1Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 5One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” 7“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” 8Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” 9Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! (John 5:1-9 NLT)
As you read this scripture, let me ask – what part of it really sticks out? What part of it really speaks to YOU? It is, of course, a picture of salvation; but there are so many facets to what is happening here that speak into the individual, into the church, into what it means to be in a submitted relationship with our Lord and Savior. Lets review: The lame man laid there for 38 years and NOBODY would help him! What does that say about the depths of human selfishness and depravity? Jesus asks the lame man, knowing that he has suffered all of this time, “Would you like to get well?” Why would he ask? Wouldn’t it be more “charitable” to just do it? Who Wouldn’t want healed after 38 years of suffering? But wait, the suffering man’s response is – “I can’t, sir” not YES SIR! The suffering man didn’t say, “what have you been waiting for?” or, “What a stupid question!” He says, “I can’t, sir.” Notice also that the response that the man gives is not even to the question Jesus asks! Jesus does not ask if the man can make himself well, Jesus asks if the man would like to get, or be made, well. Interesting. Oh my, and we didn’t even get into how “the church” reacted to the authentic power of God! Please, read on and tell me if that sounds in any way like your church leadership.
Jesus does not touch the man; he does not make a paste and place it on the man; he does not make a big show of prayer or call attention to the situation in any way, shape, or form. Jesus simply speaks. Jesus, the Word, speaks and His creation is healed. Powerful. We forget that our God is a creator God. We forget that Jesus is the Logos – the Word – and the Word was with God and the Word was God Re: John 1. We speak to Jesus. Jesus Speaks to us. We can’t heal ourselves. Jesus desires to heal us. If you declare with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Re: romans 10) You will be healed. You will be redeemed. You will be transformed. You will, “pick up your matt and walk!”
As you read this scripture, let me ask – what part of it really sticks out? What part of it really speaks to YOU? It is, of course, a picture of salvation; but there are so many facets to what is happening here that speak into the individual, into the church, into what it means to be in a submitted relationship with our Lord and Savior. Lets review: The lame man laid there for 38 years and NOBODY would help him! What does that say about the depths of human selfishness and depravity? Jesus asks the lame man, knowing that he has suffered all of this time, “Would you like to get well?” Why would he ask? Wouldn’t it be more “charitable” to just do it? Who Wouldn’t want healed after 38 years of suffering? But wait, the suffering man’s response is – “I can’t, sir” not YES SIR! The suffering man didn’t say, “what have you been waiting for?” or, “What a stupid question!” He says, “I can’t, sir.” Notice also that the response that the man gives is not even to the question Jesus asks! Jesus does not ask if the man can make himself well, Jesus asks if the man would like to get, or be made, well. Interesting. Oh my, and we didn’t even get into how “the church” reacted to the authentic power of God! Please, read on and tell me if that sounds in any way like your church leadership.
Jesus does not touch the man; he does not make a paste and place it on the man; he does not make a big show of prayer or call attention to the situation in any way, shape, or form. Jesus simply speaks. Jesus, the Word, speaks and His creation is healed. Powerful. We forget that our God is a creator God. We forget that Jesus is the Logos – the Word – and the Word was with God and the Word was God Re: John 1. We speak to Jesus. Jesus Speaks to us. We can’t heal ourselves. Jesus desires to heal us. If you declare with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Re: romans 10) You will be healed. You will be redeemed. You will be transformed. You will, “pick up your matt and walk!”
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