Healed and Obeyed

John 5:1-9

"After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 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?” 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.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked."

Something that always fascinates me is the way Jesus healed people. There was no set, standard way for fakes to copy. It was Jesus, all Jesus, the real Jesus, healing people. 

This story in particular was brought to my mind recently. Actually, at the OCHEC conference I recently went to with Mom, Adeena and Heather. It wasn't necessarily supposed to be brought to my mind. We were listening to Heather Kendall, and she mentioned this portion of Scripture in passing. But something sparked my interest, and I marked it down for later. 

What sparked my interest was this: Jesus healed the man, and then the man obeyed Jesus. 

Why was it that way? 

Did the man have to begin to obey before the healing came? 

Did he have to promise he would try his best? 

NO! Look! It says "at once the man was healed" - he didn't have time to try obedience before he was healed. Jesus spoke, and it was! That's the way Jesus did it when creating the universe, and that's how He did it in healing this invalid. 

I think that's a fine illustration of how salvation works. It's not by our obedience. It's certainly not by our choice - the invalid didn't choose Jesus. He probably wasn't even looking for Jesus. When Jesus questioned him, the man was still hoping to get into the water - he had no clue Who Jesus was. 

That doesn't stop my Lord. He kind of blindsided that man with healing. :} 

He did the same to me. I wasn't looking for Him, and He called to me, reached out and saved me, died on the cross and paid the price for my sin, and clothed me with His righteousness. 

I didn't choose Jesus. I wasn't even looking for Jesus. He chose me. 

And notice too that only after the man was healed did he follow what Jesus said. 

In the same way, we can't hope to be able to obey God unless we are first regenerated - reborn - in the Spirit, reconciled to the Father through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. 

Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. We can't hope to please God by obeying Him - we neither can nor want to obey Him. But then Christ blindsides us with salvation, opening our eyes and clothing us in HIS righteousness - which is more than pleasing to the Father. 

Now that we're reborn, we have the ability to obey God. We're no longer dead in trespasses and sins. We're alive in Christ. And we have the desire to obey Christ; we want to do what is pleasing to Him, to bring Him glory and praise. Obedience is the fruit of salvation, not the beginning. 

So I just thought that was cool. :P