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When you stop to look around at the people who attend church with you on Sunday, what do you see?

"Getting Ready to be Healed"    March 14, 2010           Jack Keating

Text:  John 5:1-15        Lent IV      Cicero United Methodist Church

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When you stop to look around at the people who attend church with you on Sunday, what do you see? Do you see really impressive people, dressed in fine clothes who have it all together? Or do you see hurting people in need of comfort; troubled people in need of peace; sick people in need of healing?

A few years ago Marshall Hayden wrote an article entitled, "Would Every Non-Hurter Please Stand Up?" He pointed out that people come to church wearing their best clothes and their best smiles. Everybody looks happy, so we assume everything is OK. But he suggests that we need to look beyond the facade and realize that the pews are full of hurting people.

He wrote, "Over here is a family with an income of $550 a week and an outgo of $1,000. Over there is a family with two children who, according to their dad, are "failures". "You're stupid. You'll never do anything right," he is constantly telling them. The lady over there just found a tumor that tested positive. The Smith's little girl has a hole in her heart.

"Sam and Louise just had a nasty fight. Each is thinking of a divorce. Last Monday Jim learned that he was being laid off. Sarah has tried her best to cover the bruises that her drunken husband inflicted when he came home on Friday night. That teenager over there feels like he is on a rack, pulled in both directions. Parents and church pull one way and peers and glands pull the other.

"Then there are those of us with lesser hurts, but they don't seem to be so small to us: an unresponsive spouse, a boring job, a poor grade, a friend or parent who is unresponsive ... on and on the stories-go. The lonely, the dying, the discouraged, the exhausted, they're all here."

And in the face of that, the Word of God has good news! Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for] am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11: 28-30)

Now that is not to say that He will heal every problem immediately if we just have enough faith. Jesus clearly said that we will have trouble in this world. But He can resolve life's serious problems if we trust Him.

In some cases, He may resolve the problem immediately, even miraculously. In others, He grants us the power to endure the difficulty and triumph over it.

The healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, recorded in today's scripture reading, is a dramatic example of Jesus' wondrous power. Here was a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years. He had been a burden to people. He probably had a pretty damaged sense of self worth to say the least.  

But Jesus had pity on him and healed him. And it's one of the few times in scripture where Jesus is recorded healing someone when he was not asked to do so. Let's see how Jesus motivated this man to become a candidate for healing, because I think the same prerequisites are necessary for us today.

1. HE IDENTIFIED WHAT HE WANTED

First of all, Jesus encouraged the man to identify what he wanted. Verse 6 says, "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?'" That sounds like an absurd question to us. Of course this man wanted to get well! You wouldn't ask a starving man, "Do you want food?" would you?

But, it was a very valid question, for there are people who, if given the opportunity for healing, might actually choose to remain sick. Right now they're free of some unpleasant responsibilities and they get sympathy by complaining about their sickness. They can manipulate people by being sick, or punish themselves if they feel guilty.

Dave Reavor, a disabled Viet Nam vet, writes of a young man he knew in the 1960's who didn't want to be drafted. So he had all his teeth pulled out to make himself unfit for duty. But when he took his physical, he was declared unfit for duty .... due to his flat feet!

So when Jesus asked, "Do you want to get well?" He seems to be saying, "You have friends who bring you here and you've developed friendships with other who come here regularly. If I heal you, your life will do a complete reversal. You'll be expected to get a job and relate to people on a different basis. Are you ready for that change? Do you really want to get well?"

And I think that's a question we may need to answer, as well. What do you want? The first step to gaining something is to want it.

Zig Ziglar tells about looking into his mirror one day and deciding he needed to lose a lot of weight. He really wanted to get in shape. As an incentive, he put a picture of a thin man on the refrigerator door.

There are all kinds of gimmicks offered as motivators to dieting. You can purchase sound tracks now that laugh at you and call you "fatso" when you open the refrigerator door! But Ziglar wanted positive reinforcement, so he put a picture of what he wanted to look like on the refrigerator. That constant reminder was the first step toward a healthier body for him.

