In his sermon the Rev. Dr. Vais reflects on a personal failure from early in his ministry, when he prioritized a workshop over someone in need, a mistake that still troubles him. He parallels this with Jesus’ encountered in John 5: 1-9, where, despite being on his way to a religious festival, Jesus pauses to help a man who had been ill for 38 years. Rather than addressing the man’s desires, Jesus first asked “Do you want to get well? – A question that challenges assumptions and invites personal responsibility.
Vais emphasizes that healing and transformation require both desire and will. Jesus’ command to the man – “Get up, pick up your cot and walk” – illustrates tough love and the power of achieving inner strength with God’s help. The message challenges listeners to recognize their own forms of paralysis – be it fear, complacency, or excuses – and to respond with action and faith.
The sermon concludes with a call to gratitude: in silence, listeners are invited to remember those who have uplifted them and, if possible, to reach out in thanks. It ends with a hymn of thanksgiving reinforcing the theme of gratitude, healing and active faith
JOHN 5:1-9
It happened during my first year in ministry. As I was heading out the door one evening to participate in a workshop, the phone rang. Someone wanted to talk to me in person. I said to the man, “I will call you in the morning”, but when morning came my services were no longer needed. My assignment at the workshop, was more important than the man’s need, and my decision not to comply bothers me to this day. The fact that I have not done such an insensitive thing since, does not help. I let someone down because my agenda was more important than the man’s need at the time.
How did Jesus handle such situations? Today’s Gospel lesson tells us how Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to attend a Festival, just like I was on my way to take part in a workshop. On His way there, our Lord noticed a large crowd of sick people lying on one of the five porches surrounding the pool area in Bethesda, just outside of Jerusalem. Some of them were blind, others lame, and others paralyzed. For some reason, Jesus became interested in one particular man who had been lying there for 38 years. That’s a long time, that’s longer than the expected lifespan of humans in those days. Did Jesus take the time to watch him for a while, and noticed how frustrated and helpless this man was? We don’t really know. All we know is that he saw him there bouncing between life and death, between healing and hurting, between what had been and what could be. Have you ever in your life been in such a place? If you have, you know what it’s like.
At this point, our Lord had a number of choices. He could have told the man, He was sorry to see him in this condition and then go on to the festival; He could have assumed what the man wanted and given him a quick fix; He could have said to him cheer up, my friend, compared to the rest, you are not doing too badly! I am heading to a festival in Jerusalem, here is my business card. Instead, Jesus asked him: “do you want to get well?” Why would anyone ask him such a question? Wasn’t it obvious that this man was in bad shape and wanted to get well? If the truth were known he would have given anything to be out of there, enjoying a normal life. Then, why ask what seemed to be obvious?
In spite of what we may think or feel, this is the first question our Lord asked the man, after He saw him lying there – “Do you want to get well?” A good lesson for those of us who are prone to make assumptions and come up with easy fixes, that may or may not be what’s needed. There is a true story of a man who was found lying in a ditch at a high elevation. Those who stopped to help him, given his condition and behaviour assumed that he was on drugs, and began to treat him accordingly. Only to find out that he was an ecologist conducting scientific experiments, at high altitudes, and his problem was lack of oxygen. He was not the person they thought he was.
In today’s incident, Jesus was not going to assume even the obvious, hence the question: “Do you want to get well? The sick man answered, ‘sir, I don’t have anyone here to pick me up and put me in the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am trying to get in, somebody else gets there first’ .”[v.7]
Yes, I do want to get well, and when I muster up enough strength to go to the place of healing, someone else manages to get there ahead of me. I cannot get there fast enough. Yes, I do want to get well, but I don’t have anyone to help me. You see, I am not as fortunate as these other people who have relatives and friends to help them. I am all alone, circumstances are against me. Jesus said to him: “I’ve heard you and all your excuses, my question to you is –{do you really want to get well?” When the man said, I do want to get well, Jesus’ response to him was brief and to the point. I have a friend who has this gift of being brief and to the point.Whenever I ask him a difficult question, he always comes back with a solution in one sentence, and he is always right.
Jesus’ response to the man by the poolside contained three action verbs –“Get up, pick up your cot and walk.” Stop waiting for circumstances to change, and don’t always expect people to do things for you. Stand up, pick up that cot of yours and start walking!
This is an excellent illustration of what we call today tough love. Jesus does not take the man’s hand; He does not even offer to pick up his cot, simply because “Where there’s a will, there’s always a way!” The will has to be there first, because there can be a way. Jesus knew he could do it, if he only tapped on part of the unused power resident with him.
There are times when we too are paralyzed like the man on the side of the pool. Our paralysis may manifest itself in some of the following ways -we don’t dream anymore; we don’t think outside the box; we don’t ask for help; we hide behind our excuses; we blame circumstances; and then, we come to a service like this, and the question is put to us – Do we want to change from what we are to what we can be? Do we want free ourselves from the prison we’re in? and we respond: “Yes, we do, but we cannot.” And Jesus says to us: “Yes you can, if you want to.” At this point, He orders us to stand up where we are, pick up our lame excuses and all those other things that keep us down, and start marching towards the sunrise of God’s new day. When our will combines with God’s power, the impossible dream comes true.
John’s Gospel doesn’t tell us whether or not Jesus made it to the Festival, but he does tell us how He took the time to help a man who was at the end of his tether.
I am going to conclude my message by handing you an assignment. Your mere participation in this exercise will promote the spirit of this day. It will be a good indication of how thankful you are. In complete silence, I invite you to think of individuals who went out of their way to encouraged you, and made you feel good, individuals who gave you the tools to cope, and changed the direction of your life. Use this sacred time to name them and thank them. If there are still alive, send them a text this week, an email, give them a call, or better talk to them in person.
