Written by Aisha Darwesh
The Word
34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. 35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. –Acts 9:34-35 ESV
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” –Mark 2:10-12 ESV
5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. –John 5:5-9 ESV
Aisha’s Analysis
There’s nothing like seeing God transform someone’s life completely to inspire hope and a sense of wonder at God’s goodness. That’s exactly what we see in the above examples of Jesus immediately healing individuals who had been bedridden and paralyzed with chronic conditions.
In the verses above from our study in Acts, Peter declares to Aeneas “Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed” (Acts 9:34). Similarly, in the other two instances in scripture, Jesus heals two paralytics and instructs them to rise, pick up their beds, and walk.
This gives us a beautiful picture of how God moves in our lives. First, it is He who heals us. While the above scriptures pertain to physical ailments, Jesus also heals us from other things in life that paralyze us or keep us stuck: old wounds, trauma, labels, habits, a curse, or lies we’ve been believing.
We can become so accustomed to staying stuck. It became normal for Aeneas to be glued to his mat–he had been bedridden for 8 years. The man at the pool of Bethesda had been paralyzed for 38 years. In both cases, it is likely these men assumed nothing would change about their situation. We do not know how long the man in Mark 2 had been paralyzed, but at least he had friends to help carry him and bring him before Jesus.
In all of these situations, it is Jesus who heals and then the men are given an opportunity to take the next steps: rise, pick up their mat, and walk. For people who have been crushed by the weight of life’s heavy burdens and then are suddenly healed by Jesus, getting up is the first step. Not only that, Jesus instructs them to pick up their mat. This speaks to taking ownership of what happened. Instead of building their lives on a mat, they would now roll up the mat and make it a part of their story. Lastly, Jesus tells them to walk. That miracle of walking after being chronically stuck on a mat caused a stir in the surrounding areas and led many people to turn to the Lord.
This shows us that living in God’s healing is a choice we make every day, and it has the power to impact the lives of people around us. The fact that this pattern of healing is repeated in scripture speaks to the importance of walking out God’s healing. Jesus heals us, and we respond by getting up, rolling up our mat, and walking in the victory He has won for us.
Application
In what area of your life have you been seemingly stuck for a long time? Could it be that God wants to heal you instantly? If you received His miraculous power to save you, are you walking in the healing He has won for you, or are you still stuck to the “mat” you were previously tethered to?
The men in these stories couldn’t get up from their mats until Jesus healed them. After that point, they had to make a conscious choice to get up and leave their previous lifestyle behind. Are you willing to get up? What does getting up look like for you today? Spend some time in prayer to reflect. In what way is God leading you to get up?
Prayer
Dear Lord, I’m so grateful it is Jesus who heals me. Without Him, I’d be hopeless. Thank You for renewing my soul with the freedom I have in Christ. I am no longer tethered to my past mistakes, regrets, or destructive patterns. May I live my life to glorify Your holy name. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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