Simple Question

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

John 5:6 NIV

The person Jesus said this to had been paralyzed for 38 years.  That's along time!  He was at a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda. The remains of this pool can still be seen in Jerusalem.  

The colonnades around the pool was a location where many disabled people were left each day to rest.  I envision hundreds of people laying on mats, unable to get up and move.  While others are wandering around aimlessly because they are blind.  It seems it would have been a sight to see.

With all of these people around, Jesus chose one. I suppose He could have chosen any of them.  For that matter, He could have healed all of them.  Yet He made a personal invitation to just one.  

The simplicity of the question is astounding. It seems like a lay up, a no brainer, a gimme. Reading it today, if I were in the shoes of the paralytic I think my response would be “Of course I do!” Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to walk if paralyzed for 38 years? Of course, I would imagine the question would sound strange after being paralyzed that long. I am certain my heart would be hardened. I would see it as the perfect time for a sarcastic response.  Something like, “No thanks, I’d rather be paralyzed sitting here rotting on this mat.”

Jesus stands before us each day asking, “Do you want to get well?”  However, we become filled with our own self-consciousness and pride.  We tell God, “I got this.” We even completely ignore God and make our own decisions thinking we can go alone.  We say we want to be well, but we refuse to turn over parts of our lives to him. 

In the story John tells us the man does the same thing. In his response to Jesus, he provides an excuse as to why he can’t get to the pool.  He never answers Jesus' question.  Just then, Jesus tells the paralyzed man, “Get up and walk!” (John 5:8). Almost as if Jesus is saying, “I know what you want and need.  Even when you can’t help but get in the way of yourself."

Just imagine what God could do if we really answered that question, “Do you want to get well?”  with a resounding "YES!" If we let go of the chains that hold us down.  If we surrendered self-righteousness, arrogance, self-centeredness, etc…  Just imagine if we simply got up and carried our mat just like the paralyzed man in John's 5th chapter.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Matt