Do you want to be healed?

Do you want to be healed? (John 5:6)

What a strange question put forth to a man who had a disability for 38 years languishing at the Sheep Gate, near a pool called in Hebrew Bethzatha with five porticoes. The pool promised to heal the first invalid who got in when an angel stirred the water. The stirring was not a frequent happening which meant that this man must have tried to get in several times, but since he was at the mercy of people, he couldn’t make it into the pool on time.

Imagine how he must have been feeling lying there helplessly awaiting his turn, and then he’s asked, “Do you want to get healed?”

Why did Jesus ask him this question? Did He not know of his plight?

Of course, He did. He was there ready to work on him, reward the man’s persistence. But He knew His patient carried a load inside that needed to come out for his body to heal. The man began telling Jesus all the reasons why he was unable to get healed and was so into his self-pity that he almost missed out on what was waiting for him.

Jesus then said: “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk”.

The man got up, picked up his mat, and walked.

In each of us, there is a tiny mustard seed of faith that can turn into a large tree, the branches of which provide shelter. However, if we do not take care of this seed, it can die, and with it, the person. This man might have been physically disabled, but his mind was fertile, fertile enough to understand what Jesus was asking him: “Do you want to get healed?” (Do you have what it takes for Me to work on you?)

Our answer will determine the outcome.