Mountains and Mustard Seeds

  "After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the movement of water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty eight years. When Jesus saw him laying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, " Do you want to be made well?" the sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." and immediately the man was made well, took up his bed and walked. John 5:1-9

Several points jumped out at me that havent before. Yet another example of God’s word being breathed out by God. Alive.

"all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

Back on topic, so there was this pool where healing was provided after an angel stirred the water at a certain time. The bad thing for this guy was he was slower than the other sick people and kept getting beat to the water. Even worse, the Bible says he had been dealing with his problem for 38 years. If there was a person in the Bible that should get a pass for being bitter, angry, etc. it would be this guy. He’s at the place to be healed, he just has to get in the water at the right time and be the first to reach it in an area with a "great multitude of sick people" who are just as eager as he is to be first in the water. 

Not to mention 38 years is a long time to put up with a problem and watch as person after person gets the healing he needs. Then Jesus sees him laying there. In v 6 it says He already knew the guy had been in that condition for a long time. Jesus was fully aware of this guy’s problem and just asked a simple question "Do you want to be made well?" What's interesting is the man’s response. This guy may not have known who Jesus was, which may have influenced his response. Or he was just so focused on the only way he knew to receive healing and that was from the pool. His response was not one acknowledging Jesus’ ability to personally heal him, it was one focused on receiving healing based on what he had seen in the past. v7 "the sick man answered Him, " Sir I have no man to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "rise, take up your bed and walk." and immediately the man was made well, took up his bed and walked." Jesus asked a simple question. The man responds with why he can't be healed in the water and how everyone gets to the pool before him. Jesus didn't do anything but hear the man’s problem, then showed him who He was by immediately healing him. No racing to beat the others and no trip into the pool.

Jesus knew the guy had been that way a long time. Jesus knew the man was trying his best but beaten every time by others around him. Jesus saw his pain, heard his problem and healed him. He sees our pain, He hears our prayers, and He is eager to show us who He is. I've seen it in my life the past few months through financial mountains moved in no time to provide a way forward in my legal battle. People coming forward to support me in droves. I've put God in a box and limited what I thought He would do for me. He's shown me in passages like this and in my own life that I shouldn’t do that. He is eager to show you who He is. I believed He was provider of my needs but it was weighed down with doubt because my problems seemed insurmountable. 

Now after time and time again of seeing Him provide I KNOW Him as provider. In this passage and plenty of others He shows us that He understands how long we have dealt with problems, He knows what we need to grow our faith and my experience is He is eager to provide that growth opportunity and show us how He had a plan all along.

James 1:2-5 "my brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be complete lacking nothing. if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives liberally and without reproach,and it will be given to him." Each time I face uncertainty, remember what He did before and trust He will do it again, it’s an exercise of faith. There are always doubts but learning to be patient as we wait for God to move isn't a one and done task. Each time He moves it fills the faith cup a little more. So the next trial we face, we can have more patience and more trust. Last time I checked, it takes wisdom to piece together other times God has shown us His faithfulness and try to apply that knowledge to our current and future challenges. James says ask for wisdom and God will give liberally without reproach. That is encouraging to know, that when I need wisdom to navigate the situations that test my faith, all I have to do is ask and God will give it to me.

I feel like my thoughts kind of ran together and got clouded but my takeaway from this passage (leaving out the next verses when the people point out the miracle was done on the sabbath) was that God is eager to show us who He is. Just like He did on the day He revealed Himself to me and showed me my need for a Lord and Savior. 

If we have issues, He knows how long we've suffered and knows if/when He will fix it. And that timeframe may have zero to do with us. The man in this passage had dealt with his issue 38 years, to be healed right then, because it had to spark the religious leaders anger and set things in motion on Gods timeline. It also reminded me how I can overcomplicate a simple question. "do you want to be healed"? Well, yeah but I don't have anyone to pick me up, the rest of them are faster than me. etc

Jesus didn't ask the question to hear the guy’s reasons why he wasn't able to do the things in his own power to find healing. Jesus’ response bypassed the man’s abilities all together and showed His ability to heal without the man’s help. I've got to do better focusing on that. Jesus may not need me to do anything to accomplish His plan. Maybe He just needs me to be at a certain place, at a certain time with a problem that I can't fix, so He can show people His power. And just like the man at the pool, it may not be in the way I expect it. He thought an impossible mad dash to the pool at just the right moment was what he needed for healing. Jesus did nothing more than speak 7 words to change the rest of that mans life. After 38 years of the same problem, Jesus spoke one sentence to fix it. He can and will do the same for us today. We can't do it in our own power. All we need is a mustard seed of faith. 

I can't wait to see what mountains God moves with my mustard seed faith.