But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” (John 5:11)
Expanded Passage: John 5:1-15
Of all those gathered at the pool of Bethesda, why did Jesus choose him? His situation was certainly dire. With health and hope deteriorating, he lay by the waters with no means to enter them.
Why would Jesus heal him on the Sabbath, which was against Jewish law? The Pharisees—whose intentions had originally been to keep God’s people from falling away from him again—had instead burdened those people with numerous rules and regulations to keep.
The beauty of this story is that it demonstrates Jesus’ heart. He shows that it’s not laws and restrictions that bring us close to him. In fact, it’s nothing we do at all—it is his prevenient grace, the “grace that goes before,” that rescues us.
We are healed because the Lord wants to heal us. Sometimes, our healing happens physically, such as the paralyzed man in this story. There are other times it will be an emotional or spiritual healing. He will touch us with his Spirit and bring restoration and wholeness we never thought possible. But in every case, he will do so on his own terms, and he won’t be bound by the limitations that we, or anyone else, put on him.
Jesus gives us the opportunity to be made complete in him, to be made whole. We need only to ask him for help and surrender to his will.
Ask yourself what restrictions you’ve given God—and toss them out!
Jareb Collins is a senior pastor in Warrenton, Missouri, in the Tri-State District of The Wesleyan Church, and the author of Handbook for the Broken Hearted.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
