John 5

This chapter contains a very interesting story of a miracle of healing by Jesus on a man who was paralyzed for over 38years.   He would sit by the Pool of Bethesda daily.  The belief was that sometimes angel’s stirred the water with healing power.  If you were the first one in the pool, you would be healed.  So the paralyzed sat there day after day in his own brokenness unable to move one inch in order to be healed.  On this day he hears Jesus say “Do you want to get well?”

This occurs on the Sabbath.  Because Jesus had been doing miracles and preaching differently than the Religious Leaders, they began to accuse Jesus of violations of the law.  The 5th commandment (Exodus 20:8ff) to keep the Sabbath holy had been expanded to include 39 categories of things you could not do on the Sabbath.  Telling the formerly paralyzed man to carry his mat was one violation and the Religious Leaders accuse Jesus.

Jesus defends his work and clearly indentifies himself as God’s son. He wants everyone to know that he is the promised savior and that they can find healing in him.  He asks them the same question as he asked the paralyzed man – “Do you want to get well?”

While we don’t see ourselves in the same light and culture as the people in Jesus’ day, we are being asked to consider the same question that Jesus had for them.  “Do you want to get well?”  Consider what it might mean to really answer yes to this question.  How would our lives change if this were true?

Written by Pastor Roger Visker.  Roger is the Associate Pastor at New Life Church in New Lenox, IL.