John 5:1-9

Easter 6 | 22.05.2022 | John 5:1-9 | Evan McClanahan |

“Do you want to be made well?” It’s a serious question, and one with lasting meaning. Yes, it was intended for the man who had laid by the side of a healing pool for 38 years. But it is question for us, too. For being made well, like many other things in life, brings with it a mixture of good news and bad, of benefit and cost.

No doubt, after 38 years, this man had been habituated to his lifestyle, as horrible as it sounds to us. Truly, nothing could be worse than suffering for so long with a disease, and becoming hopeless at the prospect of healing. He did not even have daytime TV to keep him occupied while he lay by the pool! Can you imagine laying around all day with no soap operas, talk shows, game shows, or small claims court? The indignity of it all! 

But it is not unfair to at least wonder if this had become the best version of this man’s life. He hoped for nothing better, strove for nothing better, asked for nothing more. He was brought in and out each day on the mat he always had with him, he did no work, and he was prepared to die unable to walk. One can rightfully wonder if he was even fighting anymore. Perhaps, in the abstract, he wanted things to be better, for his health to improve, for his life to resemble the youth that was now a very faded memory. 

But did he really want it? For once he was healed, he would bear responsibilities. He would be an elder man in his community, expected to fulfill such duties. He would have to work and a 38-year pattern would come to an end. That would practically be an event worthy of grieving, for even if less-than-ideal, it was the less-than-ideal that he knew. 

Living in a big city, we come face-to-face with people who live on the streets us. Many have slowly acclimated to life in tents, begging for money, getting fed at a variety of charities, etc. It is not – or should not be – controversial to acknowledge that many who live on the streets are in poor heath, either as the result of addiction, mental illness, or perhaps a combination of the two. It would be a legitimate question to ask them, “Do you want to be made whole?” Many would say yes, but some, if confronted with the demands of change, would say, “No.” They have the life that they want, and the improvement is not worth the price that will be paid, the price of hospitalization, sobriety, a loss of independence, the expectation to work, etc. Please understand I am not trying to pick on anyone, and the reasons for homelessness are quite varied. I am only saying that there are those who do not want what we want for them, which is to be healed. So, Jesus’ question is valid, even if it may strike us as tough or even cruel.

While we may not be homeless, we all have a way of living that we hope will not be challenged. We have some form of sickness that we don’t want to heal, for it will require change. It will require an increase in responsibility. It will require an end to excuses. It will require that we take care of ourselves and keep our commitments. It will require us to be more thoughtful when we use words like “want.” Essentially, Jesus is asking the man, “When you say you ‘want’ to be healed, do you want everything else that comes with it? Or do you just have an abstract desire of healing without any of the attendant responsibilities?” 

For example, I want to be more fit. I want to be able to bench press 200 pounds and run for an hour straight. I mean, in the abstract, that sounds really good. If I could snap my fingers and make it happen, great! But do I want it enough to sacrifice for it? Do I want it enough to go to the gym, embarrass myself in front of ripped dudes, suffer the indignity of being out of breath after two minutes of jogging? Do I want to change my diet? Well, no, I don’t want it that bad. 

I want to see changes in our city and county. You know, better schools, lower taxes, some semblance of crime prevention. You may want those or other things in your city or county or state or country, too. So, what am I doing about that desire? It’s one thing to want it and hope someone else provides it; it is something else to want it enough to do something about it. Those two “wants” are not the same. 

And I want Christ to the be the Lord of my life. For I know that only in Christ do I have access to God. Only in Christ can I have the peace of being a forgiven sinner. Only in Christ can I even understand my own existence. Only in Christ can I be wholly and truly and fully loved, and can I have the strength to obey God. But do I want all of that enough to live as though it were my reality? For when Christ calls us, he calls us to follow him all the way to the cross. Again, those two wants are not the same. 

I want the whole world to know Christ, for I know that in knowing Christ, the world will be more peaceful, more joyful, more fair, more loving, more just, and more hopeful. I know that if the whole world knew Christ, there would be less warfare, no addiction, no corruption, no wicked cults harming children, and on and on. But me “wanting” that doesn’t make it happen. I actually – we actually – have to do something about it. Not as a matter of salvation, of course! That comes via grace. No, I am not talking here about earning your way into heaven. 

But if we expect our wants and our reality to align in this life, we would be fools to expect that it would just happen. In our little spheres of influence, we have to pass on our traditions to the next generation and to everyone we know with ears to hear. Paul says, “Blessed are the feet of those who bring good news.” Yes, blessed because those are the people who want the world to know Christ and want it enough to bring that good news to others. 

Here is the wonderful thing about Jesus: if we say we want to be healed, he will heal us. No, perhaps not every infirmary this side of heaven. But every infirmity by the time we get to heaven, and we can be healed of our sin right here and right now. In fact, if we trust in Jesus, we are healed of our sin right here and now. You heard those words already his morning. 

And for that healing, we really and truly do nothing, just as this man did nothing to be healed of his infirmity. Forgiveness and everlasting life really are the gift of faith, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The only work we must do so that the want and reality of salvation are aligned is to humble ourselves before a loving God. Jesus says elsewhere, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Such a death is not easy. It is not fun. But it is essential. You must die to yourself if you really and truly want Jesus to save you. If you want such healing only in the abstract, then carry on. Go back to the pool every day for the next 38 years. Only don’t complain when your life, your church, your community, and your family fall into or remain in shambles. 

But if you want to be healed, Jesus will heal you. He will heal your relationships, your sin, your shame, and your eternal destiny. He will say to you, “Get up and walk.” If you let him. Will you? Amen.

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Pastor Evan McClanahan