Sermon – Do You Want to be Made Well? Rev. Sandy Lacey May 25, 2025
It sounds like an odd question to ask the man who had been ill for thirty-eight years: “Do you want to be made well?” Jesus is in Jerusalem celebrating a Jewish religious festival that is meant to remind the people of God’s salvation history. And he goes to a special pool that has healing properties. He sees a lame man lying there, waiting, probably begging for help. Every day for the past 38 years the man waited for help, probably begging for his food – and now a stranger asks him what seems to be a silly question: “Do you want to be made well?” When we really think about it, though, we must acknowledge that if he is given his health, his life will most assuredly change. Old patterns of coping with things, old ways of getting what he needs/wants will change and new patterns will have to emerge. So, my thought is that it is actually a good question directed to any one of us at the brink of a major transition in life – the kind of question that asks, “are you ready for your world to be turned upside down?” It reminds me of the Exodus story in which their leader, Moses, liberates them from Egypt. Scriptures tell us they wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years after they left Egypt before they finally reached the promised land. An entire generation of them had to die before God would allow them to enter the promised land. Why? Could it be because while they may have said they wanted freedom, their actions and mentality indicated something different. We read in Exodus that their cries and whines to Moses on a regular basis reflected fear of the unknown and a distrust of the God who had liberated them. To top it off they had a penchant for a weird kind of nostalgia – one in which they romanticized their harsh slavery past. At least it was predictable, they lamented. They knew what to expect. Freedom was so unpredictable; they could not guess what new problem was just around the corner. So, Moses could have said to the people, “I am confused. You said you wanted to be free, but your whines and actions indicate something different. Do you, in fact, want to be free?” and their honest response would have been something like, “yes . . . but does it have to be so hard, so risky? We’re pretty good at crying out to God for help but not so good at being patient and trusting that God has our best interest at heart. We are having trouble with change.” Scriptures tell us that it took them 40 years and the death of an entire generation of people to reach the promised land because while they were physically free, they still were not free in their minds and hearts. When I read this question in John (“do you want to be made well?), I also think of someone who chooses to live in an abusive relationship. They choose to remain even though it is horribly painful, demeaning, and spirit-killing. It is a paralyzing lack of expectancy that life can be any different for them. It is a strong fear of the unknown combined with a crippling sense of poor self-esteem and an inadequate sense of the self that God created them to be that keeps them in an abusive relationship. We often prefer the familiar (even if it is bad) to the unknown. Many times, early on, the abused think they can change the person or make them better; or worse, think somehow that they deserve the poor treatment. Jesus’ question is a haunting one to all of us avoiding change, “Do you want to be made well?” It may mean leaving what is familiar and predictable to something completely different and risky. It is a scary proposition because it will mean stepping out into unfamiliar territory and taking risks. What we often do not know, however, is the risk of keeping the status quo, of not “rocking the boat” is even greater. It can mean a slow death to the life-giving spirit that lives inside of us and around us. In thinking about this passage, I also think about some cases of sickness/illness. (Notice that I did not say all cases of illness or even many cases of illness.) Have you noticed that there are those who seem to revel in their illness and who use it to manipulate others. When illness is a crutch, it can become familiar and habit forming so that to be without it might be a little scary for some. “Do you want to be made well?” becomes kind of like, “are you ready for your life to change?” Patterns of dependence will be broken; old excuses for not trying something new will no longer be valid; you will no longer be the center of attention. How will you act; how will you focus your new energy with your health returned to you? And how will the nature of your relationships change? (This is especially true for the disease of alcoholism and drug abuse.) The truth is that whatever difficult circumstance we find ourselves in, not all of us are ready to be made well. Jesus must have known that when he asked the man the challenging question. And notice the man’s response. He did not answer Jesus’ question but instead, complained about how no one ever helped him to the pool in time so that he could benefit from its healing powers. He apparently did not know who Jesus was and interestingly, he did not express any faith in God or in Jesus at all. And yet, Jesus graced him with healing. Just because. The man may not have understood Jesus’ question. He certainly did not express any faith and was not the poster child for spiritual insight into his condition. He also did not express any gratitude . . . but grace happened anyway. His life changed anyway. Because that is who Jesus is and that is who God is. Apparently, one does not have to “get it right” to be a recipient of God’s grace. Later in this same passage the Jewish leaders will become angry with Jesus, not because he healed someone without their approval but because he healed the man on the Sabbath. The healing violated their interpretation of keeping the Sabbath holy and set apart from work. And you know how we religious people can be with our rules! Even though Jesus says in another passage that the Sabbath was given to humankind for life and to live life abundantly, we have to establish rules for what that can look like. (No work on the Sabbath – unless it is approved first. You know, we need to call a committee