John 5:3-6 Do you want to be made well?_
In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water… When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” John 5:3, 6 NKJV
What a unique transaction. By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem Jesus comes upon this pool by which is assembled the sick seeking healing. The man upon whom Jesus is focused has been there 38 years. Years!
This chapter begins with this story which quickly transforms into a conversation with the Pharisees about what is appropriate on the Sabbath. And there is incredible depth that flows from Jesus as he speaks with them. But it begins by this pool where there were many sick, so why did Jesus choose to interact with this man?
The answer may be clearly found later in this chapter when Jesus said, “I cannot be doing of myself a single thing” (verses 19, 30). The Spirit of God is focused on this man. And where the Father’s attention is, so is the Son’s. Even though there are others, this is the one on which the Father’s attention is fixed. “Jesus… taking note that now a long time he had continued.”
God is attracted to faith. And he is good, incredibly good to his own children. Something in this man believed that healing was possible and caught the attention of the Spirit of God. Since a time even before Jesus was born this man had been seeking miraculous health. Some may have even derided him saying, “The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing when you continue to get the same result.” For the action-oriented, self-determined man, this may be true. But there is something about maintaining faith in the goodness of God even when it requires extreme perseverance. And in context, the man was doing “something” by waiting by this pool for his opportunity. What other options did he have? We can surmise, but we really don’t know. He may have used them all up a long time before. Of all the people around the physical pool, a different sort of water was stirred near this man. An unseen pool. After 38 years of looking and waiting for the water to stir, a new pool of water walked up to him — and it was stirring. The pool even asked him a question: “Do you want to be made well?”
I love this question. So many of us think we know what another wants. If you are sick, you obviously want health. Right? If you are in prison, you must want freedom. If you are single, something must be wrong with you if you are not married or dating. And on and on. Sometimes people make their own bed in which they sleep, and they like it there. Maybe your illness gives you something you value much more than health would. There is something deeply important about identifying the biggest value in my life. What I want, I will go after. I will knock, seek and ask. But sometimes the things I want are much more subtle. I want attention, recognition, sympathy, even pity. Maybe the cute or kind woman that daily comes by and offers me a drink while I sit by this pool is the real reason I’m still here. Who am I to make a judgment about what a person wants and then impose my will upon them? If you have an answer, like Jesus did, first ask the question.
There is much to consider in the verses that follow: why did Jesus ask him to pick up his bed? How could the man not have recognized Jesus and known who healed him? Why did the man give his identity up to the Pharisees? And why did Jesus dialogue with the religious leaders that followed?
But even with these questions, the most compelling is: “Do you want to be made well?” What is the question the Holy Spirit is asking me today? Do I have the courage for scrutiny and honesty? Am I willing to do what is necessary and endure the fallout of my actions, even if I tick off religious people? His pool is constantly being stirred. Don’t be surprised if the water shows up in a face that seems familiar.