DO YOU WANT THIS?
John 5:6 NKJV
6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
Jesus was well known for asking questions that, on the surface, appeared to be quite obvious. But remember that Jesus did not operate on the surface. He was able to discern the situation, and so His questions were entirely appropriate.
In our chapter for today, Jesus engaged a man who had been sick for 38 years. The man was camping out by the pool of Bethesda. This was a pool of water that an angel would occasionally stir up. When an angel stirred the water, the first one in the pool was healed. It seems like a fantasyland story, but with God, all things are possible. God wanted an avenue to heal people and until Jesus showed up, the pool at Bethesda was the best thing going.
Jesus knew by the Holy Spirit that this particular man had been sick for a long time. But instead of assuming that the man wanted healing, Jesus asked him. On the surface, it’s almost an offensive question. He was asking a sick man who had been in that condition for 38 years if he wanted to be well. But Jesus operated with motives that were pure. Jesus wanted to know what this man wanted before simply healing him. But doesn’t everyone want to be well? According to Jesus, the answer is no.
The man’s answer in verse seven sounds as if he is trying to explain why he was not healed. He was not fast enough to get in first when the water was stirred. The man wanted to be healed, but he did not have the means to make it happen.
Jesus heals the man and then leaves the area around the pool. It was the Sabbath, and the newly healed man caught the attention of the Pharisees because he was carrying his bed. When questioned, the man had no idea who Jesus was, only that Jesus was the one who told him to take up his bed and walk away. An interesting side note is the Pharisees completely skipped the fact that this man was healed. They were more concerned with finding out who broke the Sabbath. Religion can be a callous thing.
APPLICATION
Asking people if they want to be made well is still a legitimate question today. One of the questions Joy and I have learned to ask to someone who is sick is what do you want? We have had people look at us and declare, out of earshot from their relatives, that they were tired and wanted to go home to heaven. One of my aunts was sick and specifically made Joy promise not to pray for her. She was ready to go and tired of fighting.
When praying with and for people, it’s important to ask what they want in a situation. If they do not want to be made well, there is not much wisdom in praying for their healing. We believe in healing. All my family, all my children, Joy, and I have all been healed. But if someone does not want healing, there is no need to try to push things off on them.
On several occasions, I have gone to pray for church members and asked them or asked family members what they wanted. Often, the answer was that they wanted to go home, and so that’s how I prayed.
The Lord is gracious and does not push anything off on us that we don’t want. This is why opening our heart and life to Him is so important.