Will You Be Made Whole? - John 5:6

John the apostle wrote how, “there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years”, and in chapter five and verse six of his book, John shared how Jesus asked the man with the infirmity, “will you be made whole?” where we read:

When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case,

he said unto him, Will you be made whole?

The verse reads, “When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, ...”. John began with the words, “When Jesus saw him lie” or “at the time and moment the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate whose name means Jehovah is Salvation observed, notice and discerned the man with infirmity lying down”, “and knew that he had been now a long time” which means “and understood, perceived, discerned and discovered that the particular man possessed for such a huge amount of time” “in that case” or “within the state he was in”. John shared how Jesus observed the man with the thirty-eight year infirmity and “knew” He had been like that for a “long time”.

The verse goes on to say, “... he said unto him, Will you be made whole?” John continued with the words, “he said” which means “Jesus uttered, declared, proclaimed and asked” “unto him” or “to the man with the infirmity”, “will you be made whole” which means “do you have in mind, intend, are resolved and determined and purpose, desire and wish to be cured and healed”? John shared how Jesus asked the man with the “thirty eight year” infirmity if he wanted to be “cured”.

When we consider John's words in this verse, we learn how Jesus “noticed” the man who was sick with the infirmity, and He knew how long he endured this. Jesus' question may have seemed like a strange one because certainly this man desired to be cured, however, we shall discover his mindset in our next verse. For now let it suffice us to know Jesus understood what this man endured, and He was ready to cure him. God desires to “heal” every person from their greatest need which is sin through His Son Jesus, and He asks the same question of them today - “Will you be made whole”? Those who answer yes and yield their lives to Him will be forgiven of their sins and receive everlasting life with God.

Next time John shares how the man with the infirmity answers Jesus, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".