John 5:6-7 -- Jesus, upon seeing this man lying there and knowing that he had already been in that condition for a long time, said to him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 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.”
Yesterday we looked into Jesus' question in verse six and today we hear the man's response.
"Do you want to get well?" Jesus asks.
The man looks from Jesus over to the Pool of Bethesda, then slowly back. "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."
You can just sense the hopeful hopelessness in this man's response. Thirty-eight years of sickness and feebleness and he was within reach of what he believed to be the answer. He'd been here before and left the same. He survived on the hope of what could happen but was hopeless that it would. Yet this day he finds himself within reach of Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Even though he doesn't directly answer Jesus we get to see the walls of hopelessness he is focused on.
SELF -- "I have no man to put me into..."
He was focused on what he didn't have to make this happen. If he only had someone to put him in the water. If only he was faster or stronger. He believed he needed someone's help here, but it wasn't man's help he needed, it was Jesus'.
LOCATION -- "the pool"
He was focused on a place that was just out of his reach. We think many times we must get to a certain place, just go to church enough, just get my life in order, on and on and on. Jesus doesn't need you to get anywhere, He's always right there, just waiting for us to look from whatever destination we think is it, to Him.
TIMING -- "...when the water is stirred"
He was focused on a specific time and from there a time limit that had to be met. He only had the possibility of healing when the waters were stirred and only if he could get into it first. First hear me say this, DO NOT wait to make Jesus Lord and Savior of your life. Don't play the game of, I'll do it later, because you do not know how much "later" you've got. With that being said though, there is no specified time to come to Jesus. The 99 year old on their deathbed can come to him, just as well as the 9 year old kid in vacation bible school.
OTHER PEOPLE -- "another steps down before me."
He was focused on other people. They were faster. They had help. They got there first. They got in his way. They got the healing. It's so very easy for us to focus on other people in our lives. Especially when we find ourselves in storms and it seems like it's not changing. Humanly we always want to figure out the problem and assign blame. Unfortunately for people, they always seem to be right there for us to look at. When all the while our eyes should be locked onto Jesus.
Christian, stop today and reflect on what walls you have become focused on. Oh, we know the Christian auto-answer is Jesus, but as we see today, Jesus can be standing right beside you, talking directly to you, and we can still see nothing but the walls in front of us. They could be very real walls, or they could just be perceived walls. Either way when our eyes are on the walls we will never move. All the while Jesus, who already has the victory over every single wall, patiently stands by, asking for you to look, listen, and follow Him.
Beloved, what will it be then, hopeful hopelessness or victory in Jesus Christ? Both are available to you but you must choose…so choose wisely.
You are loved. You are prayed over. You are not alone!
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