DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL?
John 5:1-15
INTRODUCTION: Soon after the discovery of the New World, Europeans began making the long journey across the ocean in hopes of finding something. Some were hoping to find a new life. Others wanted adventure. Some wanted religious freedom. And there were still others who came in search of gold. One was a Spanish conquistador by the name of Ponce de Leon. Ponce de Leon and his men were the first Europeans to explore Puerto Rico, parts of Mexico and Florida. In his quest to find gold, he met many Native Americans who told him of a spring that bubbled up out of the ground. It was said that this spring had magical powers. Anyone who drank the water would be healed of any disease or physical problem they might have. And their bodies would once again be youthful. It was appropriately called the "Fountain of Youth." De Leon made this destination his life-long pursuit; however, he was apparently unsuccessful as he died from a poisoned arrow in 1521. Many years earlier there was a different body of water that promised healing. Let’s take a look at Jesus’ encounter with the cripple by the pool.
1) Do you want to get well? (Vs. 1-7) Vs. 2-Bethesda-Hebrew means ‘the house of mercy’. Aptly named for this place of healing. Also apt in highlighting the mercy shown to the cripple. Vs. 4-(verse on margin of bible). The angelic stirring was allowed for the purpose of eventually pointing to the true source of healing-Jesus. Vs. 6. On the surface, this seems like a dumb question. We could imagine the cripple responding with, “Uh, hello. What do you think I’m waiting by this pool for, swimming lessons?” Questions with seemingly obvious answers. Like when your father asked, “Do you want a spanking?” However, Jesus never asked an insignificant question. This was really a question of deep significance. Since he was in this condition for a long time, and since his source of income was no doubt begging, he was accustomed to this particular lifestyle. Saying, ‘yes’ to Jesus would mean that all that would have to change. What he had grown accustomed to for all these years would now be completely changed. Was he ready for that? What about us? We might be ‘crippled’ by sin. We might be ‘crippled’ by comfort. We might be ‘crippled’ by convenience. These are things the Lord would wish to ‘heal’ us from but he would ask the same question, “Do you want to get well? If you say you want to be a better Christian then I’ll put you in situations that will challenge you to be a better Christian. If you say you want more out of life then I will put you in situations and equip you to move forward.” When the realization of what we say we want is staring us in the face will we take the step of faith and move? “Do you want to get well?” KJV-‘made whole’. This constitutes something deeper than just physical healing. The point of Jesus’ question can also be taken as if to say, “This water claims to promise physical healing. I have the promise of living water, for a deeper healing.” Just like the woman at the well. He offered her something greater than literal water; he offered her living water. Jesus is offering this cripple something more than just physical healing; he’s offering him spiritual healing. Last week I shared the story about the ten that were healed of leprosy. Only one came back to thank Jesus. Jesus responded to him by saying, ‘your faith has made you well’. He had already been cleansed, but now he was made well [deeper]. So it is in this question of Jesus to the cripple. He wasn’t just asking if he wanted to be healed from his crippling disease, he was asking more than that. “Do you want to get well; physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually?” Do you want to be made whole? What do we turn to in order to try to be “made whole”? Self-help books? Quick fixes? Is our hope in a pill or a procedure? In John 5 the people were trusting in a magic pool more for healing. The pool’s water was limited-it healed only when it was stirred up and that only for the first one in. Jesus offered something far better-he could heal anyone, anywhere at any time. So it is today. Not that there’s no value in medicine or procedures or certain therapies. We need doctors and hospitals and such but they can only do so much. Jesus is the only one who can really make us well; that is, if that’s what we want. Vs. 7. The man didn’t answer Jesus’ question. He just offered an excuse. Why didn’t the man get excited and answer, “Yes, I want to be healed. Will you help me get into the pool before anyone else gets in there? Please, I really want to be healed. C’mon, let’s go!” But instead, his was a response of despondency. Perhaps much of his hope had left him yet not entirely for he was still there. I mean, you have to hand it to the guy. He kept coming back time after time, hoping that this time would be the one. Where are you in your hope? Have you, like this cripple, been afflicted