Do You Want To Be Made Well?
Questions can be powerful tools that allow the inquisitor to gain valuable information regarding the person, place or thing of interest. It is a crucial part of listening well, a skill I fear we lose more and more each day.
In the book of John, chapter 5, there is a question Jesus asks of a man that was always intriguing to me. He encounters this gentleman at a pool called Bethesda. This small body of water was especially unique, because it was visited periodically by an angel who would stir the waters. Whomever entered the pool first, after the waters moved, would be healed of any illness or disease.
For 38 years we are told this man laid by the pool, sick and helpless, longing to be made whole. His condition limited his mobility, and would not allow him to enter the water without assistance, of which there was none. Others stepped ahead of him, time and time again, robbing him of a miracle. Can you imagine, being so close to your healing and yet, so utterly far away all at the same time?
Jesus gazes on the man, knowing his condition has bound him to a sick mat for years, and asks, “Do you want to be made well?”
I used to read that verse and think, “What an odd thing to ask. Of course the man wanted to be made well.” But as I have grown in my faith, and worked with more people over the years in ministry, I have come to understand better why Christ would ask, what seems to be, a ridiculous question.
Countless times, I have seen those who profess the name of Christ, and yet continue to struggle, season after season. Don’t get me wrong, we will have difficulties in our faith journey, and there will be moments it seems the storms are constant, steady and unrelenting to the point of weariness; however, there are some individuals who just can’t seem to gain ground and become victorious over the battle.
You may see them on the mountain top one Sunday and gone the next. They battle for a few months, and then throw up their hands in defeat. Others seem to continuously cycle in and out of the mire they were pulled from, endlessly getting bogged back down by the same issues over and over.
I have determined in watching said people, and speaking from personal experience as a prior, chronic “in and out of the pit” dweller; “we” are why Jesus asks, “Do you want to be made well?” You see, sometimes we can be sick and tired, of being sick and tired, but in a weird Twilight Zone mindset, feel oddly comfortable on our sick mat all at the same time.
We have been gifted with full details and instructions, on how to have complete and total victory over our fleshly, sinful nature. Need a plan of attack in defeating the enemy and hater of our souls? Yeah, we have that too. It’s called the Bible, and it’s a powerful weapon too often forgotten and ignored.
Why do we do this? If we have a complete resource and instruction manual, why are we not utilizing this knowledge? It actually seems illogical, to be so close to our healing, and yet so very far away.
So, I pose the same question to you, Jesus asked the ailing man by the pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to be made well?”
“I Don’t Know?”
Have you heard the expression, “You don’t know, what you don’t know”? If you lack knowledge of something, you cannot be expected to understand or have clarity about a particular topic. Sometimes, this can be the case with our faith and understanding of scripture.
Perhaps you fall into this category, and you simply do not know what the Word has to say about overcoming your sinful desires and putting your flesh to death. Sometimes when we try to study the Word, it can feel overwhelming attempting to decipher the many layers of meaning in passages, but I encourage you to reach out to a trusted, fellow believer and ask for guidance. Perhaps you are new to the faith, and just starting to dig into the scriptures, or you have been following Christ for a while, but do not study the Word on a regular basis.
Whatever the scenario, a lack of knowledge can prove to be fatal when it comes to spiritual matters. We cannot afford to be ignorant to the teachings the scriptures offer. Any good soldier knows, to become victorious, requires a clear understanding of your enemy, and a detailed plan to overcome them.
Find a good Bible study reading plan you can follow online. There are multiple Bible apps that can assist with this.
Check your church resources and get plugged into a study group.
Ask some close friends to join you in reading and hold each other accountable while studying through the Word.
Study from a translation of the Bible that is easy for you to comprehend.
Any of these tools can help you gain more knowledge and understanding in the Word of God. Ignorance is not bliss- it simply makes you easy prey for the powers of darkness.
“I Don’t Believe You”
You know the scriptures.
Study time is consistent.
But you continue to get hung up and stumble over the same issues on a regular basis.
Our actions tell a story, mere words can never express. Your head can be so full of wisdom, you rival King Solomon, yet you struggle with sinful desires constantly. Endless understanding could be dripping from your pores, making you a perfect bible scholar, while your ability to spit out book, chapter and verse on demand is mesmerizing; but you easily become overwhelmed by the storms of life.
All the scriptural facts you can contain in your human brain is worthless, if it merely stays within the confines of the cerebral cortex. Knowledge without action is nothing more than an answer for your next “Trivial Pursuit” game. How we behave and live, is based largely in part by our beliefs and values. You are moved, by what you believe to be true.
I know when the burner of my stove is on, the flame is hot. I understand this, because fire burns almost any object it comes into contact with. This is a scientific fact I learned in elementary school; however, if I did not believe what I had been taught, I would be tempted to reach out and touch the glowing, blue light to see if it was true.
You can read scripture from sunrise to sunset, but if you do not believe what you are studying, you will never apply it and allow it to change your entire life.
Do not fear is found approximately 365 times in the scriptures. The reason? God is with us.
We are told to bring our worries to the Lord. Why? He cares for the struggling soul and wishes to exchange the heavy burden for His, which is light.
Honor your father and mother. This is connected to a blessing of long life.
Sin seeks to kill, steal and destroy you- we are to crucify our flesh. If we don’t? The wages of sin is death.
The Word is filled with warnings, blessings, comfort, wisdom, and directions. If we really believed what God reveals to us between those leather covers, our actions would echo those truths.
“I Don’t Want To”
Stubborn, hard, prideful hearts are a direct path to the flames of hell. Sorry, was that too blunt?
You have knowledge.
You actually believe what you read.
You refuse to follow, because frankly, you don’t want to. Pouting like a little child, arms crossed with a scowl on your face; it’s not very becoming of any adult, but especially one who claims to follow the Creator of the universe.
There are some hard lessons within the pages of our Bibles, there is no debating this fact. Denying our flesh is not a picnic. Loving those who hate you? I don’t see anyone jumping up and down, to sign-up for that adventure. Forgiveness can seem like a mountain impossible to climb. Sexual purity- you got to be kidding me! Waiting until marriage is completely outdated, so society will tell you.
Often,, we will discover something within a passage of scripture, that pricks our hearts and fills us with conviction. The Lord is calling you to address that area of your life, put it to death, before it destroys you. From here, you have two options:
Roll up your sleeves and begin the hard work of uprooting the sinful nature that has been growing for far too long within you.
Cover your ears, close your eyes and ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit.
It’s completely your choice, but know this- disobedience is a monster that will not be contained. It may start out cute and cuddly, seemingly innocent, but over time, it will grow into a creature that will eat you alive.
Sin may seem pleasurable for the moment, even too good to let go of, but what lurks in the shadows will not relent until it has completely bound and imprisoned you; mind, body and soul.
Maybe you feel I was a little too harsh today, or completely out of line? Perhaps- or maybe I want to see the captives set completely free. To hear chains broken off, armies of the Lord marching strong and ready for battle, and children growing up in homes where they see parents living out the gospel, no matter the cost.
Will we do it perfectly, of course not! Stumbling will occur, we are but flesh, but come on dear friends, we have to at least try! Make the effort. Fight hard, long and fiercely. Stay in the Word. Keep close to the Vine and your church community.
Grow in your knowledge of the scriptures, destroy any unbelief that seeks to mislead your heart and kill the flesh that wants to rebel against the truth of the Word. We’ve got work to do my brothers and sisters, and we need everyone to be healthy and whole.
Pick up that sick mat and torch it!