A "Lame" Ministry (2)

In 1989, on an otherwise normal day, Mrs. Fletcher did as she had always done for so many years walked herself into the bathroom to handle her business. Somehow, sometime, between entering and exiting, Mrs. Fletcher fell down. Why did she fall? We don’t know. Was she elderly and begin to grow weaker? Was she disabled and took a misstep? Was she negligent and didn’t pay attention? We don’t know. What we do know is that Mrs. Fletcher had paid for Life-call. She then goes on to say the words that have become so ever popular in our culture, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”. (Preach)

1. Jesus Sees your Stagnated Situation

Please note church that Jesus is not oblivious to your situations or needs. Jesus is well aware of you even when you are unaware of him. We meet this man by at the poolside and he has been in this condition for 38 years. That’s a long time to be ill. That’s a long time to be anything. But there he is and he is at the pool hoping to get better. What messed me up in the text is that he has been this way for 38 years. It raises the issue of theodicy that begs the question “why”. Why did you allow this to happen? Why for so long? (elaborate)

Then I realized that he waited for this man to run out of excuses.

2. Jesus heals the Sickness

He tells the man to get up. Now this man is no paralyzed, he is feeble, or invalid. He can walk, he can get up, and he can carry his mat. How do we know? Well, he has told Jesus that is cut in line every time he tries to make it down. So, we know he has mobility. There is something then, peculiar about the Words of Jesus. He tells him to do what he could already do, but this time with the healing power of the words of Jesus he is now able to carry on in life better and more efficient than before. Jesus doesn’t always have to replace what has been lost, suggesting he can work with what we already have. He can also fix what has been broken, He can repair what has been damaged, He can quicken what has been decayed, He can expedite what’s been delayed, he can stitch what’s been torn, he can restore what has been demolished, and develop what’s been dilapidated. (Is there anybody here…)

Now, the man can carry what’s been carrying him.

3. Jesus Seeks to secure salvation

Jesus seeks out the man. The implication is that the finding of the man was intentional. It wasn’t that Jesus happen to be there and they bumped into each other. Jesus wasn’t finished with the healing.

· Found him in the Temple-he went to church.

· Now that you are well-Shalem, hugiés now that you have seen what I can do.

· Sin no more-don’t return to where you came from.

· Worse can happen-judgment.

Then he snitches! Dang bruh....why’d you snitch?