John 5:5-9 “One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.’” Today's episode talks about how sometimes God calls us to make an act of faith on our part before our miracle is granted. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Act of Faith
John 5:5-9 “One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.’”
I love this story because it is such a short story and yet I have come to learn there a lot of lessons in it. That is why I love studying scripture, especially doing Bible studies where they go into depth on what each story in the Bible means. There are a lot of parables, there are a lot of hidden meanings, the Bible is a living text and it can be so simple at times and so complex other times. I love every time I learn some deeper meaning to a story. When I first heard this story I thought it was a great testament to Jesus’ healing power, and it is. I didn’t realize how much more there was to it.
First let me explain what is going on in this story in case you haven’t heard it before. The man in this story has been laying at the pool of Bethesda for over 30 years. The story with this particular pool is that there are certain seasons or times when it was believed an angel would stir the water. When this happened if you could be the first one in the water you would be healed. This man couldn’t walk so each time the pool was stirred up, he would have to pull his body with his arms down to the pool. There were always people that would get in front of him and get in the pool first. I am not sure how often the pool was stirred, but I can imagine that was a long 30 something years for this man who was trying to get into a pool he can not reach.
Is that you? Have you been trying to do something for a very long time and you are not having any luck? Maybe you have been sick with something for a long time and you keep praying for a healing and yet you have not received one. Maybe you have been struggling with issues in your family for a long time and you have been praying and yet you have not seen any answers to those prayers. Maybe you have been trying to get further in your career and you keep praying and asking God to help and yet, so far no answers. If this is the case, keep praying, keep asking, keep searching. This man was ill for 38 years before he was healed. I don’t know if he was at the pool of Bethesda the whole time, but I am sure he was hoping for a healing the whole time.
The first thing I learned about this verse that I didn’t really pay much attention to when I heard it is that Jesus asks the man, “Do you want to be made well?” Jesus puts the ball in the man’s court. He asks him if he wants to be healed. This may seem silly to you. He has been waiting at a pool for a healing for over 30 years not, of course he wants to be healed. However, not everyone does want to be healed. Some people are afraid to be healed because their sickness is all they have known. They are afraid of what their life will be like without it? They are worried because their identity is wrapped up in this illness. So, instead of just healing this man Jesus asks if he wants to be healed. I find it interesting that the man did not answer the questions with an answer, he started explaining why he had not been healed before now.
Doesn’t that sound like something we would all do? When asked if we want something we come up with all the excuses or reasons that we haven’t gotten it yet. We want people to know we tried and yet we just couldn’t do it. We explain how unfair the world is and that we are victims of that unfairness. This man was telling Jesus about why he hadn’t been healed yet, instead of just answering his question and saying, “yes, I want to be healed.” Why is that so hard for us to admit sometimes? Why can’t we just ask for what we need? Why is it so hard to ask God to heal us, or provide for us? It makes him so happy when we rely on Him?
The next thing I learned about this verse that I didn’t pay much attention to is when Jesus says, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” Jesus did not do anything outwardly to heal this man. He didn’t lay hands on him, He didn’t tell him he was healed, he just told him to stand and take up his mat and walk. By doing this, Jesus is requiring this man to take make an act of faith. He is asking a man who has not walked in 38 years to stand up and walk. I wonder what was going through that man’s mind when he heard Jesus say that. I wonder if he jumped right up, or if he hesitated wondering what this man was talking about? I wonder if his brain was flooded with negative thoughts such as, “Why is he telling you to get up, doesn’t he know you can’t walk?” “I can’t get up and walk, I haven’t walked for 38 years.” “If I try to stand up I will fall down again.”
We don’t know whether this man had any negative thoughts or not. What we do know is that he was able to stand up, take up his mat and walk away. Even if he did have those thoughts, he was able to overcome them and to make that act of faith. He tried to stand up when asked to and therefore he was healed. I am wondering if some of what is keeping us stuck from moving forward, or stuck from getting our breakthrough is that we are failing to act in faith? Are we getting in our own way? Are we listening to all those negative voices in our head? Is Jesus asking us to make an act of faith and we are too scared because of all the years we have been waiting for it, or all the drama while we wait. What if we didn’t listen to those voices? What if we just stepped out in faith that God will do what He said He would do. What is one thing you can do today to make an act of faith?
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray you bless all those listening to this episode today. Thank you for all you teach us through your scriptures. Thank you for all the times that you heal us, not just from physical wounds, but also emotional ones as well. Lord, you are truly amazing and we are so grateful we know you! We ask that you give us the strength and courage to make that act of faith when you ask us to make it. We love you Lord and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus; holy name, Amen.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldy with Jesus. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Remember Jesus loves you and so do I! Have a blessed day!