Drs. Minirth and Meyer have written a book about overcoming depression entitled, "Happiness is a Choice." They wrote, "As psychiatrists, we cringe whenever Christian patients use the words, 'I can't' and 'I've tried'. And good psychiatrist knows that 'I can't' and 'I've tried' are merely lame excuses. We insist that our patients stop saying 'can't' and say 'won't' instead."           "They need to see what they're really doing, so we make them face up to it by saying, 'I just won't get along with my wife.' 'My husband and I won't communicate.' 'I won't discipline my kids the way I should.' 'I won't find time to pray.' 'I won't stop gossiping.' When they change their "can'ts" into "won'ts" they stop avoiding the truth and start facing reality.

We need to determine what we really want and as God's people, learn to say with the apostle Paul, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

II HE QUIT BLAMING OTHER PEOPLE.

A second prerequisite for this man's healing was to quit blaming others for his problem.

There was a local belief that the waters of Bethesda had healing powers. Some Biblical manuscripts read that "An angel of the Lord came down and stirred the waters." Earlier manuscripts did not contain that explanation and many scholars believe the stirring of the water was from an underground spring that would occasionally experience extreme pressure. Whatever caused the disturbance, the people believed that when the waters of Bethesda bubbled up,
the first one into the water would be cured.

So when Jesus asked, "Do you want to get well?" the man replied, "Sir, 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)

He was complaining, "Every time the water bubbles up, no one is here to help me into the pool. It's always the stronger ones who reach the water first. It's a shame those of us who need it most get the least amount of help. It's been that way for 38 years."

Isn't it so easy to blame others for our problems? That has been man's scapegoat from the beginning.

When God asked Adam why he disobeyed, Adam explained, "The woman you gave me persuaded me to eat."

When Moses asked his brother Aaron why he permitted the Israelites to worship a golden calf, Aaron said, "The people pressured me to do something since you were long gone, Moses. They wanted gods like the Canaanites. I just threw their jewelry into the fire and out came the calf!" Blame the people, blame Moses for taking so long, blame the Canaanites, blame the fire even! But don't blame me!

When Pilate was forced to make a decision about Jesus, he said, "I wash my hands of this matter. Jesus is yours, do with him as you please. But I'm innocent of this whole matter."

People do the same thing today. Now how often do we hear people say things like, "I'd stop drinking if my wife would quit nagging me!" "I'd work harder, but no one appreciates my effort." "I'd make better grades, but my teacher doesn't like me."

I read that King William of Pottsdam once visited a prison in England. Every prisoner brought before him claimed to be innocent and pleaded for a pardon ... except one man who admitted his guilt. King William said to the warden, "Get this guilty man out of the prison before he corrupts all these innocent men!' And the man was set free.

We have such a difficult time saying, "I'm responsible." We blame heredity, environment, and
circumstances--- everything except ourselves. Yet what the Lord wants is for us to accept responsibility for our own behavior.

Romans 4:12 says, "Each of us will give an account of himself to God." Heredity and environment play a part in influencing us, but we can rise above that if we want to. Some of the world's greatest people had terrible pasts.  Some of the most privileged people wind up being complete failures.

Bob Russell, a pastor in Louisville Kentucky once wrote, "My father was the 17th of 18 children. His mother died when he was 4. His father had a drinking problem. He was juggled back and forth between his sister's homes. I see some permanent scars on his life from that upbringing. He doesn't have as much self-confidence as he should. But my father was one of the most gentle, faithful, generous, compassionate people I know. I've never heard him blame his parents or appear bitter about his circumstances. He's proof that you can rise above your past."

Maybe it's time to quit blaming mom and dad or an ex-spouse or a relative who abused you in some way and say with the old spiritual, "It's me, it's me, O Lord, standin' in the need of prayer. Not my brother, not my sister, but it's me, O lord, standin' in the need of prayer."

III.       HE STRETCHED BEYOND HIMSELF

Jesus also motivated the lame man to stretch beyond himself. Verse 8 says, "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."

Jesus frequently required a dedicated effort on the part of the person requesting healing. Not always, but often, He required a response of faith before He would heal.

He said to the ten lepers, "Go show yourself to the priests." And as they went they were healed. He said to the man with the withered hand, "Stretch forth your hand." When the man made the effort, his hand was healed. Jesus put clay on the eyes of a blind man and said, "Go wash in the pool of Siloam." When he washed, he could see.

