Do you want to be healed?

John 5:1-5:

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gatea pool, which in Aramaicis called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

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*If you have any Bible other than the King James Version you will notice that verse 4 is missing. Did your brain just explode? Mine did. Many versions of the Bible include verse 4 as a footnote.

Verse 4 describes the legend of the pool. It was believed that a spring of water under the pool would overflow the pool when angels stirred the water with their wings. The water would rise quickly and sink again quickly. The first person into the water would be healed.

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So now, back to the story.

Why do you think Jesus approached this specific man? Well for one thing, beggars during this time made more money than a common laborer, so maybe Jesus wanted to know the man's sincerity for healing. After 38 years of laying by the pool maybe the man thought this was as good as its gets and he didn't want to work, or change his life, therefore he did not want to be healed.

This man has been stuck in the same rut for 38 years! I have a feeling we can all relate, but hopefully we can get out of our rut a little sooner. What rut are you in? Laziness? Procrastination? Doing the minimum to just get by in life? Maybe it's a bad habit you don't feel like breaking because that would take effort and make you uncomfortable.

Don't read this story today and continue settling for the rut you've allowed to consume your identity!

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The story continues in John 5:6-9:

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?”

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”  At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

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PLEASE NOTE!!! The man didn't answer the question with a yes!!!! WHAT?! Instead, he blames other people for his struggles.

Seriously?! After 38 years I would be shouting Praise God! AMEN! HEAL ME LORD, YES! God poses this question to us too. Do you want more? Are you ready for it? The change and responsibility that having more will bring to you?

Also, he blamed other people for his situation. We love to blame other people when bad stuff happens. Take responsibility for our actions? Never...Instead it's: "Not my fault." "Wasn't me." "He started it." "Well if you hadn't __________, none of this would've happened." "You do it too!" "Well at least I'm not as bad as _________."

We have to stop blaming everyone else.

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When Jesus asked do you want to be healed he meant: Do you really want things to change? Are you willing to take on the responsibilities that will become a regular part of your life if I heal you? Are you prepared to completely change everything about yourself? Habits, attitude, schedule, home, friends?

This wasn't just a one time decision, but a life long one. Healing meant losing his beggar status, leaving familiarity, leaving hand outs, walking into the unknown future.

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What can we take away from this story?

*Jesus knows it easy for us to settle for where we are and to live a smaller life than what he called us to.*

Don't fall into the rut of settling for mediocre, just doing the minimum to get by, life. There is so much more God has planned for you!

When Jesus poses questions to us, we have a choice to make. We can focus on our limitations and problems or embrace the power that Jesus offers. We can use our weaknesses as our identity or our calling as our motivation.

So, are you settling? Do you truly want healing, with everything that comes with it? Are you diving in head first into a life of faith that comes with following Jesus?