together, deliberate the question over a few months, debate the pros and cons, then give you a final answer. In the meantime, the person tragically dies from his illness.) By doing this healing on the Sabbath, it is as if Jesus is also asking the religious establishment of that day and our day, “do you want to be made well?” In other words, are the rules we demand life-giving or death-giving? Jesus’ rules are often different than our rules. The man who was made well did not even know who it was that performed such a miracle until Jesus finds him again later in the Temple. Jesus says some strange words to him again when he says, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you.” Strange words because in John 9, Jesus insists that a person’s illness is not related to their sin (or the sin of their parents.) So, we are left to wonder what Jesus meant in that passage. Could it be that Jesus is encouraging the made-well man to live his new life differently? It is as if he says, “now that you are healthy, live like the person you were created to be. Do not fall into familiar traps that keep you from being who God created you to be. Don’t live your life with an illness mentality.” With this passage swirling around in my head and heart this week, I found myself wondering how the question, “do you want to be made well?” might apply to my exasperation and exhaustion with what I hear in the national news these days. How many times have I allowed myself to be relegated to the lame man beside the healing waters, thinking there is nothing I can do and no hope that life can be any different? How often have I been willing to live an “illness mentality” life in which there are actual things I can do, but choose not to because it might just change everything? How am I meant to live the life I have been given when others around me are being threatened? When will I recognize my God-given voice and agency to effect good in the world around me? Or will I simply learn to be content while Jesus’ message of loving and caring for our neighbors is ignored? The truth is that if we really want our nation/our world to be made well, I suspect that we’ve actually got to be willing to be a little uncomfortable and discontented. Friends, in addition to the challenging news for today, there is also some good news. We are not alone; we are in this together. This Scripture passage reminds us that God’s grace is sufficient and is not dependent upon us having it all together. Like the lame man by the pool, Jesus pierces our status quo with a question: “do you want to be made well?” Do you want to live the life God intends? Don’t fall into the same old patterns, but look up, listen, and be ready to answer God’s call. Tomorrow is a new day and we can do change together. It is risky . things will never be same. And yet, just as author Brian McLaren says, in order for resurrection and real change to happen, something must die.[1] What are you willing to let go so that you can be made well? AMEN.
[1] Brian McLaren, The Great Spiritual Migration and other works of his in which I see this theme present.
It sounds like an odd question to ask the man who had been ill for thirty-eight years: “Do you want to be made well?” Jesus is in Jerusalem celebrating a Jewish religious festival that is meant to remind the people of God’s salvation history. And he goes to a special pool that has healing properties. He sees a lame man lying there, waiting, probably begging for help. Every day for the past 38 years the man waited for help, probably begging for his food – and now a stranger asks him what seems to be a silly question: “Do you want to be made well?” When we really think about it, though, we must acknowledge that if he is given his health, his life will most assuredly change. Old patterns of coping with things, old ways of getting what he needs/wants will change and new patterns will have to emerge. So, my thought is that it is actually a good question directed to any one of us at the brink of a major transition in life – the kind of question that asks, “are you ready for your world to be turned upside down?” It reminds me of the Exodus story in which their leader, Moses, liberates them from Egypt. Scriptures tell us they wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years after they left Egypt before they finally reached the promised land. An entire generation of them had to die before God would allow them to enter the promised land. Why? Could it be because while they may have said they wanted freedom, their actions and mentality indicated something different. We read in Exodus that their cries and whines to Moses on a regular basis reflected fear of the unknown and a distrust of the God who had liberated them. To top it off they had a penchant for a weird kind of nostalgia – one in which they romanticized their harsh slavery past. At least it was predictable, they lamented. They knew what to expect. Freedom was so unpredictable; they could not guess what new problem was just around the corner. So, Moses could have said to the people, “I am confused. You said you wanted to be free, but your whines and actions indicate something different. Do you, in fact, want to be free?” and their honest response would have been something like, “yes . . . but does it have to be so hard, so risky? We’re pretty good at crying out to God for help but not so good at being patient and trusting that God has our best interest at heart. We are having trouble with change.” Scriptures tell us that it took them 40 years and the death of an entire generation of people to reach the promised land because while they were physically free, they still were not free in their minds and hearts. When I read this question in John (“do you want to be made well?), I also think of someone who chooses to live in an abusive relationship. They choose to remain even though it is horribly painful, demeaning, and spirit-killing. It is a paralyzing lack of expectancy that life can be any different for them. It is a strong fear of the unknown combined with a crippling sense of poor self-esteem and an inadequate sense of the self that God created them to be that keeps them in an abusive relationship. We often prefer the familiar (even if it is bad) to the