John 5:6 – Do you want to get well?

“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

The disabled man Jesus was speaking to in this verse, “had been an invalid for thirty-eight years,” and he was lying near a pool in the city of Jerusalem known for having the power to heal (John 5:5). This pool was called Bethesda, and the Jews of the city believed that an angel periodically visited the pool, stirred the waters, and the first one to enter the pool while the waters were stirred, would be healed. To this man’s dismay, he could never be first to enter the waters, and he remained in his condition.

This man knew he could not heal himself. No matter how badly he wanted to, it was outside of his ability and authority to change his condition. If he wanted to be healed, his hope must rely in something greater, and so he stayed near the water’s edge. He hoped that one day he could be first to enter the pool; that someone might be kind enough to help him get in. He longed for rescue, for compassion, for relief, for a savior. When Jesus learned how long the man had been in his condition He asked him, “Do you want to get well?” and the man’s response was, “I have no one to help me…” (John 5:6-7). He said, “I have no one.” And in this moment of hopelessness, he found his Savior.

How often do we meet our Savior in a moment of hopelessness? How often does a Christian’s story of salvation begin with their realization that there is no other way, that they had found the end of themselves, that they had hit rock bottom? Praise God that He has not withheld hardship and granted us worldly comfort in exchange for our realization of our need for Him. “For it is by God’s grace that we have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourself, it is the gift of God–not of works, so that no one can boast,” (Eph. 2:8-9). It is by God’s grace that we have been allowed to realize our need for Him. And in our need, He offers us rescue and relief. If we dig into our existence, like the paralyzed man, we will realize the depth of our need for a Savior. And like the paralyzed man, when we realize our need and see the Savior’s outstretched hand, we should take it. We should, “Get up! Pick up [our] mat and walk,” (John 5:8).

When the God of the universe says, “Get up!” the only thing that can keep us down is our choosing to remain down. How long have we been lying in our weakness? Our hopelessness? Our joylessness? Our emptiness? Our suffering? Seeking our fulfillment and restoration in whatever the world offers or wallowing in our condition, all the while Jesus extends His hand to us? After extending His hand and not having our hand reach back in acceptance of His help, the question of John 5:6 applies to us, “Do you want to get well?” If our answer is yes, we will obediently rise to our feet. We will “Get up!” in the hope and strength of Jesus and He will heal our hearts and change us. If we do not obediently come to our feet, we will know our answer is no. Let us not remain down and speak to Jesus from our mat telling Him of our pain hardship, let us “Get up!” accepting His full embrace and comfort and walk with Him deeply changed and restored.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us our need for You and for healing our hearts. Help us to accept Your loving hand and rise to our feet in Your strength and embrace.