What do you want?

  Recently I heard a sermon series by Matt Chandler (the Village Church) and he was talking about the "I am" statements of Jesus in the book of John.  First of all I highly recommend checking those out.  They are on Youtube.  In this particular sermon Chandler mentions a story that I know I've read, but never gave much thought to.

    Jesus declares that he is the Messiah.  In John chapter 4 Jesus tells the woman at the well that he is the messiah.  Jesus meets this woman on his way to talk to the Pharisees.  The Pharisees were claiming Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John.  Not true, Jesus didn't baptize anyone.  So Jesus decides to go to Galilee to set them straight.  

    On his way there, he passes through Samaria and talks with the woman at the well, tells her everything she's ever done (Messiah stuff), then Jesus hangs out with the whole town, then he finally leaves for Galilee.  He gets to Galilee and there's an official with a sick son in Capernaum, Jesus heals him from Galilee (Messiah stuff).  So, Jesus is proving his statement to this woman over an over as he makes his way to the Pharisees.

    Then Jesus heads up to Jerusalem for a feast.  He goes my the healing pool of Bethesda and sees a man who has been lame for a very long time and Jesus heals him. (Messiah stuff).  All this Messiah stuff eventually makes the Pharisees angry with Jesus.  I mean really, Pharisees?  You can't just be happy that people are being healed?  Kind of messed up, but that's not the point I want to talk about.  I want to talk about this conversation that Jesus has with the lame man at the pool of Bethesda.

John 5:6-9

    "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?"

    "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.  While I          am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.  Then Jesus said to him, "Get up!  Pick          up your mat and walk."  At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked."

    

I have been struggling with getting healthy for a while now.  I used to pen another blog where I discussed my healthy living journey.  I lost 88 pounds and was in the best shape of my life.  That was about 9 years, two dogs, two homes, two jobs, and two children ago.  I keep looking at diet plans, exercise plans, and clothes I wish I could wear again.  I ask myself over and over again what the difference was between then and now.  You might be saying, "Well, moving, and home responsibilities, and pets and children take up a lot of time.  There isn't as much for meal prep, cooking healthy, or exercising."

Well those are true enough statements, but I seem to have enough time to read, and stream entire series on TV.  We make time for what's important to us.  We make effort for what matters.

So...if time isn't really the issue for my inability to follow through this time, what is it?

Jesus' question to the lame man gets to the heart of my issue.  Do you want to get well?  Do I want to get healthy?  Do I want to be fit and thinner?

Jesus asks the lame man if he wants to get well after Jesus learns that he has been lame for a long time.  Why does that matter?  Because sometimes when you have been a certain way for a long long time (like your whole life basically) it's hard to imagine who you would be otherwise.  Maybe being lame had become such a deeply ingrained part of who this man was that he may not have wanted to change even though he could see the need for it.  His uncertainty shows up in his answer to Jesus, or better yet his lack of answer to Jesus.  

 Jesus says, "Do you want to get healed?" and the man replies with why he hasn't been healed yet.  He gives Jesus a list of excuses for not being healed already.  That sounds so familiar to me.

        Jesus: Jamie, do you want to get healthy?

        Me: I have tried to eat well, but it's hard.  I have tried to exercise, but every time I do the kids need                me for something else.  I have no time.  I have no energy.

I just don't want to say to Jesus, I'm scared.  I'm scared that if I say yes I want to change, that I might fail.  I am terrified of not being good at something.  I don't want to try new things because, what if someone else is better at it than I am?   So instead of trying, I pretend that it doesn't matter.  

But, it does matter.  

Look what Jesus does.  He heals the man anyway.  He gives him what he doesn't know how to ask for.  Even though this man can't articulate that he wants to be well and that he's scared, Jesus shows up and does more Messiah stuff.  He tells the man to Get up!  

Here's the thing...the man could have kept lying there.  Even though Jesus gave him healing, the man could have said, "I don't know how to do anything different, so I'm just going to stay here."  Thank the Lord, he doesn't.  He picks up his mat and he walks away to tell everyone that will listen what Jesus has done for him.  When you get healing, don't stay in the old sickness.

What if Jesus has already made me healthy?  What if he's already healed me when I was unable to ask for it?  What if I just need to get up?

Friend, I don't know what you need to be healed from today.  I know my illness.  I'm accepting Jesus' healing today, and asking for your prayers as I try and walk out this new life.  Take some time to figure out what you need healing in today.  I will be praying for each of you as you read this.  When you have figured it out then go to the Word and when Jesus says, "Do you want to be healed?" get up and tell him yes!