The Fears Below

The Fears Below

Would you like to get well? John 5:6

THE MAN HAD BEEN LAME FOR THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS and, like many other sick people, was at the pool of Bethesda to be healed. Its waters were said to be especially effective when stirred, presumably at the touch of an angel. Yet this man was never able to get to the water first; in a rush for healing, the lame are at a competitive disadvantage. However long he had been positioning himself at the water’s edge, he could never touch it at the right time. So Jesus asked if he wanted to get well.

Whenever Jesus asks an obvious question, we can assume he sees beyond the obvious. Clearly a paralyzed man at a pool known for healing waters would want to be able to walk again. So Jesus’ question and this man’s avoidance of giving an answer are revealing. The man had been waiting for healing but not close enough to the water to touch it. He was going through the motions of getting a miracle without expecting one. Though he wanted to get well, perhaps he was afraid of the radical change it would bring to his life.

The human heart often longs for change while being strangely attached to the status quo. We want something new but cling to the familiar because at least we know how to manage it. We tell God we want a radical difference but are intimidated by the possibility that he might actually answer. The consequences could be challenging. It’s one of the reasons some people remain in abusive or oppressive situations. This is what they know.

It’s important to look beneath the surface to whatever wounds and scars might be undermining our prayers of faith. If we have never known real freedom, healing, and joy—if our old identity still controls us—we will inch toward the new without genuinely seeking it. We might put ourselves in position for a miracle but never quite take the step or have the faith to get it.

Don’t be afraid of the radical change Jesus offers you. Refuse to be stuck in the familiar. Wherever he leads, even into the unknown, is good. By faith, go there with him without fear.

The best answer to fear is to have a firm grasp of what it means to be accepted by God.