John 5:1-81
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem . 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda , having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 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?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me. ”
8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”
A Silly Question?
Lenny Spitale, Coordinator of Educational Resources for Good News Jail & Prison Ministry
John 5:1-81
The Question.
In the biblical account above, if it were not Jesus speaking to the invalid, would his question strike you as being a little silly? In comparison, perhaps it would be like someone coming in here today and asking any of you if you would like to be released today. What would you tell him? I mean, if someone asked you that, would you not think that was a bit of a silly question?
The Invalid’s Response.
What was the invalid’s response to Jesus? Interestingly enough, it was not an immediate “yes!” Why not? Let us consider his situation and perhaps that will shed light on this surprising answer.
The Invalid’s Situation.
The first thing the account tells us is that this man spends most of his time hanging around a pool all day with similarly dysfunctional people. These are broken, out-of-the-fast-track people and they make up his everyday society. But exactly what is “society”? In other words, what does it mean to be “social?” Why do we need to be in some form of relationship with a group of people? Let me suggest at least two reasons.
The first reason we need to form some kind of relationship with people is that it helps us establish a sense of identity. A sense of identity helps us to know how we “fit.” It communicates that we have a “place” in the group and that we “belong.” The second reason is that it helps us develop a sense of self-worth. In other words, social settings and belonging reveal our sense of values and therefore reveal what we believe is significant and how we are able to contribute to that significance. It is in the social setting that our sense of purpose shines the brightest. It is in this kind of relationship that meaning for life is most evident.
In John 5, what brought this particular group together? As we already hinted at, they all shared physical deficiencies. This invalid had a sense of “being in the same boat” with the others. he therefore felt more accepted due to the common suffering that he shared along with the others he saw around him. This, in turn, led to a feeling of being more understood by each other in that group. I might suggest that these are the same reasons that groups like AA and NA form social groups—as well as many other groups like them.
But now, let us consider how long had he been in this condition. The text tells us that he had been in his invalid condition for 38 years. Now, even if he had been placed at the pool for only half that amount of time, he would still have been there for 19 years. Now that is a long time. How would you like to do a 19-year sentence like that? How well do you think he got to know the others who also made it their practice to sit by this pool waiting to be healed by its supposedly magical powers? Undoubtedly, he saw people come and go, but also undoubtedly, he saw some of the same people day after day.
The Perspective of the Question.
I want you to consider the question not simply at its face value, but also to consider it from a different perspective. For instance, how do you think the situation of this group of people who waited day after day by the pool for healing affected the way they viewed the world? Perhaps they developed a negative perspective thinking that no one cares. They knew that even their buddies would think of themselves first. After all, this man testified that “No one to help me get in the pool.” Why? Well, logically it would see that t hey wanted to get healed, too. They don’t believe their lives will ever get much better. For them it seems as thought life itself had a ceiling on it.
But think further with me. Even if the paralyzed man happened to be the one that first noticed the water stirring, how likely was it that he would be able to get to the water? He can’t walk! As soon as he was observed dragging himself to the water, verse 7 tells us what typically happened. This man’s worldview (as well as the entire social group at the pool) about healing was flawed. They could not get into the water—even if they were fortunate enough to see the waters begin to stir. Some people really think their futures will be only death or imprisonment because that is all they can ever see happening in their lives. I used to think that about myself. My anger (which cost me over thirty jobs), and my lifestyle of stealing, getting high, and chasing the ladies were bound to get me either incarcerated or killed. As you can see, I didn’t die ¾ but I was arrested twelve times.
We have heard of people winning the lottery. Now suppose we resorted to that kind of hope-against-hope. Suppose for just a moment that there was nothing wrong with even playing the lottery and, like many others, we played it regularly and faithfully. In that case, we might even believe that it was possible for us to win it personally. But the odds are so great against it that we kind of settle into living in a world that has a ceiling on it. We might get a visit from the angel; that is, we could win the lottery, but someone else always seems to win it before we do. This is the kind of thinking that says, “If I could just make that one big score, life would be different.” Let me ask you: How many thousands are in prison today because they believed just that? Would that possibly describe any of you?
The Purpose of the Question.
