What Do You Want?

Most of us do not like people telling us what to do. We kind of rail against it. However, when we are at work, there is always someone telling us what to do. Even the self-employed, while they may be the boss has someone telling them what to do, the customer. Most people want to be their own boss, that is why they get married.

We often take that same thought process into our Christian lives. We want to be boss. Yes, we want to go to heaven, and we want the good life that Christ can bring, but we want it on our terms. We want to be calling the shots. When we want an answer to prayer, we expect it right now. When we want everything to be smooth, we expect it right now. We struggle when we do not have control. God put that in to each of us, it is called free will.

God will never cross the line of free will, he never will. He will never impose his desire or will upon us. He will never make us do anything we do not want to do. For some, they find relief in that so they can still be in control. But here's the thing, if God is not in control of your life and you are, who are you really serving? Who is it that is really calling the shots? We can't have it both ways. We may want to, but we can't.

This goes for every area of our lives. This goes from the smallest item to the largest. This goes from our deciding the moment we get up, to the moment we lay down our heads. We are called to make a choice, surrender our lives or keep control. The man in this passage today had to make that choice. would he choose appropriately or not.

In your Bibles, find . It's the fourth book of the NT. Go to chapter 5 and if you are able, stand with me as we read starting with verse 1.

Jesus has been in Cana of Galilee teaching, healing and spreading the Good News. He has had an official come to him begging him to go to his home and heal his sick child. The official knows the power of Jesus, for he has seen it in action and has the faith that if Jesus would just go to his house, it would be okay. He knows if Jesus will just touch his son, all would be well. We know that male children of that day were important to the family for the continuation of the name. Plus they can help in the fields.

This is not a sexist thing, it is a cultural thing. Not saying it was right, just saying that is what they did back then and the way they thought.

Anyway, the official knew that if Jesus would just come, his son would be well. And yet all Jesus did was speak it and it happened. The official made note of the time and when he got to the house, those in the household confirmed when Jesus said it, it took place. The official and his household believed.

Just a little side note. This is one incident among several where it was reported that when the father got saved, the rest of the family would follow suit. That is still true today. When the father takes the lead, I think it is 90 some percent of the time, the rest of the family follows. It is vitally important that the father take the lead of spiritual head of the house. It is biblically proven and it is proven today. It makes all the difference in the world.

After the healing of the son of the official, Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem to a feast. We are not told which one because the specific feast is not what is important. Just some historical information. There were three feast a Jew should attend and one they must attend. Then there were several of the smaller, less significant in the eyes of the Jewish leaders that were not required, but if you were near Jerusalem, you could attend.

While this could have been one of the three or one of the several smaller ones, again is not important. What Jesus is showing us is that when the doors of the church are open, you should be there. No, there was an opportunity for Jesus to reach a larger group so he headed to Jerusalem to encounter a man who needed him.

As one would do coming down from the north, they could come through the sheep gate. As most of you may know, the sheep gate got its name because that is where they brought the sheep in for the sacrifice. Outside this door and down the hill a little were two pools. These pools were popular hangouts for guests. It would be like the public swimming pools they used to have.

We would go each year to the pool where many would gather and that was the place to cool off because in the 60's, early 70's air conditioning in middle class houses was more a rarity than not. that is the place I learned to watch where I was going and that columns did not get out of the way. It was also the place I learned how to dive off the high dive.

You talk about being scared. This thing had to be 50' feet in the air. Actually I think it was only about 15' but it seemed higher. It took forever to climb the steps and looking down, the pool looked tiny. Several in the swim class chickened out after looking down. I thought, no guts, no glory and jumped. I did not dive, I jumped. And it took forever to reach the water. Then I thought I would go through the bottom of the pool I was falling so fast. I followed my bubbles to the surface and climbed out of the pool to do it all over again. I had conquered the high dive.

The pool of Bethesda was that kind of public pool. The interesting thing about these two pools is that one was spring fed and it fed the other. The spring fed pool, and when they were excavating around, they found it and it was not some shallow pool. It was many feet deep. Some estimates said close to 75 feet deep. It was deep.

Some have even concluded that while it was spring fed, it may have also been like a hot spring where people could have their aches and pains dealt with. But for the longest time, this was the pool of the town until someone started a rumor that the pool had healing powers. That God would send an angel down and stir the water and when the waters stirred, the first one in was healed.

The pool went from the family friendly pool to the pool of the infirmed, the pool of the sick. Each person wanted to be close to the edge because they wanted to be first in. and so, as they would come, they would fill every spot they could and wait for their turn to have a chance at the stirring.

No one knew when that would be so it is possible that many of their marked their spot and would be in their spot every day. Someone in the family would make sure they got there and then they were on their own. So, picture with me if you would, a pool about 315 ft long and about 180 feet wide, divided in two. And all along the edges of the pool and up to the colonnades were people who had been there for long periods of time. The blind, the lame and the paralyzed.

