 Written by Georgetta Head Photo by Kat (unsplash) “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath….Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, behold thou are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” (John 5:5-9; 14)
Have you ever heard about a remedy that can help you medically or spiritually, but made excuses as to why it won’t help your condition? Well, this is what John 5:5-9 is about! It’s about a man wounded with hopelessness and all he had left in him were “excuses.” We learn from these scriptures that a man with an infirmity of 38 years was laying by a certain pool. When Jesus saw this man, He asked him an unusual question? “Wilt thou be made whole?” In other words, “Do you want to be healed?” The impotent man immediately came up with excuses as to why he couldn’t be made whole (healed). Jesus responded to the impotent man saying “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk,” immediately the man was made whole (healed). Jesus knew the condition of the man’s soul, and that his excuses were from many years of hurt, disappointment and rejection. Many will read these scriptures and criticize the impotent man, for making excuses, but how many of us do the same thing “make excuses when we can be made whole?” We too experience hurts in our lives that cause us to make excuses because it’s very easy to make excuses when we operate from the “spirit of fear, doubt or hopelessness!” Let’s take a moment to examine the impotent man’s life and attitude!
Jesus looked into the man’s heart and saw his spirit of hopelessness and rejection! This man’s physical infirmity wasn’t the problem, it was his spiritual infirmity that was the problem. Jesus was this man's “Hope!” Jesus healed the man’s physical need, but then we read in verse 14 that Jesus found the man in the temple. Jesus was now about to address the man’s need for spiritual healing. He tells the man “behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” We are not told what the sin was, but we now know that it was sin that caused the physical infirmity. What is more interesting in verse 14 is that Jesus found the man in the temple! Was he there to offer a sacrifice for his sin? Was he there to worship God and to thank Him for his healing? We are not told the reason for the man being in the temple; but we can be sure of one thing - Jesus offered the man spiritual healing! A person with a wounded soul left in an unhealthy condition is more serious than a physical infirmity. Matthew 18:8 states “Wherefore if thy hand or foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” A wounded soul leads to sin if not healed, and continued unrepented sin leads to eternal damnation. What condition is your soul? Are you making excuses for why your soul isn’t healed? I did! When Holy Spirit convicted me of certain character flaws in my heart, I made excuses. Each time He told me to surrender those character flaws, I would say, “that’s not me, you have me mixed up with someone else.” Can you imagine telling that to Holy Spirit! I denied the fact that I had a wounded soul for six months until finally Holy Spirit showed me experientially my faults. Whatever you are wrestling with in your soul, ask Holy Spirit for help and surrender that hurt for healing, don’t delay. Excuses keeps up bound in our hurts! Friends, Father God is more interested in our soul being healed than our physically healing, because the issues of our life, flow from our hearts. In your journal:
Today & Everyday Proclaim:
The Word of God has the power to transform and heal anyone who puts his/her trust in Father God for healing. Examples of Affirmations:
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Charles S. Head
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