Stirring it up

Here was my reading this morning from John 5:1-6

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 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 thirty-eight 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?".

So, I got this picture in my mind of all these people lying around this pool of water. Probably some were crying out in anguish. Maybe some were downcast, and depressed. Inevitably, some were likely to be there purely out of curiosity, to see if what they had heard about the "healing pool" was true. I imagine that there were family members of the afflicted as well. If you read a little further, we see that when the waters were stirred, people could enter and receive their healing. Can you imagine the excitement of these people? They were probably shouting, and leaping for joy. So, when Jesus spoke to this man, and said "Do you want to get well?", it seemed like an odd question. The man was obviously lame. According to the scripture,he had this condition for 38 years. He was there at the pool. Of course he wanted to get well, I thought. So why, then, did Jesus ask this question? I have learned that when Jesus asks a question, it is worth reading a few times. Jesus doesn't ask questions so He can learn something new about us. He is God, and He is all-knowing. Jesus asks questions to allow us to see what the condition of our heart is. When we have to formulate our answer, it requires us to do some soul searching.

Sometimes we don't really know what is in our heart, until we come face to face with a direct question. Everywhere Jesus went, He "stirred the waters". He loves for us to see what our true feelings and motives are. For only then, can we see our need for adjustment. The other day, Luis made a pot of coffee, and on my way out the door, I quickly poured myself a cup. I added my cream and milk, and it looked delicious-I mean I could taste it, even before I tasted it...I love my coffee! But when I took a spoon and started to stir it, I realized that there were coffee grounds in the bottom of the cup. blah! What seemed delectable, became detestable after I stirred it up.


"Do you want to be well"? It takes more than just showing up. That man at Bethesda showed up every day. But that specific day, Jesus gave that man a clear set of instructions: "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk". If that man had chosen to stay on the ground, he probably would have been there until he died. God wants to give us a clear set of instructions for our life as well. He wants to give us direct revelation for our lives. He does not want us to rely on communicated information from some other source. He wants us to hear it straight from Him. Showing up is vital, but it is just the first step. We need to be alert. We need to have an attentive ear. We need to be willing to act. We need to be obedient to God and His word. We need to be willing to let go of what is comfortable, what is familiar, what is culturally accepted. We need to decide once and for all that the culture of heaven is more important than our western counterpart. The culture of today doesn't allow for this. The world screams, "Be tolerant!", while God says, "Be holy.". This generation is very different from the generations of the past. There is little regard for authority. The concept of right and wrong has been severely skewed. God has become an afterthought, if He is even a thought at all. We have become a "me" culture. In general we are takers rather than givers with servants hearts. I heard a Pastor say recently that "this generation is the most reckless generation yet. The music is dark. Everything about the culture of today is hopeless. There is no vision for tomorrow." The previous generation, dropped the ball, and decided not to pass the values instilled to them by the generation before. Consequently, the generation of today is left to find their own way, with no moral guide. A path that is dimly lit, at best. So we, as followers of Christ are also called to stir the waters. Not in a hostile way, but humbly. We should live different, sound different, act different, react different than the culture around us. We should stick out like a sore thumb, but the church today, in general, has developed a highly effective camouflage, to the point where they are nearly invisible. God desires us to "want to be well". He wants us to be effective. He wants us to used by Him. He wants to lead us and guide us by His Spirit. He has not turned His back on this generation, we have turned our back on Him. He is stirring the waters again. I want in!