unknown. Many times, early on, the abused think they can change the person or make them better; or worse, think somehow that they deserve the poor treatment. Jesus’ question is a haunting one to all of us avoiding change, “Do you want to be made well?” It may mean leaving what is familiar and predictable to something completely different and risky. It is a scary proposition because it will mean stepping out into unfamiliar territory and taking risks. What we often do not know, however, is the risk of keeping the status quo, of not “rocking the boat” is even greater. It can mean a slow death to the life-giving spirit that lives inside of us and around us. In thinking about this passage, I also think about some cases of sickness/illness. (Notice that I did not say all cases of illness or even many cases of illness.) Have you noticed that there are those who seem to revel in their illness and who use it to manipulate others. When illness is a crutch, it can become familiar and habit forming so that to be without it might be a little scary for some. “Do you want to be made well?” becomes kind of like, “are you ready for your life to change?” Patterns of dependence will be broken; old excuses for not trying something new will no longer be valid; you will no longer be the center of attention. How will you act; how will you focus your new energy with your health returned to you? And how will the nature of your relationships change? (This is especially true for the disease of alcoholism and drug abuse.) The truth is that whatever difficult circumstance we find ourselves in, not all of us are ready to be made well. Jesus must have known that when he asked the man the challenging question. And notice the man’s response. He did not answer Jesus’ question but instead, complained about how no one ever helped him to the pool in time so that he could benefit from its healing powers. He apparently did not know who Jesus was and interestingly, he did not express any faith in God or in Jesus at all. And yet, Jesus graced him with healing. Just because. The man may not have understood Jesus’ question. He certainly did not express any faith and was not the poster child for spiritual insight into his condition. He also did not express any gratitude . . . but grace happened anyway. His life changed anyway. Because that is who Jesus is and that is who God is. Apparently, one does not have to “get it right” to be a recipient of God’s grace. Later in this same passage the Jewish leaders will become angry with Jesus, not because he healed someone without their approval but because he healed the man on the Sabbath. The healing violated their interpretation of keeping the Sabbath holy and set apart from work. And you know how we religious people can be with our rules! Even though Jesus says in another passage that the Sabbath was given to humankind for life and to live life abundantly, we have to establish rules for what that can look like. (No work on the Sabbath – unless it is approved first. You know, we need to call a committee together, deliberate the question over a few months, debate the pros and cons, then give you a final answer. In the meantime, the person tragically dies from his illness.) By doing this healing on the Sabbath, it is as if Jesus is also asking the religious establishment of that day and our day, “do you want to be made well?” In other words, are the rules we demand life-giving or death-giving? Jesus’ rules are often different than our rules. The man who was made well did not even know who it was that performed such a miracle until Jesus finds him again later in the Temple. Jesus says some strange words to him again when he says, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you.” Strange words because in John 9, Jesus insists that a person’s illness is not related to their sin (or the sin of their parents.) So, we are left to wonder what Jesus meant in that passage. Could it be that Jesus is encouraging the made-well man to live his new life differently? It is as if he says, “now that you are healthy, live like the person you were created to be. Do not fall into familiar traps that keep you from being who God created you to be. Don’t live your life with an illness mentality.” With this passage swirling around in my head and heart this week, I found myself wondering how the question, “do you want to be made well?” might apply to my exasperation and exhaustion with what I hear in the national news these days. How many times have I allowed myself to be relegated to the lame man beside the healing waters, thinking there is nothing I can do and no hope that life can be any different? How often have I been willing to live an “illness mentality” life in which there are actual things I can do, but choose not to because it might just change everything? How am I meant to live the life I have been given when others around me are being threatened? When will I recognize my God-given voice and agency to effect good in the world around me? Or will I simply learn to be content while Jesus’ message of loving and caring for our neighbors is ignored? The truth is that if we really want our nation/our world to be made well, I suspect that we’ve actually got to be willing to be a little uncomfortable and discontented. Friends, in addition to the challenging news for today, there is also some good news. We are not alone; we are in this together. This Scripture passage reminds us that God’s grace is sufficient and is not dependent upon us having it all together. Like the lame man by the pool, Jesus pierces our status quo with a question: “do you want to be made well?” Do you want to live the life God intends? Don’t fall into the same old patterns, but look up, listen, and be ready to answer God’s call. Tomorrow is a new day and we can do change together. It is risky . things will never be same. And yet, just as author Brian McLaren says, in order for resurrection and real change to happen, something must die.[1] What are you willing to let go so that you can be made well? AMEN.
[1] Brian McLaren, The Great Spiritual Migration and other works of his in which I see this theme present.
_____
[1] Brian McLaren, The Great Spiritual Migration and other works of his in which I see this theme present.