When Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?”—John 5:6
Jesus asked a man a question that appears to have had an obvious answer! He came upon a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years and who was sitting beside a pool of healing. Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed. Why would Jesus ask such an obvious question? Perhaps the answer is not so clear.
Bartimaeus was blind, yet when he cried out for Jesus to have mercy on him, Jesus asked what he wanted Him to do, as seen in Mark 10:51, Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Rabbouni,” the blind man told Him, “I want to see!”
It would have seemed apparent that the foremost concern of a blind person would be to receive sight. There were times, however, when Jesus considered it important for people to verbalize their need and specifically ask Him to heal them.
Just because we are spiritually sick, or just because we are near a place of healing, does not necessarily mean we want to be made well. Interesting thought, isn’t it? We might well say that it is a conundrum. A conundrum is defined by Merriman-Webster as an intricate and difficult problem, a question or problem having only a conjectural answer. So the question is a truly important question. Do we want to be made well? I don’t know about you but I do. Whatever it is I am facing. Whatever the circumstance or the situation, I want to be made well.
Now for those of you who are wise and prudent Bible students this will be easy for you, right? Here it is, if I am a Christian then I will always do and choose the right thing. You will notice that was not a question but rather a statement. So do you agree or disagree with the statement? It is important for you to consider this thought today as it will help you in the days to come.
It is not uncommon today that we take many of the activities that the Bible identifies as sin and label them as character flaws or maybe as addictions or even and sadly I might add, the result of an abusive upbringing. While some of those things may have occurred can we paint with such a wide brush in confining everything into such questionably small strips? We act as if having character flaws or addictions or an abusive upbringing is a sufficient excuse for disobeying God's commands. As Christians, we are no longer helpless victims of our sin. There is no sinful habit or past hurt that is beyond the healing touch of our Lord.
This is not one of those feel-good blog post or happily encouraging. It is getting down to where the rubber hits the road blog. A pause in the midst of all that is happening or whatever it is we are facing or dealing with from our life blog.
Do you want to get well? That is always His question for us. Are you desiring to get well or do you desire rather wallow in self-pity? Continuing in your sin and the whole time the Lord is asking you “do you want to get well?” You may find this to be a difficult thought but it is so relevant in the world today and even in the Christian world in which we live and exist.
Have you gone year after year without receiving spiritual healing? God is capable of freeing you, but you may have become comfortable in your sin? You may not want to be healed. If you really want to receive spiritual health, God can give it today. He wants you to ask Him. What do you want?
A thought to ponder,
Elbert Nasworthy
