the    sides

This is part of our weekly e-journey through the gospel of John. Today is from John 4:43-5:15.

“Do you really want to be the person you are becoming?”

“The reason I’m this way is because my parents are recovering alcoholics, divorced, and workaholics. I’ve had a hard life.”

Eventually you’ll have a conversation like this. I’ve struggled with exactly how to handle it. The “spiritual side” of me wants to nod, listen, encourage, and try to be as positive as I can. The “dark side” wants to jack them upside their head and say “Yeah…you are the only person on the planet with a hard life and somehow someway that justifies your anger, laziness, bitterness, or whatever other emotionally/behavioral issue that is going on. Get over yourself and grow up.”

Really and honestly - do any of us know what Jesus would really do? And if we did - would we dare?

A man comes begging for Jesus to heal his son, he’s crying on his hands and knees in front of him. Jesus says “So your faith in me is only based on whether or not you see a miraculous sign? Go home, your son will live.”

How coarse is that? It had to SOUND like Jesus was blowing him off. It had to have the AIR of - you are bothering me but if you leave now, I’ll heal your son. It possibly could be the most heartless, arrogant, thoughtless statement said to another human in that situation. Unless of course, Jesus is God and has power over death to the extent he doesn’t even have to see or touch the person who is dead.

A few verses later we get a crippled man telling Jesus his myriad of excuses of why he can’t get in the Pool when the angels stir the water for healing, how long he’s been crippled and the whole sob story.

To which Jesus says to him - “Do you WANT to get well?” Do you enjoy the complaining and self-pity or do you really want to get well? Do you like all the attention or is there something deeper going on?

The guy goes into chapter 2 of all the excuses and Jesus finally says to him - “Get up and walk.”

Go downtown, find a homeless guy in a wheelchair, ask him his story. When he gets done telling you the story - ask him if he wants to get well. If you are still breathing, tell him to get up and walk. That’s what Jesus did.

Notice that Jesus didn’t belittle their problems. He didn’t question the hardship of their circumstances. He did in a way questioned their heart and faith in the middle of their circumstances. He challenged their victim mentality by basically asking them - what do you REALLY want? Will you do what it takes to get what you want?

If you REALLY want your son to live - go home now. If you REALLY want to walk - get up and walk. If instead you like the attention or the hurt or the excuse making - do nothing. Decide what you really want, then make the steps toward that. Faith results in action, not inaction.

What do you REALLY want?

I want to be closer to God but finding time to spend with Him is ridiculous.
I want to be a better prayer without actually praying.
I want to know more of God’s word without actually studying it.
I want to grow in Christ without actually serving others to do it.
I want to be a leader without actually having to make hard decisions.
I want to be moral without changing the chinks in my character.
I want to be accountable but I don’t want to quit blaming others for how I turned out.
I want to be a conqueror without giving up my victim status.

To which I think Jesus would ask - is that what you REALLY want?