"Do you want to get well?"

"Do you want to get well?" It's really a silly question if you think about it. It's even more absurd when you look at John 5:6 and see Jesus asking it to a man who has been crippled for the last thirty-eight years. Doesn't it seem obvious? Who wouldn't want to get well! But the real question is not if you want to get well. The real question Jesus is asking is, "Do you think it's possible for you to be healed? Do you trust Me? Do you have faith?" Do you? Do I?

The next scene is maybe even more ridiculous. Jesus just tells the man, "Pick up your mat and walk." Imagine what's going through the invalid's mind. "He can't be serious, can He?" The guy has probably heard this before - "Hey crippy! Just get up and walk. One foot in front of the other - it's easy." But this time there's no jeering; no sarcasm. There is a sincerity in Jesus' voice that makes His command to walk so absurd it just might work. So the Invalid has a choice to make. He can step out on faith and see what happens. After all, if he can't walk after all, he won't be any worse off than he is now. And so he grabs his mat and takes the first step in his new life.

The truth is that Jesus asks us all this same question: "Do you want to get well?" And then he waits for our response. Will we be content to stay in our current state, or will we have the audacity to pick up our mat and see if our legs move? The choice is yours to make.