Lame Excuses
In John 5 we read about a unique gathering of people. Some are blind, some lame, and some paralyzed. At a certain season they come with great hope to the pool of Bethesda, which in Hebrew means “House of Mercy.” According to tradition, an angel would stir up the water, and the first to step into the moving water would be healed.
Knowing that a certain man had been lame for thirty-eight years, Jesus asks, “Wilt thou be made whole?” or in today’s vernacular, “Do you want to be healed?” What a strange question to ask—of course he wants to be healed! Or does he?!
The man’s response may come as a surprise. “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool.” To this excuse he adds, “and while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
If I were lame for thirty-eight years and a miracle healer asked if I wanted to be healed, I would shout a resounding “yes!” before he finished his sentence! Is it possible that for thirty-eight years this man had no friends or family members to help him? Or was he a victim of his own excuses?
As I consider the scene, I wonder if the man was so used to his disability that he preferred living with it. Living with our limitations and losses protects us from risk, even if our past experiences were full of hurt and disappointment. Stepping out of our comfort zone requires faith and trust, which can be daunting.
Past experience prove to the paralyzed man that he can’t rely on others. But that is exactly the point that Jesus is trying to make. He does not need to rely on others. Jesus is asking him to step out of his comfort zone and just say, “Yes, I want to be healed—and I am willing to do whatever is asked of me.”
We all have limitations, whether they be physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological, financial, or relational. Whether caused by hurt, abuse, betrayal, addiction, an unforgiving spirit, or pride, our suffering can morph into a self-imposed disability that renders us impotent and ineffective. We can become so disabled in our spirit that eventually others will turn a deaf ear to our needs. Their lack of compassion only fuels our disabling excuses.
The question we need to ask is, “Do we want to be made whole?” If the answer is “Yes, of course!” then who do we turn to for help and healing? Do we depend on others to bring us to the healing waters? Do we blame others for our inability to move forward to wholeness? Have we become so focused on our bodies that we’ve neglected our souls? Has our hope become fixed on the hearsay of the healing properties of the troubled waters, of angelic interventions, that we have abandoned our troubled souls?
So, what must we do to be made whole? Jesus’ response to the lame man is, “Rise, take up thy bed and walk.” In other words, “Get up!” Stop focusing on others and the false hope of the troubled waters that bind you to your lame excuses. It’s time to act. Something miraculous happens when we silence our excuses, extinguish all blame, and by faith, rise! God will be our support.
After thirty-eight years the disabled man finally stops waiting for someone else to help him. He stops waiting for others to get out of his way. He listens to Jesus. Immediately he picks up his bed and begins to walk!
We all need miracles of healing. It may come in the form of physical healing, but sometimes, before physical healing can take place, there must be an inner transformation that is made possible by obedient faith. What is most important is that we find healing for our souls.
Recently a Christian woman from India wrote to share her story. After professing faith in Jesus Christ, she was abandoned by her family. For twenty-five years she held on to the emotional crutch of bitterness, which kept her spiritually paralyzed. After hearing the story of a young girl Rosalie in A Peep Behind the Scenes, she decided to throw away her crutch. She stopped blaming others for her paralyzed state, turned to Jesus for healing, and was set free.
As I look back on my life, I see how my own unresolved inner disabilities had a negative effect on my children. If our goal is to raise emotionally whole and spiritually healthy children, then it is essential that we first become whole ourselves.
Recommended Reading:
Families Where Grace is in Place by Jeff VanVonderen
Palace of Deceit by A.L.O.E. (Book of the year!
A Peep Behind the Scenes by Mrs. O.F. Walton
Learn more about the above resources at www.lamplighter.net
