Key scripture- “When Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed” (John 5:6)?

Have you ever wondered why Jesus said to the man that was paralyzed, “Do you want to be healed?” That doesn’t seem like the right thing to ask someone who has been “lying there” on his bed of pain for “a long time”, because the answer seems so obvious.

No matter what we think, we can be assured that what Jesus knows, not only about a crippled man in the first century but also about us, is always something we could stand to learn.

Pastor, James McDonald says that the setting for Jesus’ question in John 5 was a pool of some sort, most likely known for its therapeutic qualities. Best guess is that it was a hot springs which from time to time was “stirred up”(John 5:7), creating a massaging effect that felt good on stiff, unhealthy bodies. But the man that Jesus addressed in verse 6 was an invalid who, try as he might, was never able to work his way fast enough toward the waters when they began to bubble. “I have no one to put me into the pool when the waters are stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me” (John 5:7).

Perhaps when this man first found himself at that pool, he had high hopes that it would help him. Even by year five, maybe after a few close calls at beating the crowd into the water before it fell calm again, he was confident he’d figured out a better plan. Maybe next time. There was always a chance.

But by year twenty-five, whenever word began rippling back that the waters were stirring, do you think he even sat up on his elbows? Did he make the futile effort of rolling himself upright? I mean, why? What was the use? At what point do you think he finally said, You know what? I’m just not hoping anymore. I’m done.

Which is what makes Jesus’ question to him so awesome.

“Do you want to be healed?” Do you still want this?

We can all learn from Jesus’ all-wise example, and if you are in the middle of an ordeal that’s been going on for a long time, I want to ask you: Have you stopped praying? Are you just managing now? Are there things you’ve allowed into your life at this point—making exceptions, cutting corners—that you would never have tolerated in yourself, back when you were still sure of being used by God? Do you still care? Do you still love? Do you still long to see God move? Do you still hope?

Satan, who is a liar and deceiver, is trying to convince you that anything good or better in your life is already in your rearview mirror; that everything ahead is nothing more than a scaled-back version of Christian living. Those are lies from the pit of hell! Your hope and my hope is in Jesus Christ, because we are all headed toward an incredible future with Him, and since we’ve been promised such an amazing ending, how can we not remain in a perpetual state of expectation of hope while we are still here on earth? I believe like David, and you should too, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.(Psalm 27:13).

As God’s children, we are the ones who’ve put our hope in the Lord, even when it’s hard, even when it hurts, even when our circumstances are warring against our hope. We still get up, we still go on, and we never stop wanting what only He alone can give us. So wait on the Lord, be strong, with a stout heart, and whatever you do, don’t give up while you wait on the Lord.

Pray this -Our Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for continuing to ask me questions that You know are important for me to answer. Thank You for recognizing when my hopes are diminished and reminding me why, with You, there’s never a reason to give up. Help me walk into the coming day confident that You are able to move mightily in me and in my situation, and use me to lift the hopes of others who will call upon Your name. I am full of hope and joy because of the goodness of the Lord. Thank You Father, that Your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. My hope rests in You and only You. The joy of the Lord is my strength, and no matter what is going on around me and no matter how long it has been going on, I will never give up. Jesus, my answer to Your question is; Yes, Lord, I want to be healed by You. I love You. I want to be changed and become more like You. I want to take up my cross daily and follow You. Through the Mighty and Hopeful Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.