Do You Want to Get Well?

"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?'"
-John 5:6
     For whatever reason it seems that God has been revealing John 5 to me. First, I heard a song by the Gaither Vocal Band titled "Do You Wanna Be Well" which is based on John 5. Next, I heard two different sermons from two different ministries on the passage. I believe that this passage will have a significant impact on my life, and I hope it will for you too.
     John 5 follows the story of a man who is an invalid. This man's condition is not specifically described, but we can assume that he is partially or fully paralyzed. This man has been in this condition for 38 years, and stayed near a pool called Bethesda. This pool was surrounded by those who were disabled just like the man described as an invalid. The reason these disabled people remained near the pool is that from time to time the waters would be stirred, and the first person in would be healed of their disability.
     One day Jesus comes by the pool and He spots this man who has been paralyzed for 38 years. Then Jesus asks the man a staggering question, "do you want to get well"? Can you imagine being asked this question if you were in this man's condition? What a ridiculous question! I immediately would have been offended at this question if I were this man. Of course he wanted to get well!
     What's even more amazing is the man's response, seen in verse 7- "'Sir,' the invalid replied, '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.'" Instead of simply saying that he wanted to be healed, he starts telling Jesus the reason he cannot be healed. Isn't that weird? And yet, isn't this how we sometimes respond to Jesus' invitation for healing? Instead of simply accepting Jesus' healing, we tell Him all the reasons we cannot be healed.
     Every one of us is an invalid in one way or another. We are disabled because of anger, bitterness, depression, pride, jealousy, hatred, lust, and idolatry, just to name a few. The good news is that Jesus came so that we could be free from all of these things, but He is still asking the same question He asked the man- "do you want to get well?"
     Why did Jesus ask the man this question? I believe there are two main reasons. The first is that the man had gotten used to his condition as a paralyzed and broken person. Did you notice that the man lived at the pool where all the other disabled people were? He simply accepted that he was broken, and surrounded himself with other broken people to feel better about his condition. Jesus asks him if he wants to get well because Jesus knew that this man had gotten so used to his brokenness and didn't really want to be healed anymore.
     The second reason Jesus asks this question is that the man was seeking a change in his circumstances rather than a change in his condition. Recall the man's response to Jesus' question that I quoted earlier. The man blamed his condition on those who went into the pool before him or didn't help him into the pool. This man wanted Jesus to help him into the pool, not to help him get well. The man was so focused on his circumstances that he almost missed an opportunity to be healed by Jesus.
     Jesus is offering each of us a chance to get well. However, just like this man, we have gotten used to our brokenness and keep blaming our circumstances for our condition. One of the lyrics that I really like in the song "Do You Wanna Be Well" is in verse two. "Have you gotten used to the chains; are you so attached to the pain that you're afraid to part and ask the Man for a brand new heart?" Jesus wants to heal us of our brokenness but we keep holding on so tightly to it. We only want our circumstances to change, not our condition. However, Jesus didn't die on the cross only to change our circumstances; He came to change us. Are you willing to admit your brokenness and accept Jesus' healing? Are you willing to stop looking at your circumstances and start looking at your heart? Do you want to get well?
-Smart