Communion Message
(Do you want to get well?)
March 10, 2002
Pastor Leighton Sheley

This event is recorded for us in John chapter 5, which reads: Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 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. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie--the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for 38 years. 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?".

Now that seems like a strange question to ask, does it not? Do you want to get well? A number of years back I had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land. I was struck by the stark contrasts between the very ancient and the very modern that weave together in an unforgettable patchwork of reality.

Kay Arthur of Precept Ministries recounts a story of her visit to the Holy Land. She writes: as I recently came out of the old city, Jerusalem, into the noise of the lumbering buses jammed to doors with Arabs and to the honking of irate impassioned cab drivers, as I felt the bright sunshine which had been shielded by the walled crowded narrow streets of the old city, a man sitting on the ground caught my attention. He was happily conversing with other beggar until a foreign tourist came by. At that point, all conversations ceased and a hand was lifted as dark eyes silently pleaded for alms. The other hand pulled up a pant leg to make sure that the already exposed ulcer, bright pink, glazed over with patches glistening in the sun was not missed.

My nurse's heart brought my feet to a halt. I wanted to bend down and shield the open wound from the dust sent flying by the traffic scurrying through the gate. His leg needed tending. It should be washed and medicated and dressed by someone who cared. Unattended it would only eat away until it reached his bone and then he could lose his leg.

Arrested by his plight I stopped to gaze at his leg and looked into the darkness of his eyes, until my friend gently took me by the elbow and propelled made towards our destination. I was a tourist and did not know about these things. She then proceeded to tell me that this man did not wish to be made well. He made his living from his wound.

No need to confront the complexities of responsibility when one could merely sit down in the dust and dirt of Jerusalem and receive pity, along with a few shekels. My wounded beggar could have been healed. The hospital doors were open to him and medicine was available, but he did not wish to get well.

Perhaps then the question, "Do you want to get well?", is not so strange after all. There is, after all, a comfort in the status quo in things remaining as they are. If this man had been healed he would have given up a lot. If this man had been healed then he would have been responsible for learning a skill, perhaps going back and getting some education, getting and holding a job, paying taxes, taking responsibility, and he would have to leave behind his circle of friends. If this man was to be healed he would lose a lot.

One of the reasons that we have pity on men such as these is that we perceive his wound as being beyond his fault. We believe he didn't intentionally look to acquire this ulcer. It's not his fault. How often we use that same comment regarding issues in our life. It's not our fault.

It's not our fault. This is due to circumstances beyond my control. This is the fault of someone else: someone else, a co-worker, a supervisor, the people we're supposed to supervise, a spouse, a child, someone else's fault. Freud made it possible for us to say things like, it's my mom's fault.

Some people use this, it's not my fault I'm Irish, or I'm Italian, or I'm -- and you fill in the blank. Or the newer version of that which is, hey, it's in my genes. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. Or this spiritualized version: I was born a sinner. I was born this way.

Our theme today has been God is able and He is able to meet any need you might have. That's not the question for this moment. The question for this moment is, are you willing to be healed? Do you want to be healed? Are you willing to relinquish some of life's habits to be healed? Are you willing to take some responsibilities to be healed? Are you willing to leave behind a circle of friends to be healed? If Jesus were to ask you today, do you want to be healed? What would you say?

What would you say? Would you say I want to be healed so bad like that woman I would press through those crowds to touch the hem of His garment? Would you want to be healed so bad that like those lepers you would cry out to Jesus from the side of the road, Lord heal me; when others were saying don't bother God He's too busy, He's too important you're not.

God is able to heal us emotionally, physically, spiritually, relationally, in any fashion God is able. Sometimes He heals instantaneously. Other times He heals after a long hard struggle. How often I've heard testimonies from people saying, I gave my life to God and instantaneously my desire for alcohol disappeared, instantaneously. But I don't understand it, I'm struggling with smoking, or something else.

Sometimes God heals us instantaneously so that we can know the truth of His power and His strength and His work in our life. Sometimes He doesn't heal, but He lets us struggle because He wants us to grow in our dependence upon Him. He wants us not to be proud or puffed up. He wants us to be humble from time to time in our failures.

Sometimes He heals instantaneously. Sometimes He heals after a long struggle. And sometimes He chooses not to heal at all. He told the apostle Paul: I'm not going to heal you, My grace is sufficient for you. God is able. If He were to ask you the question today, do you want to be healed? What would be your answer?

The Scripture say for such a time as this we should examine ourselves, and so I'd like you to invite you, if you're physically able, to join with me now as we kneel in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

God, this day we have been reminded once again that You are able to meet our every need. There is nothing that You cannot do. And we have been challenged, many of us, are we willing? Do we desire healing? Lord we're so thankful that Your word says if we confess our sins You're faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This day, right now, we can take Your direction and be transformed and changed. We don't have to walk out of this place carrying the burden of our sin.

Each and every one of us, each and every day, has done something that displeases You, either in thought, or word, or deed. Thank you Lord for the forgiveness that is ours in You. The elements we hold, Lord, remind us of the great price that has been paid for our salvation. Thank you Lord for loving us so much. Let's partake of the bread and also the cup.

Thank you Lord. Hallelujah.