John 5:6 [KJV]
"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?" [Emphasis added.]
This verse has never ceased to cause my teeth to be on edge. Why? Because I want so badly for the paralytic man's healing that I'm waiting for him to say "Yes" to Jesus and say "No" to more excuses. It has been decades. He is completely dependent on others for his very livelihood, quality of life, transportation etc. He has probably been let down before. But when the Creator of Heaven and earth, the Savior of the world asks you if you want to be made whole...the answer should be a resounding YES! Because obviously, if Jesus is asking the question, the assumption is that He, Jesus, is able to do it. In our text Jesus is in Jerusalem and comes upon this paralyzed man in Bethesda [different versions vary on the spelling], which can be translated in the original Hebrew as "House of Mercy" or "House of Flowing" [how appropriate!]. Most of us have probably heard the story of this miraculous pool where the sick came to be healed at the stirring of the water by an angel. Well, on this day, in strides the Great Physician, the ultimate Healer, Jesus! He zeroes in on a man laying by the pool, disabled for 38 years --> that's almost 4 decades and presumably laying by the pool the entire time! Jesus asks the man one simple question, "Do you want to be made whole?". To give you a snapshot summary: Jesus asks, Jesus advises obedient action and Jesus heals. This won't be the same for everyone or every situation. But sidenote: "Yeses" to Jesus are usually accompanied, preceded or followed by instructions to obey. Obey what? Obey His Will and continue to walk in the answer He provides you.
And Jesus being Jesus, He did all this on the Sabbath [a day of rest where even carrying a mat as He instructed was a No No], thus sparking the ire of the Jewish leaders. This precipitated an intensified hunt for the rogue healer who dared to heal on the Sabbath. John 5 is another drop-the-mic Jesus moment because He declares that His Divine authority [God the Son] supersedes man-made traditions. Jesus is basically saying God is always working, even on the Sabbath; I AM God the Son; and therefore, equal with God the Father. Jesus goes on to say that He only does what His Father Wills Him to do. Jesus was setting the scene for the man to get a miracle while simultaneously drawing a line in the sand declaring His Deity to the Jewish leaders. Guess what? He backs it up with receipts, i.e. witnesses; His own testimony [which is enough on its own], Moses, John the Baptist, His own teachings, His own Miracles and of course God the Father.
So, I used to rationalize that maybe the paralytic gentleman didn't understand or maybe he simply was so defeated by his life and situation that he was too weak even for an initial "Yes" to Jesus. That may very well be the case, we don't know. Interestingly, Mental Health.gov defines mental health as including emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. I'm not a mental health professional, but let's face it, everyone needs to care for their mental health AND their physical health. Wholeness to God is all of that; when every part of our lives, body, mind, soul and spirit are in alignment with His Will and purpose for us. While day by day we are being perfected unto Christ, this does not mean everything will be perfect in the natural, but it does mean that everything can be according to His Will, i.e. whole, when we submit to and obey His leading even if doing so looks crazy to others or goes against man-made traditions. This is something the Pharisees and religious leaders never seemed to grasp - Fear of God over fear of man and obedience to God over obedience to man-made traditions masquerading as if from God.
Has there ever been a time when something in your life was just not quite right? Doesn't have to be physical, but one of those categories (emotional, psychological or social wellbeing) was affected? Maybe the career was stalled, the spouse was acting up, the kids were wilding out or maybe that migraine was unrelenting in derailing your days. Well, today I believe Jesus is asking you, "Do you want to be made whole?". Believe me, I know there are what seem to be insurmountable mountains and obstacles in the way, but Jesus didn't ask about those. He knows about those. What He asks is, "Do you want to be made whole?". Excuses falsely communicate that Jesus couldn't do it even if you wanted Him to. And my dear Masterpiece, He is more than able. And remember that He promises to hear and respond to your "Yes" in His Will, in His Divine Timing and in His Divine Way. And at the end of the day, because He is Sovereign, it will be for your good and He will get all the glory, even if the outcome looks different than what you think. Is it 11:59 PM in your situation? Then it is still time for a "Yes" and a response from Jesus. Praise the Lord!
If you are reading this, Jesus gave you life today and already said "Yes" to you. Will you say "Yes" to Jesus and receive wholeness from Him? This is the wholeness defined by shalom. The perfect peace of God signified by profound psychological and emotional peace – to those who steadfastly set their minds on Him. To quote Cornelius Plantinga, "In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom He delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be." Thank You Lord for being made whole the shalom way!
Takeaways for you to remember:
#1 Wholeness is being in alignment with God's Will in every way.
#2 Shalom: 360 degrees of God's peaceful sovereign provision for every need.
#3 Say "Yes" to Jesus making you whole!
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
Want to enjoy some of the Scriptures inspiring this entry?
[All Scripture listed is NLT version unless otherwise noted.]
References
1) MentalHealth.gov. Accessed 20 Feb 2024.
2) NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries.
The Lockman Foundation. 1998.
3) The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA.
2003.
4) Plantinga, Cornelius. Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin. William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI. 1995.
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