Last weekend, Dr. Sung Choe (surgeon, LAC Ministry Council member, and brother in Christ) came through "my door" after the service. Knowing that this week, we will be studying John 5 and the story of the disabled man at the Bethesda Pool in Jerusalem, Dr. Choe said, "All next week, I think I should ask all my patients the question Jesus asked the paralyzed man, i.e., 'Do you want to get well?'"

I don't know if Dr. Choe did that, but I can imagine the responses:
"What kind of person would ask a nonsense question like that?"
"Of course I do. Why else would I be showing up at the doctor's office?"
"Is this a trick question?"

As I read John 5:1–15, I picture the paralyzed man responding with cynicism and frustration to Jesus' asking this question. Many people think that Jesus' question seems pointless, but it's not. The question arises because of our human tendency to get used to our situations. We know that "getting well" might mean a major change of life. We often even thrive in the attention that making our problems known to others brings us. And, we learn to make excuses. We become like the beagle, Snoopy, in Peanuts: "Yesterday, I was a dog. Today, I'm a dog. Tomorrow, I'll still be a dog. Ah, there's so little hope for advancement for us dogs." And then, Snoopy blissfully goes back to sleep on his doghouse. The man we meet had been sick for 38 years. Thirty-eight years is a long time. By this time, he could have become quite settled into a life with his infirmity. After all, what would he do if he were healed? There are good reasons for Jesus' asking whether the man wants to be healed.

This weekend, we may find that Jesus asks us the same kind of personal question.
What if there is something wrong in our lives... and we know it... and it makes us feel guilty... and it hurts our relationship to God and others...? Perhaps we've come to the point of thinking we cannot change, arguing, "That's how I am." Maybe we even enjoy a certain way of life so much we don't want to change.

This week, get ready for God's Word to break into your life in order to ask,

To His glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor