Out Our Way: Do you want to be well? - John 5:5-9

Out our way, a constant subject of both frustration and humor is the interaction with strays who show remarkable ingenuity in being stupid. Charlie and I have found calves that had wandered off miles from the main herd - a few cow-calf units up in the Beaver Creek area during open range season who were found going the wrong way from the water and grazing grounds - and that pesky "Junior," the young Charolais bull who took some seven heifers out of the main herd and managed to end up in the most overgrazed and under watered area on the Tiger Ridge. Fortunately, Charlie and I found them all and brought them back to safety. Sadly, it is not always a happy ending for human "strays."

The Gospel of John records an incident in which Jesus came upon a man who had been ill for 38 years. According to local legend, when the pool of water started stirring - probably from an underground spring - it was said an angel was touching the water - and whoever got into the pool first would be cured. Putting more faith in the legend than in prayer, the man had lain there for 38 years hoping to be first ... but never was. 

Notice the first thing Jesus asked: "Do you want to be made well?" How serious are you? For 38 years you have just sat there bemoaning your condition, but have you done anything to remedy or at least improve it? Have you sought treatment from a physician? Have you made any effort to get on with life despite your illness? Have you even tried to pray and put more faith in God than superstition? 

The man ignored the question, making excuses and blaming everyone else for his 38 years of inaction. Then Jesus cut him short and literally gave him his "marching orders:" "Get up, pick up your mat, and walk!"

This was the moment of truth! The man could continue to lie there and complain, for after 38 years of being a cripple, why would he believe this Galilean carpenter/preacher's word. He always had an excuse for why he could not be cured - why change now? Yet - something in this rabbi's words rang with authority and instead of rejecting the man's command - he obeyed ... and was healed.

When Charlie and I worked the strays - they often resisted and sometimes bawled in protest - but deep down they wanted to get back to mama and the herd. Once they turned in the right direction they soon began to pick up the trail of the main herd - likely began to smell, hear and sense the gathering and started racing ahead eager to get home. 

They wanted to get home - and so once Charlie and I got them on the right trail, they eagerly began to follow it and soon were where they had longed to be when we found them. I suspect a good many of us who had lost our way in the past understand what suddenly finding the right trail and realizing we are no longer lost, but finally heading for home feels like. 

Like those strays, we may have had no clue how to get there - resisted efforts to get us on the right trail - and even sought to run even faster in the wrong direction. So we remained lost and empty and filled with excuses like that crippled man who spent most of his life crippled in mind and soul as well as body. But somewhere along the way the question came up: Do you want to be made well? And we said yes. At that moment we began to leave the excuses and the blaming of others behind, got up and walked.

Be blessed and be a blessing

Brother John 

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The Rev. John Bruington is the retired pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Havre. He now lives in Colorado, but continues to write "Out Our Way." He can be reached for comment or dialogue at [email protected].