TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
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?” John 5:6
Read: John 5:1-9
Listen: John 5
TODAY’S MESSAGE
People go to get healed in the pool of Bethesda. When Jesus learns a man lying there has suffered 38 years, he asks an obvious question, “Do you want to get well?” Jesus is not a fool. He’s not really asking about physical healing but something deeper.
Pastor Jeff Manion tells about Father Greg Boyle, who started Homeboy Bakery to help kids get out of gangs. Boyle shares, “Me wanting a gang member to have a different life could never be the same as that gang member wanting to have a different life.” Likewise, Jesus is really asking the man, “Do you want the kind of healing I give, which is more than physical?” Jesus’s healing goes deep into our inner being—where we need to turn from the sin that causes us to disobey God and accept the forgiveness he offers by dying on the cross in our place.
The question, “Do we want to be healed more than the thing we want?” is relevant for us today. Do we want to be out of debt enough to stop shopping? Do we desire a good marriage enough to stop our abusive language? Do we want sexual purity enough to stop looking at porn? Sometimes we want our circumstances to change, but we aren’t interested in changing. Are we willing to give these things over to Jesus, who wants to forgive and heal us?
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Open your heart to God and tell him what you struggle with. Accept his forgiveness and ask for his help. Then determine your next step. Would you like to talk to someone further about this? Email us at btw@adabible.org. We would love to support you.
2022 BIBLE MEMORY PRACTICE
Develop spiritual roots and tap in the power of God’s word by memorizing monthly a Bible verse! View previous verses at beyondtheweekend.org/biblememorypractice.
PHILIPPIANS 4:5b–7
The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
