There are a lot of people entangled by sin – especially the sin of lust, pornography, masturbation, sexual immorality, and all kinds of impurity. This is what is true in our world today. These are addictive and habitual sins.
This entry has been inspired by Max Lucado’s book “A Love Worth Giving.”
“Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 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.” – John 5:1-7
We are all afflicted with a disease called sin. Because of sin, our Spirit-filled nature has been trapped in a fleshly one – which has its own sets of desires, wants and temptations.
Most of the time, it is devastating when the consequences of our sins catch up with us. We don’t want the consequences of sin. We hate punishment and abhor judgment. We don’t want to be sick.
But do we want to get well?
Breaking Bones
It’s like enjoying the thrill of sky diving without parachutes. The adrenaline is great. The thrill is ever so exciting! Diving without a parachute can be the best experience an adrenaline junkie can ever get. But what happens when the consequence of sky diving without a parachute takes its toll? The consequence can lead to death.
We want the thrill. We want the excitement. We don’t want the consequence. We don’t want to get sick.
But do we want to get well?
“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?” – John 5:6
Jesus asked the invalid for thirty-eight years if he wanted to get well. Isn’t it common sense that the invalid wanted to? But he didn’t answer a resounding ‘yes’ did he? He made an excuse. A valid one too in his point of view. He’s an invalid. Chances are, he’s not that fast to race to the pool.
And oftentimes we make excuses like this to our God. “It must be my sex-drive. I’m a youth bursting with hormones for crying out loud!”, “I’m a man. I have my needs.”, “I can’t help it. I was born this way.”, And so on and so forth.
The truth is, we are already sick. With a scorchingly deadly sickness.
Let’s face it
Not everyone wants to get well. Some people still want to wallow in the mud. Embracing their own sin and nursing it to attain the thrills and lying or fleeing to avoid the consequences. We were not made to be sick. We were made in the image and likeness of God. We were made to shine His strength, wisdom, grace, glory, power, authority, mystery, majesty, and more!
Jesus asked the invalid if he wanted to get well because ‘wanting’ is a powerful trigger of choice. It is desire. It is hope. It is to aspire. To want is to choose. Putting his faith in Christ and not in the pool.
Why not a Resounding ‘YES’ ?
Oftentimes, we are clinging so tightly to our little sickness that we don’t want to get well. We are hooked on the little pleasures that this sickness is giving us that we make all sorts of excuses.
We are afraid that our sickness that brings us jerks of momentary pleasure will be taken away. We don’t want a changed life. We don’t want to surrender our affliction. We make it a little idol – a self inflicted idol. Oftentimes, we put that idol above a full life for God.
We don’t know what we are missing.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10
Christ wants to heal us. He wants us to have life and have it to the full. The first step to getting well is WANTING IT!
Do you want to get well?
