Do You Want To Get Well?

John 5:1-15

“Do you want to get well?”

It seems like a stupid question. Crowds of people lie around the pool, believing that when the water is stirred it has healing power.  Amidst the crowd of blind, sick and paralysed people waiting there, Jesus approaches one man and asks him this question.

“Do you want to get well?”

Well, obviously. That’s why he’s waiting there. The problem is he’s been ill for 38 years and he has no-one to help him into the water, so it seems impossible.  Someone else always gets there first… but nothing is impossible with God.

Interestingly the man doesn’t answer the question. But Jesus knows his heart, so he gives an instruction:

“Stand up, pick up your mat and walk.”

The man is asked to answer the question by taking action, to show he has faith and to prove that he wants it. And as he does, healing comes!

“Do you want to get well?”

Not a stupid question really. Because if we really want it, we have to be willing to do what it takes, to have faith that it is possible, to believe that Jesus can do it, to put up with objections from people who might not understand- like the religious leaders, who are more concerned with criticising the man for “working” on the Sabbath by carrying his mat, than in rejoicing in the fact that he is able to walk.

I know from my own experience that answering yes to the question “Do you want to get well?” comes at a cost.

It is risky and it is scary.  Getting well means dealing with the source of the pain or disease, whether physical or emotional.  It may mean facing up to truths we would rather not acknowledge.

The healing process itself can be painful.  In the short term sometimes the pain of healing can be worse than the pain of living with the status quo.

And then there are the questions: What if it doesn’t work out as we hope?  Will God really heal me?  What if the healing we long for doesn’t come?

It means stepping into something new and, no matter how much we long for things to change, that can feel scary.

It is worth it though. It is the only way to fulfil our potential and walk in the healing God offers.

Healing is a tricky subject- we can’t always understand God’s work in a situation, or why he heals or doesn’t heal.

And sometimes the healing doesn’t come all at once.  Sometimes it’s a process.  Sometimes we have to stop and consider whether we’re still willing and answer the question all over again:

“Do you want to get well?”

This is part 2 of a series reflecting on questions Jesus asked.  You can read the introduction to the series and explore the question “What do you want me to do for you?” here.