Do You Want to be Healed?

Jesus was at the pool of Bethesda one day and started up a conversation with a man who talked about being crippled for 38 years. He explained to Jesus that every so often, an angel would stir the pool and the first person to get into the water was healed. Jesus asked the man a very interesting question. “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6 NIV)

Now why would Jesus ask that question? Obviously the man wanted to be healed, he had just told Jesus all about his physical ailments and how he spent his entire day waiting at the pool. It seems like a very illogical question on its surface, but there were lots of reasons why it was critical Jesus ask that question of that man -- and why God asks it of each one of us.

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 5:7 NIV)

The man’s response shows hope in his healing had dwindled down to almost nothing. He had no one who cared enough to be by his side to help him. We can often feel like the victim of a loveless world and get caught up in hating our weaknesses. At those times we need Jesus to ask this obvious question designed to challenge our ingrained monologue of hopelessness. 

This question shed light on the invalid’s despairing heart and gave him the opportunity to anchor to truth. Human beings equate love with actions. If someone loves me, then they will do things for me that feel loving. Instead, hope for healing and happiness must come out of our understanding of God’s heart for our full transformation. Changes in circumstances are temporary. Hope in God’s heart for us is always assured. Holding tight to this truth will change us for eternity. 

Is your hope in something or someone fading? Rather than narrowing your vision and demanding change happen in a specific way, I encourage you to ask God to expand your view. Lifting your eyes to heaven and genuinely asking to see through God's eyes allows us to not only gain a different perspective--but also draws us closer to His heart. Hope is found in a person. Healing comes by genuinely asking God if He loves you, separate and apart from your circumstances.

Excerpt From the Other Side of the Couch: A Biblical Counselor's Guide to Relational Living

Photo by Judy Lair in Jerusalem 2011