John 5: Fix Your Eyes Upon Jesus

In John, Chapter Five, Jesus meets a paralyzed man lying by the pool of Bethesda. The text tells readers this man had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. I can imagine this lifestyle of lying and waiting would have become so hopeless and frustrating day in and day out that it is no wonder he tried to explain his situation to Jesus after Christ asked him, “Do you want to get well?” The man’s reply to this question seems to indicate that he did not truly believe he would get well, as he explains to Jesus that there was always someone who was healed instead of him, as he had no power to move himself into the pool.

Though we can look at this man’s story and wonder why he responded to Jesus’s question, “Do you want to get well?” with an excuse as opposed to an enthusiastic “YES!”, I think his response is actually quite similar to how we often respond to the Lord. When Christ comes to set us free from the paralysis of sin, we often have an excuse as to why we cannot be made well. If we humble ourselves and really think about areas of paralysis in our own lives, where we are not gaining ground in the faith, I think we may find ourselves to be quite similar to this man, often making excuses, and rarely answering Jesus’s call to healing with a faith-filled “Yes, Lord!”

The text notes that from time to time the angel of the Lord would come and stir the waters of the pool, and at that time the first person to enter the pool would be healed. This man would wait by the pool day after day, intentionally listening to hear the water begin to splash and stir. But, he was always beaten out in the race to the pool. How hopeless this predicament would have been. He was doing everything he could think to do, even lying by the closest spot to healing he could find, but still had no way of being healed in his own strength as he could not physically place himself into the pool. I’m sure after 38 years of waiting for his day to come, a part of him had lost hope. He might have even made peace with his paralysis as he rested on his mat.

One may be tempted to think that the experience of this man is unique to him alone, but I fear it is actually quite common among believers. When individuals come to faith, though there are many battles with sin that lie ahead, they often seem to have a hope and resolve that victory can be gained. But, after many failures, some lose heart. Eventually and reluctantly, after watching countless others experience victory, they give up and “lay on their mats”, succumbing to the fact that they will battle their crippling sins for the rest of their lives. This kind of defeat does not happen overnight but starts with a faulty knowledge or understanding that then becomes one’s beliefs, and eventually drives his or her actions.

The paralyzed man had two misconceptions that were preventing him from victory:

1. He was looking to himself and what he needed to do to be made well. This was the natural response, but he failed to realize that it was impossible for a man in his condition to move himself into a place of victory.
2. His eyes were on the wrong source. His knowledge had caused him to look to the pool as the place of healing, but God had provided the only way for lasting healing. His encounter with Jesus would be much deeper than what the pool could have offered, which was only physical healing. Christ offered to heal his body and soul.

When Christ arrived on the scene, this man fixed his eyes on the true source of healing. Whether he realized it or not, he finally looked away from himself and the pool. In our fight against sin, we might focus on the sin and what we need to do to overcome it, when the first step is always to look away from ourselves to Christ.

In the end, Christ made this man well and did not use the man’s expected method to do so. He spoke healing into his body and soul through his words and then charged the man with the task “take up your mat and walk”. The mat that once represented this man’s defeat and acceptance of his paralytic condition would now be carried over his head in victory. The same can be true for the Christian!

So, what would Christ have you to do if you find yourself in a similar state as the man in this story? Come to the true source of healing. Recognize the freedom and victory that is yours in Christ Jesus and commit to walking in that truth through HIS power, not your own. Fix your eyes on Christ, not your circumstances, and accept the work He has done on your behalf. Answer his call to “get up and walk” in faith in the One who has healed you!

With Love,

Matt and Alayna Ford