There would be moaning and writhing. There would be an assault on your sense of smell. It would be a very challenging site. And yet, Jesus decides to enter Jerusalem through the sheep gate and goes into the pool area. Upon entering, he sees the mass of humanity hurting and in need of help.

If you were Jesus, would you just wave your hand over them all and heal them all? Would you look to see if anyone recognized you and go to them? what would you do.

Probably outside the pool, in the safety of the city, the Pharisees and priests took refuge. Afterall, they couldn't touch those people because they might be unclean and then they would have to go through the ceremonial cleansing time and they might miss something.

They did not want to be bothered by those who probably would be ungrateful and would tithe anyway. They may not have wanted to be bothered with them because they may have created their own issues, let them figure it out. We don't know why there are no reports of the spiritual leaders doing anything for them. we just know there isn't.

But Jesus comes along and enters the pool area in the midst of this suffering and spies one person out of all of them to go to. He goes to a guy who has been an invalid for 38 years. Most likely for many of those years, he could be found begging at the temple gate or the gate of the city. After that many years, he probably knew the best places to go and be to get the most sympathy and the most money.

Once word got out that there was healing in the waters, he may have had his family move him to the pool and then he could wait his turn and get healed. We don't know if any healings ever took place, but what we do know is, word got around that it happened and that gave hope to many.

Jesus comes to this man, sees him lying on his bed, and asks him a question. For us, we think this is one of those Duh! Questions. We may read the obvious answer into the question. But let's not jump too far ahead of ourselves. Look at the question. Do you want to be healed? What the man heard was do you want to be whole again? Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to be sound? Do you want to feel alive again? Do you want to go back to being a contributing member of society? Do you want to leave this place once and for all?

The question Jesus poses is a question the man has to really consider. No more laying around having people wait on you. He was going to have to pitch in. he was going to have to make something of himself.

Sometimes it is easier to wallow in our infirmity than to get out of it. This man had to make a decision. It is something he had to make. Jesus would not make it for him. His family could not make it for him. His past could not make it for him. He had to come to the conclusion by himself. He had to decide which was more important, staying in the state he was in, or letting Jesus make him better.

You see, yes, Jesus could have healed him without even showing up. He did it earlier. Jesus could have just walked by him and let his shadow do the work. but Jesus does not work that way. Jesus does not step outside the boundary of our free will. He will not do something we have not given him permission to do. Jesus want to know, do you want to be made whole?

And the man, leaning on his understanding of the healing power of the waters and not knowing who Jesus is, shows his faith. "If someone would help him into the water when it is stirred, he could be healed. If someone would just give me some assistance, it would be alright, but before I can get some help, someone gets in first."

Hearing the man's permission, Jesus give him three direct commands. Get up, pick up, step up. Get up, pick up, and step up. Upon hearing those commands, the man has a decision to make. His legs had filled out. The muscle and ligaments had solidified. He could feel the changes in his legs and he had to make a decision. Was he going to get up, pick up and step up, or would he stay put?

The Bible says he did exactly what Jesus told him. He got up, picked up his bed, and he step up on out of that place.

A couple of more things to catch here. By him getting up, he trusted his legs would work. by him picking up his bed, he was saying he did not need that spot anymore, he was healed. And by him stepping up, he was stating that he wanted to get back to the life he had before his infirmity made him an invalid.

No more did he need the bed at the pool. no longer did he need a spot reserved for him. No longer was he at the mercy of someone to get him there or to get him into the pool. He had been put back to the original state God had intended.

So, here we are. Some of you today feel like the man at the pool. Your life is not what you thought it would be, nor is it what God intended it to be. You lay around moaning and wishing someone would come by and help you into the pool. There has been a rumor if you just do this or that, you will be better. And so far, that has not happened.

Maybe it feels like it has been a lifetime since you felt any hope. Maybe there have been church people who watch you from a distance and have kept you at arms-length. Maybe church people have even said, "He got himself in that position, let him get himself out."

Today, Jesus has come to the pool. He could do other things, but you are important to him. He has come to your side and has said to you, "Do you want to be whole?" and he is waiting for your answer. He will not step outside the boundary of your free will. He will not force himself on you.

If you want to be made whole, changes will have to be made. You will have to get up, pick up, and step up. You will have to get up out of the place you are. You will have to let him bring healing to your body and then you will have pick up that crutch you have been holding onto and no longer let it control you. You will have to give up your place at the pool of misery and step up into the light that he has provided.

But it all starts with you. Jesus wants to do it, do you want to be made whole? Jesus wants to give you the tools to become who you were designed to be, but it has to be your decision. Do you want to continue in your state of dependence on others, or are you ready for a new life in Jesus? Your choice. Get up, pick up, and step up.