Do you want to get well?

In John 5:1-15 we see the story of Jesus healing a man who was an invalid for 38 years. Jesus asks him a question in verse 6 that has echoed in my head. Jesus asked him, "do you want to get well?" This is an interesting question. Our first assumption is that why wouldn't he want to get well. He has been sitting there for 38 years, of course that is what he wants. But maybe that isn't what he really wanted. Maybe the sickness that caused him to become an invalid was how he identified himself. Maybe that was his excuse to not try. If Jesus heals him, then he has to go out and get a job. He has to take responsibility for himself. He no longer can use his sickness as an excuse to not do something. This led me to wonder why we don't always have our prayers answered. Maybe because Jesus is asking us this question. Do you want to get well? He asks because we may not understand all that will take place once we have been healed and I am not just talking about physical healing. Do we want to be made well in all areas of our lives? Have we thought about what that would really mean? All our crutches would be removed. We could never blame our actions on something wrong with us. We can't use the excuse that I am broken in this area to prevent us from following after God.


If you look at the invalid's response to Jesus, he says "sir, 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." Think about this for a moment. For may 38 years this man has sat by this pool and attemped to get into the pool while it was stirred up by an angel so that he could be healed. And for 38 years, someone always got ahead of him. He hadn't given up. He still was looking for a miracle. Makes me wonder about how soon I give up when seeking God for something. How about you, how quickly do you give up and say it must not be God's will and all He is doing is asking you if you really want it. Or he could be using the experience to bring your or someone else closer to him.