Intimate Jesus

Jesus makes us whole

Day six

[ Main Scripture John 5:5-7]

One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, "Would you like to get well?" "I can't, sir," the sick man said, "for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me."
John 5:5‭-‬7 NLT

Jesus was at a Jewish festival and it so happened that on that day, there were people of all sorts of illnesses. Some were blind. Some were lame and others paralyzed.As was their tradition, the people gathered in that area besides the pool to get healed. It was believed that an angel of God caused their healing in the pool that they got into.

The paralyzed man is an interesting figure. Jesus asked him one question: "Would you like to get well?" The man didn't know who Jesus was. He hadn't yet met with our master, Jesus. He just thought Jesus was an ordinary man.His response is beautiful. "I can't, Sir, for I have no one to put me into the pool."

The man just wanted somebody that could put him into the pool. He had hope that if someone could just put him in that pool, he would be healed.The man is like you and me. We cannot help ourselves. We need Divine assistance in all we do. To be paralyzed is to be unable to move.The paralyzed man was in such a condition. He tried but he just couldn't move. Until Jesus told him to get up.

Jesus wills to have every person healed of infirmities. He wills for everyone to be saved. He wills for everyone to have a relationship with Him. And like the man, we have to first realize that we cannot do it on our own. There were so many people. Remember, it was a festival and this man happened to be around the area.He could have asked to be  helped. But he didn't. Can you imagine Jesus asking us what we need?

Jesus asked, "Would you like to get well?" The answer should have been "yes." but the man gave Jesus an explanation instead. In like manner, we are fond of doing that. Sometimes we think our cases are so rare that it would take some form of mystical thing to happen before we finally realized all we had to do was allow Jesus to intervene in our lives. Here's another thing Jesus did for this person. Let's read verse 14 of the chapter.

But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, "Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you."
John 5:14 NLT

Jesus heals this guy and says,"Stop sinning." This is an amazing statement. What has sin got to do with this man's situation? The bible doesn't say He was a sinful man or caught in any scandal. He was just a paralyzed man, and yet Jesus says, "Stop sinning."

Jesus said that because its Jesus' primary goal  to save people. Its not enough just having answered prayers. The most important thing is salvation. Salvation is what starts our relationship with Jesus.

For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants.
John 5:21 NLT

The Son gives life to anyone He wants. What is this life? This life is found in the relationship you have with Jesus. In the other study, we learned that Jesus gives life.

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God's Son does not have life.
1 John 5:12 NLT

If you have something, it means you have a relationship with that thing. If you have a car, there's a type of connection. So if you have Jesus, it means  you have a relationship with Him, you have life. Jesus makes us whole and gives us life.

Prayer:  Father we thank you. We acknowledge you. We glorify you. Thank you for sending your Son into our lives. Thank you for loving us. Lord, we submit our lives to you today. We ask for your lordship over our vessel. Guide us into the path of life. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.