4 questions to ask before you start your journey to recovery.
“Do you want to be Well?” A simple question Jesus asked the paralyzed man lying in the pool of Bethesda. The miracles Jesus performed in the bible were undoubtedly the highlight of his ministry. However, I believe that it was more than Jesus taking away sickness, blindness, or casting out demons. The story of each of the people had led to their encounter with the messiah. We all have a testimony; everyone has moments where life can bring us down and paralyze us. One particular event where Jesus heals the paralyzed man in Jerusalem in John 5 always surprised me how Jesus performed this miracle.
If you read most of the miracles in the 4 gospels, we learn that when Jesus traveled with his disciples, most of his miracles came from people who were seeking him. The man with leprosy in Matthew 8, the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8, or even the centurion’s servant who was far away. The famous statement that Jesus would say to people after he healed them was “your faith has healed you” and “go and sin no more.” All those stories reflect Christ’s love for people, but going back to John 5, when Jesus meets the paralyzed man. He asks him if he wants to get well, and the man gives Jesus this extended answer; then, poof, Jesus heals and tells him to pick up his mat and walk.
Let’s zoom in on the story again and break it up piece by piece. Jerusalem was holy and sacred, and Jesus and his disciples were there celebrating the Jewish festivals. When they approached the pool of Bethesda, they found a crowd of disabled people, including a man on a mat who had been paralyzed for 38 years. He was next to the pool because there were certain myths about Bethesda. At certain times of the day, people believed that an angel would touch the pool and it would bubble up, and then a person who was disabled would jump into the pool. The first one to make it would be healed, and the paralyzed man would never be able to be that person to make it. This post will discover how our struggles can paralyze us from our misery. We all have something paralyzing us from joy, purpose, and sometimes even loving others or ourselves. We don’t realize that we are just one encounter away from finding our healing, but to see it, we have to ask 4 tough questions.
1. Who are you?
“In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, [b]paralyzed, [c]waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity of thirty-eight years.”
– John 5:3-5 NKJV
In my times of going through therapy and speaking life to others, one powerful question I have developed is “Who is ___ ?” and “What does God see in __?” Simple questions, but how they are answered ultimately determines where a person is at in life. If there is one thing the enemy wants to steal from you, it would be, without a doubt, your identity. This paralyzed man had a disability that kept him bound for nearly four decades. I don’t think anyone could process how long that was, but when you live with something for so long, it is inevitable to identify yourself with your condition.
Like this man, we can become paralyzed by something that occurred in our life, and maybe we have no control over that. It could be unexpected illnesses, something that happened to you when you were a child, or times when life was going ok; then something happened that left you feeling worthless. Maybe you were even born with a disability that made you different from others; no matter what, it’s how you identify yourself. When these events occur, we begin to believe lies from the enemy that no matter what is done, this is who I am, and nothing can change that. Some know that steps to freedom are possible, but that leads to the question: what needs to be done to become free?
2. Who is Held Accountable?
“The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
-John 5:7 NKJV
What would you say if Christ sat right next to you and asked if you wanted to be healed? The first thought would be yes, but would you give him a story on why you’re in your position? The paralyzed man immediately gave Jesus a rant about people in the temple not carrying him to the pool in time or others always making it before him. Someone had to be held accountable for the man not finding his healing, but he had no idea that the person capable of giving him the victory was right in front of him.
When we are trapped in painful situations, rather than betrayal from a friend or other uncontrolled events, we need someone else to fix the problem. How often do we say, “Well, they never apologized for what they did, so I’m still upset.”, “If my spouse can just be the person I envisioned them to be, our marriage will be better.”, “My pastor/leader is doing a terrible job; they are not helping out with my needs.” or “I am tired of being single; God, if you just send me someone who is attracted to me, I’ll feel better about myself.” The list goes on and on. We are paralyzed by the insecurity of our identity and think that the way we’ll find freedom is through the actions and decisions of others.
It seems easy to look at people involved in our situations and hold them accountable to some extent, right? Wrong! Newsflash, you are the only person responsible for your healing in the process. Yes, people may commit wrong actions in paralyzing events, but even when someone owns up to their mistakes, it’s up to you to find peace. Like this disabled man’s situation, the people willing to help him were not enough to find his miracle. We see a pool of Bethesda and believe that’s our ticket to freedom, and no matter how many people are involved, we continue to fall short.
3. Who is Jesus Christ to you?
“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.”
John 5:8 NIV
Some may not want to hear this, but we live in an unsurrendered generation. Many people attend church from all of the big and small churches in our country today and still live paralyzed in their sorrow. We are no longer in control of peace, contentment, or our deepest strongholds. As much as we look to other things to find peace and freedom, we may be so unaware that there is a God who sees your pain. Just like the setting of this story, we could be in a place where the glory of God may be but have no interaction with Jesus.
The problem today in our generation is the different approaches and opinions of Jesus. Going to church, listening to Christian music, and knowing about Christ is great, but what if he wants you to go deeper. If you’re still stuck in the same position you were in a year ago, ask yourself what is your approach toward christ? Is he just an inspiration, a magic genie, or someone who’s not taking your pain seriously and purposely ignoring you? Jesus wants to be the primary resource to your problems, and sometimes he’s just one encounter away from finding the path to our freedom.
4. Are you Moving Forward or Backwards?
“And so the Jewish leaders 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 it up and walk?” The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.”
John 5:10-13 NIV
The final question that no one asks is, are we moving forward in our struggles or moving back into the same pattern? After Jesus miraculously heals the paralyzed man by the pool of Bethesda, the first thing he tells him is, “Pick up your mat and walk.” Freedom is not only a choice; it’s a process, a lifestyle, and a commitment. When we are paralyzed in our identity and start to see progress, I think the only command Jesus is giving is to move forward; but what causes people to move backward?
In verses 10 through 12, we learn that the Pharisees saw the man who they identified as one of the disabled and shamed him for carrying his mat on the sabbath. What this represents is a clear indication of pleasing people. Moving forward is taking action and embracing change; most people who are not used to change will not support it. This paralyzed man was used to living in the temple, eager to find his healing thinking the religious ways of the Pharisees might be his ticket. Later if you read on, we learn that the man reunites with Jesus and tells him the same thing “Pick up your mat and walk.”
What ultimately keeps us drawn back into our struggles is caring about the opinion of others. Whether we are struggling with secret addictions or publicly losing our minds, the approval of man is what adds fuel to the fire. The thoughts of “what are people going to think of me when they find out I’m struggling with this.” Defines one thing, and that’s the term worldly sorrow. Worldly sorrow is the thoughts and motivation of freedom but unable to move forward due to the fear of man. Godly sorrow must come in having a fear of God and surrendering your troubles to him. What ultimately changed for the paralyzed beggar was having that close encounter with Jesus and opening his heart. Do not get me wrong; people can play a factor in walking with you on your journey, but they are not the solution.
Final Thoughts:
Depending how you’ve answered all these questions can determine if you have started your journey toward healing or not. Truth is healing from what disabled us doesn’t just happen overnight, and maybe what truly heals us is not the material things in life but just a simple encounter with the savior. This paralyzed man waited decades to find his miracle and probably would have stayed longer if he didn’t have that encounter with Jesus. What if you were one miracle away from overcoming what’s held you bound for so long?
Jesus sees your pain and knows exactly what’s going on inside. One thing he does not see when he sees you is all the times you failed and when people, especially the Devil, used those failures against you. He looks way past all your failures and looks to what you are so capable of accomplishing in your future. You are not the pain that has held you bound for so many years; it’s time to allow change to come into your life and take whatever has been paralyzing you and walk.