1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
John 5:1-6
Jesus asked the man at the pool of Bethesda if he wanted to get well. It’s a question we all need to ask ourselves. We all have things that hold us back, but often we don’t truly know what it is.
Sometimes we hesitate to acknowledge we have an ailment because we don’t want others to know. But imagine what would have happened if the man at the pool had decided not to go there because he didn’t want others to know he was sick. He would have never met Jesus.
Perhaps he found courage in all the others who sat under one of the five colonnades. With all the blind, lame, and paralyzed he encountered each day, he knew he wasn’t alone. And his presence sent that message to others.
Like the sick man, when we let ourselves be honest about our struggles, we find there are many just like us. Hiding the sickness seems to make more sense. What will people think? Will they treat me differently? But it’s not nearly as healthy or productive. Getting rid of the secret gives us many advantages:
- We don’t have to hide anymore.
- We have freedom.
- We become more real to others.
- People can relate to us.
- We discover we’re not alone in our struggles.
- We can find healing.
It’s vital we diagnose our illness so we can be an encouragement and inspiration to the people around us. Plus, we’ll know what it is we need help with when Jesus asks, “Do You Want to Get Well?”
Check out the first post on this topic here!