John 5 - Africa Study Bible

There are places in Africa where the darkness is very deep at night. Often people are afraid to venture outside. A proverb from Sudan says, Pipidi tso yaa diinga, nyangu sa abeengue, meaning, “Whatever the duration of the night, the sun will rise.” In John 5:1-9, the man who was sick for thirty-eight years experienced this saying. While he lay there waiting for physical relief and spiritual support, his pain and suffering must have seemed like a long, dark night. But one day Jesus, the Light of the world, met him. He was healed and his darkness ceased. Jesus wants to bring light into the darkness of our lives.

Do Not Determine the Answers • John 5:6-7

A man had not been able to walk for thirty-eight years. He believed the only way he could get well was if someone would place him into the pool when it bubbled, but no one had ever helped him. Jesus asked the man, “Would you like to get well?” This required a simple yes or no answer. Instead, the man started to complain, telling Jesus why he had been confined to his mat for all those years. Perhaps his desperation for healing and his inability to recognise Jesus made him respond the way he did.

In our prayers, we often bring solutions to Jesus and expect him to solve our problems in the specific ways we desire or by means we can see. Consequently, we may miss the blessings God intends for us when answers come another way. Perhaps this man was expecting Jesus to stand by him, wait for the water to bubble, and then put him in. But Jesus had a better plan. Jesus was simply going to heal him.

Next time you pray, do not tell Jesus what to do. Leave that to him. Then wait to be amazed at God’s creativity and power.

Jesus does nothing apart from God. The Son does what he sees the Father do. A Tsaangui proverb from the Republic of the Congo says, Likaya la di ngu a taba mwana ka ni mu lo, meaning “The leaf that a she-goat eats, her kid will eat, too.” Just like a kid eats only what it sees its mother eat, so a child of God is called to follow the example of our Lord Jesus. Imitating Christ, with God’s help, anchors our life in God. Abundant life flows from dependence on Christ.