Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?
John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, “Wilt thou be made whole?”
Jesus came upon this man who sat there waiting for a healing for 38 years! In verse 7 the man gives excuses for not being healed. In verse 8 Jesus gives a command to “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.”
Are you waiting for a healing and coming up with excuses as to why it’s not happening for you? Are you seeking Him for the answers? Are you allowing Him to do the heart surgery that is necessary for you to receive the healing?
Verse 14: “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, ‘Behold, Thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.’”
Will you be made whole? Whole means complete, perfect soundness, full restoration to walk as other men.
Bethesda means “house of mercy” Are you sitting in the House of Mercy and complaining that nothing is happening? Jesus healed this man immediately. He didn’t wait for an answer from him when Jesus asked the question. He just healed him. But he did find him later and give a warning to him. He told him to give up the sin that was holding him in disease, and if he didn’t something worse would happen to him.
It’s amazing that Jesus would single him out of the crowd. It says in verse 3, there “lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered…” This man was the only one that Jesus healed there. “Wilt thou be made whole?” Seems a strange question for this situation. Out of all the people that lay there waiting for the angel to disturb the water, this man had Jesus’ focus. We know that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. He had divine appointments and this man was one. It was this man’s destiny to be at the pool, waiting for 38 years for this healing. That’s hard to swallow. But that day, to that man, was the best day of his life!
It was the sabbath day. The man encountered Jews that reminded him he should not be carrying his bed today. He chose to say he was told to do it (and that was what he was going to do. He was adamant about it.) There is something that we can say about this man was that he was going to obey even if he didn’t know who the man was that healed him.
As I write this, there is an affliction in my body that I am not sure why it is there, not sure how long it will take to heal, the process has been longer than most other people with the same affliction, and I’m not sure about a lot of things. It has been with me almost 2 1/2 years. While this man’s affliction was 38 years, I do feel like the healing is just around the corner, yet still elusive. I can walk, talk and function but it has hindered me from having my usual amount of energy, and drive to function normally. So, I have been a burden to my family and to friends that would like me to join them on outings. I have to go slow and be on purpose, which is a really good thing. God has taught me a lot about waiting on Him through this time. And to see all the wonderful blessings and amazing people in my life. As I sit in this House of Mercy, I wait for something to happen to change my condition. Am I willing to be made whole? I answer with a hardy “yes!” Yet nothing has happened today. I must examine my Willingness. Would I give up the things that I can do now that I would not have time for if I were whole?
Be made: Do I believe that Jesus can do this? He can just say a word and I would be completely healed! It’s hard to believe that it could happen like that, instantly. This man was able to his legs, but he did not have to have months of physical therapy to retrain his body and brain to work together. That’s the kind of healing Jesus is able to afford!
Whole: Do I believe I can be made whole? Whole is to have perfect soundness, to be able to function completely. That is my hope. This man was asked if he wanted to be made whole, not if he wanted to be made whole again. What is the difference between these two things?
And what does it mean to me today?
Please leave a comment
I want to believe that Jesus wants to make us whole. I’m not sure why he delays, or why He never heals people that cry out to Him for years. I know His timing is perfect, I just wish that timing would come quicker.
Really enjoyed this post. I think Jesus desires for us all to be made whole.