so long you are wondering if healing will ever come? Is the discouragement of the past dictating your present hope? In a sermon by Guy Caley, he writes, “When Jesus asks "do you want to be healed from your hurts?" Do we reply, "You don’t know how bad they hurt me"? When Jesus asks "do you want to be delivered from your sin? Do we counter with, "I just can’t control myself"? When Jesus asks the addict, "do you want to overcome?" Is the answer, "I have an addiction? It’s a disease and it’s not my fault"? When Jesus asks, "do you want to be saved?" Will you excuse yourself, "I’m not nearly as bad as other people I know"? Jesus said to the cripple "Do you want to get well?" And he replied, "I don’t have anyone to put me in." To receive the healing Jesus has for our lives we must put away our excuses.” Max Lucado in his book “Just Like Jesus” told a story about his little daughter Jenna. He writes, “When my daughter Jenna was a toddler, I used to take her to a park not far from our apartment. One day as she was playing in a sandbox, an ice-cream salesman approached us. I purchased her a treat, and when I turned to give it to her, I saw her mouth was full of sand. Where I intended to put a delicacy, she had put dirt. I carried her over to the water fountain and washed out her mouth. Why? Because I love her. God does the same for us. He holds us over the fountain. “Spit out the dirt, honey,” our Father urges. “I’ve got something better for you.” And so he cleanses us of filth: immorality, dishonesty, prejudice, bitterness, greed. We don’t enjoy the cleansing; sometimes we even opt for the dirt over the ice cream. “I can eat dirt if I want to!” we pout and proclaim. Which is true—we can. But if we do, the loss is ours. God has a better offer. He wants us to be just like Jesus.” Do you want ice cream or do you want dirt? Do you want to be healed or do you want to stay lame? Sounds like a no-brainer but yet if it’s really that simple then why are we not choosing to spit out the dirt?
2) Get up! (Vs. 8-9) Vs. 8. Interesting that Jesus heals him despite the fact that the cripple did not answer Jesus with a definitive ‘yes’. Perhaps the answer he gave was along the lines of saying, “Yes, I do want to be made well but there is no one to help me.” Whatever the case, Jesus knew the true condition of the man’s heart. Jesus knew what this man needed and he provided it for him, even though he wasn’t directly asking for it. Notice here the difference between the pool and Jesus. The cruelty of the pool was such that it offered healing only if you could get yourself into the pool and only for the first one in, at that. The chances of this invalid making it into the pool first was slim to none. Jesus, though, didn’t require the cripple to do anything to receive his healing. Such as it is with us. We can’t earn our salvation; it’s the work of Jesus in us. However, just because we don’t put forth effort to earn it, we are called on to put forth effort to show it. Although it’s true that the cripple wasn’t seeking Jesus for healing, it required faith for him to obey this impossible instruction from Jesus. I can see the cripple saying, “What? Are you serious? I thought you were going to throw me into the pool. Get up? Are you crazy?” It would be quite scary for this guy who had been lame for 38 long years to now try to stand on his own two feet. He was not called to stand by his own power but by the power that was given him through Christ; but stand he was called on to do nonetheless. Point: the power comes from Jesus but this man still had to get up and walk himself. And stand up and walk he did (vs. 9)! What if he had dismissed Jesus? What if he was too afraid to try? He’d be someone who could walk but isn’t because he doesn’t believe he can. How sad would that be? Yet there are many with the same dilemma today. They could walk, the power is available for them to be able to walk but they choose not to believe in it. How are you crippled? How are you lame? Is Jesus telling you to get up and stand on your own two feet? Will you? What if this cripple had given up all hope and said, “I keep coming here time after time and I never get in in time to be healed. I’m sick of being let down. I’m going home and I’m never coming back; what’s the use?” If he had done that he would have missed out on the opportunity for true healing. Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” It’s been asked, “When there were so many lame by the pool, why did Jesus choose this specific one to receive healing?” The significance of this one was that his healing would be the most difficult one to believe. If Jesus had chosen one who had been lame for just a couple of years one might be able to conclude he still had enough strength in himself to stand up and walk. But not so with one who had not used his legs in 38 years. One would have no choice but to believe the impossible had just taken place. That is, unless, you’re one of the opposing Jews.
