Day 25 – Pool of Bethesda: Do You Want to Get Well?

“When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

Is this not a strange question?

Surely, he wants to be made whole (healed). Or maybe not.

Jesus had come to Jerusalem during one of the yearly feasts. Thousands of pilgrims came from throughout Israel. While He was there, He paid a visit to a place called Bethesda, “the house of mercy.” It was a pool near the Sheep Gate in the northeastern section of the city. Five colonnades (or porches) were built by the pool. As one writer puts it, it was the Jewish Lourdes of that day. The Jews believed an angel would periodically come and stir the waters. The first person to enter the water after it had been stirred would be healed of his disease.

So, hundreds of sick people gathered around the pool waiting and hoping for the water to be stirred. When Jesus passed by, He met a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. When He found out how long the man had been paralyzed, he asked only one question, “Do you want to be well?”

At face value it seems to be a strange question. For what other reason would the man be there? Of course he wanted to be well. Was Jesus insulting his intelligence? No, not at all. He was asking a very serious question. He was asking because it was entirely possible the man did not want to get well.

Change is scary. Sometimes it is easier to stay the way you are.

It has been said that everyone wants progress. No one wants change.

Change is hard even when we know we need to change. We get used to be dysfunctional and we cannot imagine life any other way.

Jesus is saying, “Do you really want to be changed?” If the answer is yes, then miracles can happen. If the answer is no, even Jesus cannot help you.

I Thank you, Lord, for being the Divine Disturber of Peace. Thank You for not leaving us as we are. We pray for courage to be changed by the Holy Spirit. For too long we have made excuses for the way we are. We want to get well. Heal us, O, Lord. Amen.