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Will You Be Made Whole?
John Chapter 5
Jesus was going up to
Jerusalem to observe the celebration of the Sabbath. He went in by the
sheep gate and came to the pool of Bethesda or what the Greeks called
Kolumbethia a swimming pool shaped like a
pentagon also meaning a
house of mercy or a public infirmary.
Jesus observes all the sick and diseased people
waiting by the pool for a sign that the
angel of God has come down to trouble the waters and bring healing to the
first person in the water. He sees a man lying beside the pool who has been lame
for 38 years. He asks him a very poignant question, “Will you be made whole?” At
first this seems like a ridiculous question…who in their right mind does not
want to be healed?” Yet in life we see so many times that help, change, and
healing is available to people and they are not willing to do what it takes to
receive their healing or achieve their goal. Many of us want to lose weight but
how many are willing to stay on a healthy restricted eating plan to do it? Many
of us want to have good relationships with others but how much compromise and
understanding are we willing to offer? We want a cheerful heart and life but are
we willing to alter our own thoughts and behavior to realized it?
I don’t know about you but I want everything to
be as easy and UN-stressful as possible for me. When changes need to be made I
much prefer for other people to accommodate me rather than vise versa. My mother
often said to us, “Always remember…the hard way is easy and the easy way is
hard.” It is really hard to stay on a diet and exercise program. It is a
challenge to eat healthy foods
and keep your weight down. But in the long run the benefits are a healthy life
with far less pain and physical suffering. It is really easy to eat
junk food that tastes so
good and lay on the couch flipping through the TV channels with the remote
control. But in the long run it leads to terrible disease that are painful and
life threatening.
It is really easy to be offended by people and
get fed up with all of their quirks and problems. It is much easier to walk away
and avoid the challenge of working through personal problems. It is really
difficult to build relationships in family and churches but in the long run it
is so comforting to have a sense of belonging and to know that there are people
who will be there for you and help you when the chips are down.
In the current political climate it is easy to go
with the flow and not speak out against behaviors in society that are wrong and
are in direct defiance of God’s commandments. But in the long run it leads to
death. James 4:4
It is difficult to take an unpopular stand
especially knowing that people we love may reject us for
speaking the truth, but in
the end this leads to eternal life and freedom. John 8:32
So this could be one reason that Jesus asked what
seemed to be such an obvious question. Perhaps Jesus wanted this man to think
about the fact that after 38 years of being sick he had not yet managed to be
the first one to slip into the water after the angel touched it. In my own life
when I encountered obstacle after obstacle to achieve healing and wholeness I
had to stop and ask myself, “Why?” The Lord was so gracious to show me how my
own fear and rebellion had stagnated my growth and joy in life. Time after time
I sensed the Lord dealing with me to change certain behavior or thinking
patterns and I would whine, “I can’t! Why should I be the one to change? I want
others to change and then I will be fine.” The truth was that if God said in his
word that I could change then that had to be the final answer. I needed to honor
his word and work toward the changes instead of acting like He would ask me to
do something I was not capable of doing. God is not a man that he would lie.
When God asks a question he is not ignorant of the answer. God asks us questions
to help us find answers.
All that God tells us or requires of us is for
our good. God is whole and happy and he does not need our help to remain so. God
has no ulterior motive when he gives us instructions, he is not an egomaniac he
is the definition of Love itself. Let’s abandon our own negative thinking and
embrace the joy and
truth of God’s word so that we can, “Be Made Whole.”
Hugs,
Anita
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
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