John 5:6
"When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been in that condition a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be made well?""
Chronic Conditions
Picture the man lying there helpless, unable to help himself. He had been in that condition for 38 years! Look into this verse as you would a mirror. I think we can see ourselves reflected in this man's condition. Lying helpless in a condition we've had for a long time - sin.
Jesus pops the big question. Do you want to be made well? At first glance, we think the answer is obvious. Who wouldn't want to be made well? What kind of a question is this anyway? Picture the Lord asking you now... Do you want to be made well? Do you want to be set free from your disease? Or is there a part of you that wants to keep just a little bit of it? A part of you that enjoys it and desires it? Here's where I saw how deep sin goes. We desire what will ultimately kill us. Matthew 1:21 says, "...and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Jesus saves us from ourselves, from our wrong motives, desires and misplaced priorities. He saves us from our sins. Sin is our disease. It is deadly, contagious and incurable by the means of men. To want to keep just a little selfishness, just a little pride, just a little lust is impossible for sin always grows.
In Mark 2:17 Jesus says, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Romans 3:10 says, "There is none righteous, no, not one." Where do these verses leave us? Jesus didn't come to call the righteous-the self-righteous. He came to call those who are sick, helpless and in desperate need.
Has Jesus come to call you or do you "have no need" of Him? Do you know that you are sick? Do you have an awareness of how truly needy you are? Do you believe it's possible to be "made well"? Do you see Jesus as the great Physician? Or do you think you can make it on your own?
In Revelation 3:17 we find the Lord addressing a group of people that were in a horrible condition but quite unaware of it. "... you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked..."
The Lord wants us to recognize our need and look to Him for the supply. He is the cure. This is why He asks, "Do you want to be made well?" He wants us to realize our sickness, our need and our utter bankruptcy. Part of this is the realization that sometimes - we don't really want to be made well. He is the cure for this also. It's just another manifestation of the sin He came to save us from.
Thought for Today:
Lord, I come to you as I am, knowing that you are the Great Physician. Grant me an awareness of my need. Give me Your diagnosis. Then, let me rejoice in knowing that you invite and welcome sinners to come to you and this was the reason you came - to save us from our sins.