Lesson 5

Jesus Heals

"When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?'

Read John Chapter 5

If you have been reading & studying every day now, you should be getting a picture of who Jesus is. At the beginning of John 5 Jesus comes across a man who had been an invalid for 35 years. Before that it describes the type of invalids that came to the pool, blind, lame & paralyzed. It sounds like this man falls into the lame or paralyzed category. What must it have been like for this man growing up, to stay inside when all the kids are out playing, to be the odd one out, to not be picked for sports and at some point not to go on and get a job, and all the emotional ups and downs that go with it. Resigned that this is your life, lying by a pool all day.

A number of years ago I was visiting a young man in hospital on Roosevelt Island, NY. He came from overseas and was staying in New York and whilst in the city he had been assaulted and mugged. When the paramedics came to attend to him they found that they couldn't stop the bleeding because his blood didn't have coagulant in it. He became paralyzed from the waist down and became an ongoing patient for about 2 years when I met him. The hospital was massive, with endless corridors and floors in every direction filled with male & female paraplegics & quadriplegics, it was incredibly depressing. So imagine what it must be like to be in a ward for 35 years and Jesus walks in.

It was a simple question Jesus asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

The man's response was interesting, I would have thought he would say, "Duh, YES of course I do!!!" But he didn't, he just gave the facts that somebody always went ahead of him. Is it an excuse? I've heard sermons on it that this man was an "excuse maker." Now, not only is he an invalid but he's been branded with a belittling title. Jesus doesn't do that. He doesn't put us down, doesn't belittle us or ridicule us for our weaknesses, instead he gives us compassion and hope. "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."

Can you imagine the man's response, his excitement. I can see him doing an Irish Jig all throughout Jerusalem. All because he came face to face with Jesus.

What about you? Maybe you're not an invalid physically, but maybe you have thoughts or emotions that cripple you just the same, like fear, worry or anxiety. "You're not good enough, you'll never amount to anything, you'll never be as good as so and so." Tapes and broken records that keep playing over and over in your mind. This is your time to come face to face with Jesus.

Some questions to ask.

1: How long did it take for this man to be healed?

2: Was it the pool or was it Jesus that healed him?

3: If Jesus can heal an invalid, what changes do you think He can make in your life?

Start Praying and asking Jesus for help.