John chapter 5 is a powerful chapter in the narrative of John. Starting with a healing and followed by powerful public teaching, it has a lot to say about healing and the sabbath, resurrection and judement. If you haven't read it in awhile, take a moment today to read at least the first 15 verses.
Here, John tells us the story of a lame man, suffering and cast aside, who encounters Jesus. He writes, "Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals... Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool...here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years" (Jn 5: 1-5).
So here we are in Jerusalem, the center of religous power and Jewish culture at the time. But we aren't among the elites. We aren't with the clean. Instead, the readers is standing alongside Jesus as He takes in a crowd of discarded, hopeless, hurting people. And He zeroes in on one man inparticular. Now we can't say how old this man was, but having been ill for 38 years, we can assume that was a large portion of his life. His disease had likely become part of his identity. It was such a part of him that he could not see a life without it. He could not visualize a path to healing.
But he hadn't encountered the living God yet.
John writes, "When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (Jn 5:6). The man answered, "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” (Jn 5:7).
Notice what the man does here. Jesus asks him if he desires healing, and he answers by explaining why that healing is impossible. He cannot consider his desire for healing because he cannot see past the barriers to it. He doesn't answer the question.
How often do we find ourselves in a similar position? We pray for some type of deliverance, healing or restoration—perhaps we need physical healing, but often times, what we really need is emotional, interpersonal, or spiritual relief. The restoration of a fractured relationship, discernment in navigating a difficult job, strength to overcome a spiritual battle. We've all prayed for healing. We want to be in harmony with others. We want to be whole. We want peace.
The problem is, sometimes when we hear God's gentle voice nudging us, offering us deliverance from the very thing that's hurting us, we are hesitant to act. We don't want to let go of our pride, because that's what keeps us feeling as though we're enough. We can't release our fear because isn't that what keeps us safe? We cling to our self-righteousness, because it makes us feel worthy. If we let go of judgment, we'd have to focus on our own flaws rather than the imperfections of others.
We want the healing, but we don't know if it's possible. We want the deliverance without the surrender. Like the lame man at the pool, we sit, surrounded by people just as lost and broken as we are, and we focus our attention there. We are so busy looking at barriers that we forget to look at Jesus, who stands before us as He stood before the lame man, calling us to get up and walk towards Him.
This week I challenge you to look towards Jesus and see the healing He offers. Focus your attention on His power instead of your failings or the hopelessness of your circumstances.
Join us on the podcast as we study the book of John!
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