It was an ordinary day in Jerusalem outside the city gates at the Pool of Bethesda. Many people were hanging out just waiting to be healed. Legend said that periodically an angel would come down and stir up the waters and the first one in would be healed. The Bible doesn’t tell us if that’s true but for the lame, the blind, and those with grave diseases… they were sure hoping. The Bible draws attention to one man in particular… a man who had been lame for 38 years. That’s a long time. As usual he was laying at this pool just waiting for the stirring of the water. But on this day, everything would change for him. Jesus would come by. And Jesus would single this man out and offer him something he had been waiting for his whole life… healing.
But before the healing was possible, Jesus asked him a question… “Would you like to get well?” That seems like a silly question, right? I mean… of course he wanted to get well or he wouldn’t be at this pool. But this question is vital to the story. Let’s dig a little deeper into this scenario and unpack some truths. Let’s look at the healing Jesus was offering and the question He asked.
The healing! We know that Jesus was offering this man healing, but was it just physical healing? No. He was offering him spiritual healing as well… and the Bible indicates that spiritual healing is much more important than physical healing. How do we know about the spiritual healing? Because when you read further in the story in John 5, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you” (John 5:14).
Here’s the thing… Jesus may not always heal physically but He will always heal spiritually if we let Him. Why is that? Because we cannot walk in fullness, thrive in abundance, or live in wholeness if we are not healed spiritually. And isn’t wholeness, fullness, and abundance more valuable than just physical healing? I would say YES! In fact, spiritual freedom is what Jesus wants for each of us.
The question! Why would Jesus ask this question. There may be a deeper meaning, but on the surface, Jesus wanted to know if he truly wanted freedom. Think about it. He had been in this position for 38 years. He may have been comfortable. He was able to make a living because the Jewish law required the people to give to the poor and needy. He may have been afraid of what freedom looked like.
We, too, may be comfortable in our sin, our addiction, our bitterness, our unforgiveness. And It often takes a lot of work to become free from it. It may take a lot of prayer, vulnerability, leaning in closer to Jesus, and letting things go. Also, like this invalid, we may look at the future and be afraid of freedom. So, we stay chained up, in bondage. Hence, we too, need to answer the question… “Would you like to get well?”
But here’s the most important part of all this… If we want freedom; we MUST put ourselves in the place of this lame man – HELPLESS. We cannot experience true freedom without Jesus. We MUST say, “Jesus, I need your help!” This can be hard, but it’s necessary. Let’s seek freedom today.