Jesus said to the man, "Pick up your mat and walk." This was not a test of his faith in Jesus because the lame man didn't know who Jesus was. It was a test of his resolve and of his willingness to make an effort to help himself. Jesus asked the man to attempt the one thing that he hadn't done for 38 years. When the man made the effort, he was healed at once.

Notice these 4 characteristics about Christ's healing power. If you encounter someone who claims to have healing power today like that of Christ, measure his assertions against these Biblical truths.

1.         Jesus' healing power was instantaneous. It was never a gradual healing that took    place later.

2.         It was complete. You would expect someone who hadn't walked for 38 years to   have wobbly legs or to have to relearn to walk. But he picked up his mat and walked. He was completely cured.

3.         Jesus' miracles were undeniable. Skeptics couldn't say, "Nothing miraculous has     happened. It's all psychosomatic." His healings were usually very visible and undeniable.

4.         It was reliable. Jesus never failed to heal anyone who asked him.

But notice, in order for the man to be healed, he had to stretch beyond himself. If we want to get well, there must be effort.

One man told about a friend who had been in a wheelchair for 15 years. But his doctors say he could be walking today if he had made more of an effort in therapy when he was younger. Apparently, he didn't want to walk that much.

Contrast that to Tony Melendez, who plays the guitar with his toes! Born with no arms, Tony shares with audiences what Jesus Christ means to his life and then skillfully plays the guitar with his bare feet. He's incredible! Can you imagine the tremendous amount of effort, frustration, and determination it took to develop that skill?

Do you want to get well? How badly do you want it? Do you want it so intensely that you're willing to work long hours and endure pain? It may mean vigorous exercise and following a disciplined program. It may mean swallowing your pride.

It may mean getting up earlier to read the Bible or denying a golf game to attend a church function. It may mean that you quit wallowing in self-pity. It may mean saying "No" to a pleasure or terminating a tempting relationship.

If we really want to get well, we must make the effort. Proverbs 10:4 says, "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth."

IV.       HE GAVE CREDIT TO JESUS

After he was healed, the man was motivated to give testimony that Jesus had healed him. Verses 9-13 tell us, "The day on which this took place was a Sabbath and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, 'It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.' But he replied, 'The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'" So they asked him, 'who is this fellow who told you to pick up your mat and walk? The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there."

Notice that when Jesus healed he didn't make a big production of it. He didn't put up banners to draw attention to himself. He would say, "Don't tell anyone about this," or He would slip away into the crowd. God doesn't need a circus to heal. If He chooses to, it's usually without fanfare.

But Jesus came back to reveal himself to this man. He wanted him to have more than just a healthy body. He wanted the formerly lame man to be healthy spiritually as well.

Verse 14 says, "Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, 'See you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." Notice he was well "again". There had been a time when he could walk.

I wonder if there had been some disobedience in his younger years that had caused his lameness? Whatever the cause, Jesus warned him that there was something worse than being physically impaired and that was spending eternity apart from God.

And verse 15 says, "The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well." This sure seems to be a positive testimony. He's praising Jesus as the one responsible for his healing. When healing of some sort takes place in our lives, we ought to give God the glory. Psalm 72: 18 says, "Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel who alone does marvelous deeds."

When things go right in life, we're inclined to forget God's blessings and take credit ourselves. We say things like, "I worked hard", "I invested well", 'I take care of my body"; "I eat right and exercise", and on and on we go.

A woodpecker was packing away at a huge tree. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the tree and split it from bottom to top. The woodpecker flew off in a flash. Minutes later he returned with several other woodpeckers. Pointing to the tree, he said proudly, "There it is. Look what I did!"

Sometimes it seems we are so quick to take credit for what God is doing in our lives. But when we submit to Christ's authority and give Him glory, He gives us special power to achieve.

Do you see how wonderful Jesus was to this man? He saw the whole man, not just a fragment. He saw his possibilities, not just his handicap. He was concerned about his soul, not just his body. Jesus made him completely whole.

We are all handicapped by our sin. We can't heal ourselves. All the suggested cures of this world are futile. But the bloodstained hands of Jesus reached out to us. Isaiah wrote that "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by His wounds we are healed."

There is still healing power in the touch of Jesus. He is reaching out to you even now. Are you ready to be healed?            Amen.