City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

¹² Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,

but a sudden good break can turn life around.

–Proverbs 13:12 MSG

⁵ One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

⁷ “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

⁸ Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

⁹ Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, ¹⁰ so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”

–John 5:5-10 NLT

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses unveil the life of a man whose decades-long chronic condition was suddenly healed. After 38 years of waiting and hoping, he finally received the miracle he so desperately longed for in a totally unexpected way!

It’s a trademark of God to do the unexpected. This chronically ill man was so limited in his thinking, he thought there was only one possible way God could heal him–by being dunked in the pool when the water bubbled up. Little did he know, he would meet God face-to-face, and his life would never be the same. 

It’s beautiful to see the intentionality of Jesus. He came to a very unsightly, somewhat miserable spot. For every few people who occasionally got healed when the water stirred, there were many others still waiting for their miracle. Instead of it being a place of celebration and wonder, it was actually very limited and the people there probably battled with hopelessness on a regular basis. 

The paralytic man waiting there for 38 years had gotten comfortable. He was resting on a mat when Jesus entered the scene. Jesus first inquired if he wanted to be well to which the man responded, “I can’t” (John 5:7). 

Interestingly, Jesus replies to the paralytic’s excuse with an instruction to rise, pick up his mat, and walk. There is so much authority in the words of Jesus, the paralytic actually does it! He was instantly healed. 

However, Jesus’ instruction to this man was in direct opposition to the man-made rules the Jewish leaders adopted in order to keep the Sabbath. Rolling up a mat is considered to be working on the Sabbath. 

What I find so amazing about this passage is that the Jewish leaders are totally uninspired by the incredible miracle of the paralytic man suddenly being able to walk after 38 years. The only thing they seem to notice is a violation of their own self-imposed code-of-conduct. 

This passage shows us two limited ways of thinking. First, the paralytic didn’t realize an encounter with Jesus was all he needed to be well. He thought the only way to receive a miracle was by dipping in the pool. Second, the Jewish leaders are unable to grasp the magnitude of the formerly paralytic man’s miracle. All they are worried about is that somebody is not following their rules. 

Jesus demolished both of those limiting beliefs with one instruction: “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” (John 5:8). 

To the paralytic, this meant acting on the words of Jesus–getting up, picking up his mat, and walking. To the Jewish leaders, this meant seeing an alternate way of keeping the Sabbath. We carry our rest (symbolized by the resting mat) by obeying Jesus. He empowers us to carry His rest day-by-day, just walking with Him, and doing what He calls us to do every day of the week. We are not limited to resting only on the Sabbath. Similarly, taking on the easy yoke of Jesus (a yoke is symbolic of work in an agrarian culture) encapsulates the paradoxical idea that we can work from a place of rest. 

Praise Jesus. He offers rest to the weary by empowering us to walk out His will! 

Application

Take a moment to examine any limiting beliefs you may have adopted through a bad experience or system in the culture. The Bible clearly instructs us: 

² Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.

–Romans 12:2 TPT

As you meditate on the verse above, quiet yourself to listen to God’s instruction. His commands allow for miracles and a new way of doing life. 

Prayer

Father God, I am so blessed to have You in my life. When Jesus walks into my mess, everything changes. You take all the limits off my life by allowing me to obey You completely! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.