Jesus Heals! Isn’t he incredible? Jesus healed people who were blind, paralyzed, had leprosy, and people possessed by demons! Yes, Jesus Heals!   Do you need Jesus’ healing in your life? Before you answer, let’s think for just a moment, and ask an even more powerful question that Jesus himself asked, and it’s a question that will help us get what we truly want.  

Now, it might seem a little odd to ask this question of someone who is really hurting, but before he healed the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6).  Why in the world did Jesus ask this? Doesn’t everyone want to be healed? And how can we harness the power of that question right now, in our prayers and lives today?

Let’s go deeper with a brief story of an 18-year-old who played in a summer hockey league. The young man raced up the rink with the puck on a breakaway when suddenly, out of nowhere, he dropped to the ice, screaming in pain.  A half hour later, he was carried out of the building on a stretcher, as his back continued to spasm uncontrollably.

One doctor recommended surgery while another prescribed addictive, muscle relaxing drugs. Instead, the young man strapped a heating pad to his back and sewed an extension cord to his pants so he could plug it in everywhere he went for the next four months.

Along with regular stretching, he regained strength in his back, and that fall, played the entire hockey season on the high school varsity team. The bottom line: he wanted to get well and was willing to put the work and time into healing.

In the same way, there are so many people who have overcome giant problems, including terminal cancer, head trauma, being wrongly imprisoned, being raped, losing everything and more. Their troubles were life altering and felt like mountains. But these folks were determined to find answers. They didn’t just read about solutions, they studied. They asked serious questions and sought advice from experts and anyone with an idea to help. They changed their diets, made goal posters, put pictures on their bathroom mirrors, wrote themselves letters of encouragement, learned new exercises, learned to forgive, and prayed constantly for courage and strength. They committed themselves to finding solutions even though there was absolutely no guarantee of a positive outcome, all because they wanted desperately to get well.

So, with all these positive examples of people who truly want to heal, why would Jesus ask the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda such a seemingly ridiculous question? “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6)

Let’s consider that the Bible text very specifically says the man had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Most likely, he had a routine of being carried to his spot next to the pool where he sat on his mat. Local people undoubtedly fed and cared for him, and I’ll bet whenever “the crippled man” was mentioned, everyone knew who was being talked about. With all this in mind, could it be possible that he enjoyed being cared for? Maybe he liked it that people felt sorry for him – or somehow enjoyed the notoriety of being well known, even if it was out of pity.

When we consider his plight in view of our modern world, sadly, we see many people in tough situations who have understandably become discouraged and resigned themselves to their circumstances. Then, inside this resignation, they pray for Jesus to heal them but their prayers are too often shallow, without hint of real hope.

Sometimes, their discouragement can be so overwhelming that some people even find their very identity within their problems, much like people of Jesus day who were infected with the dreaded disease of leprosy.  They had to call out, “I’m a leper” wherever they went. Modern versions might include people who readily tell both themselves and others, “I’m an alcoholic,” “I’m depressed”, “I am an angry person”, or “I just have bad luck.”

When we say, “This is the hand I’ve been dealt” or “this is just the way it is” it can be as if we have submitted ourselves to a condition rather than submitting ourselves to God.

Unfortunately, many of us become resigned, almost to the point of being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Think about it this way:  Have you ever been so sad that you didn’t even want to be happy again?  And perhaps this reality helps us understand why Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” Now, doesn’t it seem like he asks each of us a variation of that same question today? Do you want to be the best version of yourself?  Do you want to live to your potential? Do you really want better relationships? Do you want the courage to do what needs to be done? Do you want to move that mountain?

Yes, Jesus asks, “Do you truly, in your heart of hearts, want to get well?” So now we must notice how it was only after the crippled man answered, “Yes, I do,” that it didn’t sound absurd when Jesus commanded him to “Stand up and walk.”

That’s right!  First came the, “Yes I do.” Then came the “Stand up and walk.” And finally, the miracle happened only when this man risked disappointment one more time, and literally stepped out of his safe routine, stood up and walked!   This is the real question Jesus is asking you and me today. Are we willing to stand up and walk again?