“Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up,…(John 5:6-7)
How often do we do this?
For 38 years, this man could not walk. For some time, he sat at the pool of Bethesda waiting for an opportunity. He was waiting for the waters to be stirred so that, as the legend said, he could be healed by the angel that troubled the waters.
The Scripture does not specifically say how long the man had been coming to the Pool, or how did he even get to the pool? Did he just camp out there? Did he come to Jerusalem and planted himself at the Pool night and day waiting for the water to be stirred?
We don’t know…
That is not part of the narrative because it was not important to the history. He was there hoping to be healed.
But, when Jesus asks the “invalid” if he wanted to be healed, his answer is interesting.
He answers describing his plight. He does not say, “Yes!” He doesn’t even really answer the question. Instead he just complains and draws attention to his problem.
He doesn’t ask if Jesus could heal him. He doesn’t even ask Jesus to watch and place him in the water before anyone else.
Instead his answer seems downtrodden and hopeless, like he doesn’t believe it is possible. Which is amazing considering that Jesus—the source of healing for so many—was right there in front him.
All the man had to do was reach out!
In Aramaic, Bethesda—as in the Pool of Bethesda—means the House of Mercy. In this case, Jesus did not just show mercy to a man by healing him. The great mercy of Jesus was healing a man that was not looking for healing from him and did not even believe that Jesus had the power to heal him.
Often, we are like this…
We get used to living with our problems. We can’t see solutions, only more problems. We get tunnel vision and can only see a world lacking solutions. In some cases, we might even feel that the world conspires against us to perpetuate our problems.
We get so lost in seeing our problems that we can’t even see solutions even when they are right there in front of us, like Jesus was for this man.
Worse yet, maybe we get so used to our problems that we perpetuate our problems rather than solving them. Our thinking and mindset actually insure that we repeat the cycle that creates our problems. Therefore, we can’t get out on our own.
Notice also, the man’s limited belief. He basically answered Jesus with the limitation that made it impossible to have healing. Even though, he was in the place he believed could heal him.
We do the same. If Jesus was to come to us and ask us if we wanted relief, we often answer back with the limitation that makes our healing impossible. Therefore, not only do we believe in the wrong thing but we also believe our healing is impossible.
So, think of the issue you are having right now. If Jesus came to you and asked, do you want healing?
What would you say?
Would you respond with, yes Jesus, what do I need to do to be healed? Or, would you not really answer the question, and give Jesus all the reasons you can’t be healed?
I don’t know what your problem might be tonight, but I can tell you that we do serve Jesus. He cares. He loves. And, He is the way!
Of course, he is the way to Salvation and Redemption. But, he is also the way to healing. He puts things and people in your path that can help you.
Your role is to believe and discern. Believe that there is a way to healing. Believe that Jesus does want you to heal. And, discern the way to that healing when Jesus puts it in front of you.
Then grasp it for the valuable gift that it is.
