do you really want to be healed?
Pastor Frank Park | Founding and Senior Pastor
John 5:1–29
Thirty-eight years!
That’s how long the man at the pool of Bethesda had been lying there stuck, stagnant, and surviving, but not thriving. When Jesus walks up to him, He asks what seems like an almost offensive question: “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6)
At first glance, the answer should be obvious. But the man’s response reveals something deeper in the human heart. Something we all wrestle with.
He doesn’t say “Yes.”
He doesn’t say “No.”
Instead he launches into excuses, comparisons, and blame:
It’s the language of a man who likes the idea of change…but isn’t ready to embrace the cost of change.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Not everyone wants to get better.
Not everyone wants to be healed.
Not everyone wants to change.
1.THE LURE OF FAMILIAR PAIN
Sometimes the pain we know feels safer than the freedom we don’t know. For 38 years, the man’s condition defined him. It shaped his identity, his expectations, his routine, even his excuses.
Healing would mean:
Jesus wasn’t just offering new legs. He was offering a new life, and with that comes responsibility.
2. PEOPLE COME TO CHURCH FOR MANY REASONS
Some come for fellowship.
Some come for charity.
Some come for tradition.
Some come because that’s what “good Christians do.”
But not everyone comes to actually change.
We often pray:
“Lord, bring me into a new season…” - but we cling tightly to old habits, old sins, old routines, old comfort zones.
We want resurrection without crucifixion.
We want transformation without surrender.
We want breakthrough without obedience.
Jesus asks us the same question today:
“Do you WANT to be healed?”
NOT:
“Do you want to feel better for a moment?”
“Do you want sympathy?”
“Do you want community?”
HE ASKS:
Do you actually want to be made whole?
Do you want the kind of healing that changes your life?
3. UNTIL THE PAIN OF STAYING THE SAME EXCEEDS THE PAIN OF CHANGE...
Many people won’t change.
We love the idea of growth, but we resist the cost of growth.
We want God to do the supernatural while we stay comfortably natural.
But Jesus’ command to the man was simple:
“Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” (John 5:8)
Notice Jesus didn’t say:
No. Jesus demanded action. Faith. Obedience. Freedom always comes with responsibility.
4. JESUS HEALS THOSE WHO ARE WILLING. NOT JUST THOSE WHO ARE HURTING.
Everyone hurts. Everyone struggles. Everyone has needs.
But not everyone wants to surrender the habits that keep them unwell. Jesus came to make people whole, but only the willing experience His healing.
You can’t be delivered from demons you’re still entertaining.
You can’t be transformed by a truth you refuse to obey.
You can’t walk into a new season dragging your old mat.
Reflection Questions
Thirty-eight years!
That’s how long the man at the pool of Bethesda had been lying there stuck, stagnant, and surviving, but not thriving. When Jesus walks up to him, He asks what seems like an almost offensive question: “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6)
At first glance, the answer should be obvious. But the man’s response reveals something deeper in the human heart. Something we all wrestle with.
He doesn’t say “Yes.”
He doesn’t say “No.”
Instead he launches into excuses, comparisons, and blame:
- “I have no one…”
- “Someone always gets ahead of me…”
- “I can’t get there in time…”
It’s the language of a man who likes the idea of change…but isn’t ready to embrace the cost of change.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Not everyone wants to get better.
Not everyone wants to be healed.
Not everyone wants to change.
1.THE LURE OF FAMILIAR PAIN
Sometimes the pain we know feels safer than the freedom we don’t know. For 38 years, the man’s condition defined him. It shaped his identity, his expectations, his routine, even his excuses.
Healing would mean:
- New responsibilities
- New expectations
- A new life
- No more excuses
- No one else to blame
Jesus wasn’t just offering new legs. He was offering a new life, and with that comes responsibility.
2. PEOPLE COME TO CHURCH FOR MANY REASONS
Some come for fellowship.
Some come for charity.
Some come for tradition.
Some come because that’s what “good Christians do.”
But not everyone comes to actually change.
We often pray:
“Lord, bring me into a new season…” - but we cling tightly to old habits, old sins, old routines, old comfort zones.
We want resurrection without crucifixion.
We want transformation without surrender.
We want breakthrough without obedience.
Jesus asks us the same question today:
“Do you WANT to be healed?”
NOT:
“Do you want to feel better for a moment?”
“Do you want sympathy?”
“Do you want community?”
HE ASKS:
Do you actually want to be made whole?
Do you want the kind of healing that changes your life?
3. UNTIL THE PAIN OF STAYING THE SAME EXCEEDS THE PAIN OF CHANGE...
Many people won’t change.
We love the idea of growth, but we resist the cost of growth.
We want God to do the supernatural while we stay comfortably natural.
But Jesus’ command to the man was simple:
“Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” (John 5:8)
Notice Jesus didn’t say:
- “Relax, I’ll do everything.”
- “Stay lying there while I bless your situation.”
- “I’ll move the pool closer to you.”
No. Jesus demanded action. Faith. Obedience. Freedom always comes with responsibility.
4. JESUS HEALS THOSE WHO ARE WILLING. NOT JUST THOSE WHO ARE HURTING.
Everyone hurts. Everyone struggles. Everyone has needs.
But not everyone wants to surrender the habits that keep them unwell. Jesus came to make people whole, but only the willing experience His healing.
You can’t be delivered from demons you’re still entertaining.
You can’t be transformed by a truth you refuse to obey.
You can’t walk into a new season dragging your old mat.
Reflection Questions
- What “mat” has Jesus been telling you to pick up and walk away from?
- Where have you been making excuses instead of taking responsibility?
- What old habits are you clinging to while praying for a new season?
- Do you actually want to change, or just the comfort of thinking about change?