3) How will you respond? (Vs. 10-15). Vs. 10 “breaking” the Sabbath. Why did Jesus command someone to do something that was forbidden on the Sabbath? Albert Barnes’ commentary states that the Jews extended the obligation of the Sabbath beyond what was intended. They observed it superstitiously, and Jesus took every opportunity to convince them of their error, and to restore the day to its proper observance. This method he took to show them what the law of God really permitted on that day, and that works of necessity and mercy were lawful. As William Burkitt’s commentary puts it, “How unjustly the Jews tax the cripple that was healed with the breach of the Sabbath, for taking up his bed, and walking on the Sabbath-day? Whereas the law only forbade carrying burthens on the Sabbath-day for profit, in way of trade: but this man's carrying his bed, was a testimony of God's goodness and mercy towards him, and of his gratitude and thankfulness towards God. Hypocritical and superstitious people often-times pretend much zeal for observing the letter of the law, little respecting the moral sense of it. Besides, our Savior has a mind to let the Jews know that he was Lord of the Sabbath, and that he hath power over it, and could dispense with it as he thought good.” Instead of focusing on the miracle they focused on what was to them a violation of the law. They failed to recognize the good had been done. In Bethesda, “the house of mercy”, there was performed an act of mercy but their legalism kept them from seeing it. They tried to turn a good thing into a bad thing. They tried to take the wind out of the sails of the cripple. When we experience blessings from God Satan will be right there to try to dispel our joy. He will try to turn good things into bad things. The good we do may be followed by a negative response from someone and we have Satan telling us, “See where being the good guy got you? It doesn’t pay to be nice.” Don’t allow Satan to get you to respond negatively to a positive thing. Vs. 14. He was at the temple; somewhere where he was not allowed to go before because of his condition. Jesus’ words to him show that just because someone is healed it doesn’t mean they’re perfect. This cripple was healed but he needed to understand that this was the beginning of the road, not the end of it. He needed to properly respond to his being made whole. Jesus’ words suppose that the affliction he had been suffering were as a result of sin. Not every affliction we suffer is due to sin (Job, the man born blind where Jesus told his disciples that his condition was not a result of sin), but it appears that it is true in this case. Jesus wanted him to respond properly to grace and sin no more (Rom. 6:1). “Or something worse may happen to you”. With newness comes responsibility. Now that he had received healing, now that he knew the better way, now that he had the power to not go back to sin, if he chose to do so he would now be trampling on grace; which would be worse than before when he had not known grace. If we say we want to be made well but we choose not to properly respond to that healing with change then we need to be ready for a firm rebuke from Jesus. Some people reject Jesus’ offer to be made well because of the change that Jesus expects from us afterward. They’re not ready so they resist. When Jesus heals us from being crippled he expects us to put away the activities associated with being a cripple. If the cripple wasn’t willing to give up begging, his activity for all these years, Jesus would say to him, “You’re not what you used to be so stop doing what you used to do.” He tells us the same. But some people aren’t ready to stop acting like a cripple. 2nd Peter 2:20-22. How will we respond to being made whole? Let’s make sure we don’t return to the vomit or go back and wallow in the mud. If we want to be made well, if we want to be made whole, Jesus will tell us to get up and go. But once we are given the ability to walk we need to have the proper response by leaving the crippled life behind and embracing the new life we’ve been given; moving forward. So, do you want to get well?