We still have not dealt with the particular question Jesus asked the man. We pretty much agree that since it is Jesus, we know the question cannot be a silly one, right? Now let me ask you a question. What are some possible reasons why Jesus may have asked this question? Let me suggest some reasons that I think he asked the question.
First, some people do not really want to change. I have learned a significant truth in working with addicts over the years. And that is this: just because someone else thinks that it is time for the addict to change, does not mean that the addict himself is ready to change. It is not until any one of us ourselves want the change, that change is possible. Otherwise, any offers of help will either be manipulated for our own use or refused altogether.
Second, being paralyzed gives the invalid an excuse to stay as he is. “Well,” he says, “I’d like to go to work but, as you can plainly see, I can’t.” He is afraid of what prospects life would hold for him and how he would make his way if he were no longer dependent on any one but himself. This leads naturally to the third reason why Jesus may have asked the question.
Third, some people fear change. Change is scary. We may not like where we are, but at least we know how we fit. This is where the security of a social group comes in. Changing means I have to leave my way of life and probably many of my friends. Did you know that AA teaches that some family members of alcoholics actually want the person to go on drinking? Why? Because they all know how they fit. If he stops drinking, who will he be? It is scary to them. So even though they would probably say, “yes” if someone asked them if they wanted him to gain victory over his drinking habit, deep down inside they are afraid of it. So everyone just leaves “well enough alone.” They have become what is called in today’s terminology “co-dependent.” They have become enablers. They would rather have the devil they know, then the devil they do not know.
Now let me mention a fourth reason. Jesus knows that with healing comes responsibility. Our invalid has learned a victim mentality. The reason he cannot get healed, he explains, is because someone else is preventing him from doing so (5:7). In other words, his failure to get healed is someone else’s fault. Healing, for this man, will mean he has to leave the friends he knows so well; he will have to leave the sense of identity he gets from knowing how he fits; he will have to find a new place to live; and ¾ he will have to find a job. He will have to buy an alarm clock and show up for work on time. He can no longer sit around waiting for the angel to win the lottery for him.
Finally, a fifth reason for the question is that not changing means more of the same. My favorite AA slogan is: “A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing in the same old way and expecting a different result.” If you leave here and go back to doing life the way you always did it, then you should not be surprised that you will be hearing the chaplain’s sermons next year. Wyatt Mullinax is known for his catchy saying: “If nothing changes, nothing changes.”
By asking this question, Jesus forces us to look deep into the recesses of our own hearts.
Do we really want to change? And are we truly willing to accept the changes that healing will bring?
The Person of the Question.
Now, I want to consider one final aspect about this most interesting passage. Who is the person in our story who is making this unique offer to this invalid? The first thing we note is that Jesus comes to him. It is Jesus that takes the initiative. It is Jesus that makes the offer. You may not find the “healthy” (that is, “self-righteous”) people coming in here, but Jesus still does. Secondly, notice that there is authority behind the one asking the question. Jesus is the Son of God. He not only has the power to heal the sick, He has the power to raise the dead. He will eventually be the Judge of all the Earth. Do you want to stand before Him as your Judge, or as the One who shed His precious blood on the cross for you? He is asking you the same question today. “Do you want to be made well?” Be sure of this, you are never well until your soul has been healed. Our sins have condemned us and driven us into foolishness and here we sit, at the pool of Bethesda , where we share our food with a multitude of other disabled people. Do you want to be really free? Then you must take Jesus’ hand in faith. He bids you rise and walk. He has the authority to do it.
Let me give you an example. If I came in here today and asked, “Okay, who wants to go home today?” You would probably all say, “I do!” But not one of you would believe that I could really make it happen. You would just laugh at my offer. But what if the governor of the state came in here today and asked the same question? Would you still be laughing? I doubt it. Why? Because you know he has the authority to make it happen. Now, let me ask you: Do you believe Jesus can forgive your sins? Do you believe that He is the Son of God? Do you believe that He shed His precious blood and rose from the dead as a substitute for your sins? That, at its root, is what faith is all about. It is not about mustering up our ability to believe; it is about trusting in the One Who is making the offer. We are putting our faith in is His ability and power to make it happen.
Do you want your life to change? Do you want to be right with God? Will you be truly free today? Then I say unto you: “Arise, and walk!” “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!”