Do You Want To Get Better?

Come on, Jesus. What kind of question is that?

(Blessed Sunday to you - may the spirit of God be very present to you and those with whom you worship today.)

We’ll take this healing story in parts (the third of seven signs in John).

It’s important to note where we are in the story - just outside the Temple at a gate where it’s likely the sheep were brought in for sacrifice. This is an interesting healing by Jesus in that the man did not initially request Jesus’ help. It is Jesus who approached him. Did Jesus have to go by the pool? We don’t know, but we do know that he did. And in going by the pool, surrounded by those in need, he took notice.

We could stop there for the day. Jesus noticed those in need and engaged the need. He didn’t heal everyone, did he? (Perhaps to emphasize the unique ways in which God works in individual lives.) But he did engage the need.

Do you want to get well?

To many, the question seems to have an obvious answer - Of course! And we’ll soon see that the man does indeed want to get better and Jesus does indeed make him well. But many a preacher or commentator has made the point that Jesus takes the man on a small journey from desire to action. There’s perhaps something to be said there and we’ll see it more closely tomorrow.

But the question - and that pointed conclusion (one must do something to get well) could also seem quite cruel to many people who are sick or injured or otherwise seeking to get well. Many people do make significant efforts to better themselves, but face a continual challenge in doing so, if at all.

What about the crowd of people who were sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed? Do you think any of them wanted to get well or were actively trying to do something about it?

We don’t have access to this information. And the story as presented doesn’t focus on them. It focuses on the one Jesus approached and talked to.

When Jesus comes to us and offers healing or restoration, we ought to listen. We ought to listen to his offer and what it takes to receive it. God does not force Godself upon people. If that were the case, wouldn’t the whole world have been “fixed” a long time ago? In God’s wisdom, the gifts of grace and restoration are invitations, not impositions.

God is the Great Offerer. God offers the gift of mercy, extends grace, and pours out love. It requires an open hand, open mind, open heart to receive such things.

John 5:1-6

After this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate in the north city wall is a pool with the Aramaic name Bethsaida. It had five covered porches, and a crowd of people who were sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed sat there. A certain man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, knowing that he had already been there a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

Psalm 24:4-5

Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth—teach it to me—because you are the God who saves me. I put my hope in you all day long.

Prayer

God,

Thank you for being the one who notices us in our need. In a world that more often than not overlooks the struggling and the weary, you see each of us clearly. You approach us with compassion, offering healing and restoration, even when we don’t know how to ask for it.

Help me to listen when you ask, Do you want to get well? Teach me to trust in your wisdom and to take the steps you guide me toward, even when the journey feels uncertain or incomplete. Open my hands, my mind, and my heart to receive the gifts you so graciously offer.

For those who are longing for healing—physically, emotionally, or spiritually—grant them the courage to trust your timing and the assurance of your presence. And for those who feel forgotten or unseen, may they know that you are the God who notices, who cares, and who restores.

…and use me in the effort, Lord. (If you would.)

By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.