Soon another Feast came around and Jesus was back in Jerusalem. Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool (in Hebrew called Bethesda with five alcoves). Hundreds of sick people (blind, crippled, paralyzed) were in these alcoves. One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, “Do you want to get well?”
The sick man said, “Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.”
Jesus said, “Get up, take your bedroll, and start walking.” The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off.
That day happened to be the Sabbath. The Jews stopped the healed man and said, “It’s the Sabbath. You can’t carry your bedroll around. It’s against the rules.”
But he told them, “The man who made me well told me to. He said, ‘Take your bedroll and start walking.’”
They asked, “Who gave you the order to take it up and start walking?” But the healed man didn’t know, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.
A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, “You look wonderful! You’re well! Don’t return to a sinning life or something worse might happen.”
The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus—because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath. (John 5:1-16, MSG)
“Most people
don't have that willingness to break bad habits. They have a lot of excuses and
they talk like victims. (Carlos Santana) It is easier to prevent bad habits
than to break them.” (Benjamin Franklin)
Like the cripple man in the above scripture passage that was healed by of his disability, Jesus asks us this question: “Do you want to get well?”
Like the cripple man in the above scripture passage that was healed by of his disability, Jesus asks us this question: “Do you want to get well?”
Is authentic healing your heart’s desire as
it relates to victory over your bad habits (or enslaving addictions)? Do you
want a joyful existence that is a vibrant reflection of the Almighty’s saving
grace? To answer the above question truthfully, you need to ask yourself:
1. Do I
believe that change is possible?
·
“Be
strong and be brave. Don’t be afraid of those people because the Lord your God is with you. He will not fail you
or leave you.” (Deuteronomy
31:6, ERV)
· “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared
to what lies within us.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
2. Do I make
excuses for not changing?
·
“Each
person must be responsible for himself.” (Galatians
6:5, NCV)
3. Do I blame
others for my addiction (or habit)?
·
“So
you can see there are no excuses for any of us. If your eyes shift their focus
from yourselves to others (to judge how
they are doing) you have already condemned yourselves! You don’t realize that you are
pointing your fingers at others for the exact things you do as well.” (Romans
2:1, VOICE)
· “If you accept the expectations of others (especially negative ones)
then you never will change the outcome.” (Michael Jordan)
4.
Do I believe that listening to Jesus can cause lasting change in my
life? Like the man with disabilities above, our healing (from today’s habits and addictions)
must help us to:
· “Get up” out
of the defeat that has you ground in negativity, (God will honor the little
faith we have in Him during this desperate time.)
· “Take your bedroll”
means
leaving no avenue behind you
to return to whatever has held you emotionally (and physically) captive.
· “Start walking”
means
to move differently in the future as Jesus continues to heal you.
[i] Inspired by the sermon Questions Jesus Asked: Do You Want to Get Well? (installment three) Sunday, March 19, 2017 Pastor Dave
Jansen CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH
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