Things God can heal

I have been thinking about this story so frequently—the one in John 5 about the man who had been laying near the pool of Bethesda for a long time.

John 5:6 says, “When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, He asked him, “Would you like to get well?’”
This man, who had obviously gotten used to his normal routine, obviously didn’t want to be in his situation.
Why would Jesus, the Healer, ask him if he wanted to get well?
He knew he had been sitting here, unable to get to the pool for 38 years!!!!!!
You serious, Jesus?
But Jesus does this all throughout the Word—He asks seemingly obviously questions that He already knows the answer to.
Why?

I think Jesus asked him because, for the first time in a very long time, Jesus wanted to remind the man that he could in fact experience healing on this side of Heaven.
I think Jesus wanted to remind this man of his authority as the Healer’s son.
I think Jesus wanted him to lift his eyes before he opened his mouth to respond.
I think Jesus was whispering to every person who reads this, “you can still believe for a new normal.”

Though this man had physical ailments he obviously preferred to not have, I think we can all relate to this story more than we realize.
Maybe it’s general anxiety about our days,
Maybe it’s old thought patterns you can’t seem to shake,
Maybe it’s distorted views about your body, your relationships, or your past,
Maybe it’s relational discord that plagues your heart,
Maybe it’s your struggle to rest and receive honest love,
Whatever it is, He is still in the business of miraculous, mountain-moving miracle working and that means for each of us.

Healing doesn’t usually happen the way we think it will and sometimes, only Heaven will hold the full healing we’d like.
But whatever it is, the presence of the Healer means that we can have peace, joy, + strength, whatever we are facing.

“Do you want to get well?”
Do you want a new normal?
Do you want to live like you have access to the Healer?

You do 🤍