Read: John 5:1-15
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” (v. 6)
What would it look like if we all were as willing as the man in today’s reading to be healed spiritually as we are to be healed physically? Physical pain and suffering is as familiar to us as it was in Jesus’s time, but so is spiritual suffering. We should want to heal our spirits as much as we want to heal our bodies!
When Jesus went into Jerusalem, he didn’t go sightseeing. He went to the Pool of Bethesda, where the sick lingered. This is an example of his humility and compassion; he came to seek out and save the suffering and the sick. The most important question for the man in today’s reading was the question Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be healed?” This was far more important than the man’s grievance: “Lord, there is nothing I can do.”
If you want to be healed, God’s Son is right there; the question is, are you ready? What are your expectations? Do you still have hope? Just like the paralyzed man, God expects you to want to be healed, to want to be delivered from the situation you are in. He cannot act against our desires, but he calls us now to turn our eyes to him. Jesus Christ says: “Look at me, turn your eyes on me. I am here for you, ready to help you. Do you want to be healed?”
As you pray, ask Jesus to heal you physically, spiritually and mentally.
About the Author
Genci Hoxha
Genci Hoxha is one of the leaders at a local church in Tirana where he is also involved in the ministry of teaching and preaching the Word. For 19 years, he served full-time with CRU in Albania. Three years ago, Genci Hoxha published his first poetry book entitled “Pasqyra e Qiellit” (English: The Sky’s Reflection).
These devotionals were first published in Fjalet e Shpreses, Words of Hope’s Albanian devotional. Learn more about Words of Hope Albania, and our work in training and equipping local Christian leaders to write and share the Word of God.
