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Hope Restored Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 25–26; Luke 12:32–59 When Jesus saw him lying there . . . , he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6 John 5:1–8 Does the sun rise in the east? Is the sky blue? Is the ocean salty? Is the atomic weight of cobalt 58.9? Okay, that last one you might only know if you’re a science geek or tend to dabble in trivia, but the other questions have an obvious answer: Yes. In fact, questions like these are usually mixed with a hint of sarcasm. If we’re not careful, our modern—sometimes jaded—ears can hear a bit of sarcasm in Jesus’s question to an invalid: “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). The obvious answer would seem to be, “Are you kidding me?! I’ve been wanting help for thirty-eight years!” But there’s no sarcasm present, that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Jesus’s voice is always filled with compassion, and His questions are always posed for our good. Jesus knew the man wanted to get well. He also knew it had probably been a long time since anyone had made an offer to care. Before the divine miracle, Jesus’s intent was to restore in him a hope that had grown cold. He did this by asking a rather obvious question, and then giving ways to respond: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” (v. 8. We’re like the invalid, each of us with places in our lives where hope has withered. He sees us and compassionately invites us to believe in hope again, to believe in Him. Today's Reflection In what ways has your hope grown cold? How has Jesus revealed His compassion to you? 
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That question also predicated a conditional command..... If you want...... then do this. So many of us "want" something, but either from lack of belief, trust, or unwillingness to put forth the effort, will not follow the conditional command, even when it is as simple as "Get up. Pick up your mat and walk." Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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4/14/2019 11:02 am |
To get well requires both full trust and total belief in your doctor as well as your own deep rooted need for more contented happiness. The bible contains so many helpful guidelines as how to live by following all of the right directions it points out to us.
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