Jesus healing a sick man at the pool of Bethzatha. This man had suffered for 38 years. Jesus healed him on Sabbath, a holy day for the Jews. Later, Jesus met the man again in the Temple and advised him
See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you (John 5:14).

My God, I beg You to heal me too. On my own, I am unable to obtain healing. You are merciful. See my disabilities. Make me wholesome and grant me the Holy Spirit so that I sin no more. Amen.