There was a place where many invalids gathered hoping to be healed. From time to time the waters in the pool would start turning and they believed that if they got into the water they would be healed. Presumably there was some evidence of this having worked on occasion, as a lot of people fathered there.
One man was there who had been lame for thirty eight years. Jesus singled out this man. He chose this man because He knew the man had been ill for a long time. It is not clear why He did not chose anyone else, though maybe most of the others had far less serious problems.
"Do you want to be made well?" has been viewed by some as a psychological question, ie did the man really want to be healed, or was he actually more comfortable in his current condition. There is no need to read it in this way, it seems better to read it as Jesus offering him the opportunity to be made well.
Although the man came to the pool hoping to be healed, he also seemed resigned to not being healed as he could not get into the pool. He was in a catch-22 situation.
Jesus had a much better solution. He simply commanded him to get up and walk, the man was healed and he got up and walked.
Often we can consider something impossible (in this case getting healed) because we are focussed on it only working out in one particular way, and that way is impossible. However, Jesus may have a completely different solution. We need to listen to Him without preconceptions about how He will answer. How often do we pray to God and tell Him how he should solve the problem. God is clever enough to work out how to solve the problem, He does not need us to tell Him how to do it.
When Jesus commanded the man to walk, it was impossible for him to do so. It only became possible after Jesus had issued the command.
One man was there who had been lame for thirty eight years. Jesus singled out this man. He chose this man because He knew the man had been ill for a long time. It is not clear why He did not chose anyone else, though maybe most of the others had far less serious problems.
"Do you want to be made well?" has been viewed by some as a psychological question, ie did the man really want to be healed, or was he actually more comfortable in his current condition. There is no need to read it in this way, it seems better to read it as Jesus offering him the opportunity to be made well.
Although the man came to the pool hoping to be healed, he also seemed resigned to not being healed as he could not get into the pool. He was in a catch-22 situation.
Jesus had a much better solution. He simply commanded him to get up and walk, the man was healed and he got up and walked.
Often we can consider something impossible (in this case getting healed) because we are focussed on it only working out in one particular way, and that way is impossible. However, Jesus may have a completely different solution. We need to listen to Him without preconceptions about how He will answer. How often do we pray to God and tell Him how he should solve the problem. God is clever enough to work out how to solve the problem, He does not need us to tell Him how to do it.
When Jesus commanded the man to walk, it was impossible for him to do so. It only became possible after Jesus had issued the command.
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