WAIT YOUR TURN Nov. 2019
Reference John 5:1-9
… there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
As I approached the amber light, the car in front of me seemed to be taking its time to proceed. Just like I thought, it stopped, then came the red light. I was not in a hurry but would have preferred not to have to stop. Nowadays, everything must be accomplished faster than the speed of lightning. Then it dawned on me that there was no other option but to wait my turn.
Those who, on occasion, jump the line, set themselves up to be glared at, yelled at, cussed out or even asked to get to the end of the line. We can choose to wait or be disappointed in our effort to break the unspoken rule.
This certain man whom we are considering in the reference, was waited on for thirty-eight years. By then, his norm was to be transported wherever he went. He must have felt that his independence was lost, therefore he was constantly in a state of waiting. Surely, people would attend to their own needs before he would be considered.
His handicapping condition, no doubt affected his ego. What an experience for almost four decades! He waited by the pool, which was by the sheep market, so he was very familiar with the seasons, sights, sounds and smells of the surroundings. Sheep were bartered, sold and slaughtered. Imagine the bleating when the sheep smelled their death. Imagine the thoughts that haunted the man’s head when he heard their helpless cries.
This was his experience for such a long time, yet he returned season after season. I can’t imagine that there was a lot of encouragement shared in that community. It was a place of every man for himself. It was a time of jostling, where the weak were elbowed and the feeble, trampled. Those who tripped might have been side-stepped. Can you hear the shouts of despair and cries for help? Hopelessness pervaded the atmosphere, but someone had to be the one, each season.
Time after time, people repeated the journey to the porch with the expectation that one day would be their day. That religious crowd had faith in the virtue of the water, after it had been stirred by an angel. All types of disabilities were present. There was great faith in the medium that God used. Thus, they devalued His power and facilitated delay.
Jesus knew that many Jews would be attending the feast at Jerusalem, so He strategically went by the pool, the gathering place. Of all the people there, Jesus addressed one man. Did He not see the others lying there? Did He not care that they had been waiting in line also? Yet, He asked the impotent man if he wanted to be made well. This was a great time to shout, “Yes, Sir, Rabbi.” Instead, he began to complain. His reality was that whoever had brought him there had left. The angel stirred the water only for a season, and even so, it was on a basis of, first come, first served.
He reported what was factual about his situation but did not say whether he wanted to be made well. To be made well meant that he would stand on his own two feet. Pity would not be needed and the trips to the pool would cease. After thirty-eight years, he was emotionally and physically drained.
The real need was refurbishing of his mind. The renewal could not take place unless he recognized the obstacles to his deliverance. Was he ready to not only acknowledge that but also accept wholeness? He would no longer be transported, and he would then have to fend for himself. Was he willing and ready to do that?
At the pool, he had some acquaintances who were like-minded. Let’s listen in on their possible conversation:
“How much did you get last season?”
“Hardly anything. Times are hard these days.”
“Will you be back next season?”
“I guess. If someone will take me. People are unreliable.”
“I am going to try to sit right by the edge of the pool next time.”
“Good luck! That’s where I sat last season. I turned around to say, “Hi”, to John, and what do you know? The angel came and all I heard was, “Splash!” Bart jumped in before me.”
No wonder Jesus asked the lame man to weigh the situation and make a decision. There comes a time for us to take inventory. What was there to lose if he chose to be made well: Friends who could not help him; his dependency; his illness; his notoriety in that society and; his place by the pool. What was there to gain? Health, independence, a great testimony, respect in the society and a miracle.
Jesus wanted to deal with the disability, but it was easier for him to itemize everything that was wrong. The angel came at a certain season. The man focused so much on what could have been and what usually happened that he missed what was about to take place. He was the link between what his norm was and what Jesus was proposing. His situation could go in one of two directions. Either, he could hold on to the fact that his help was no longer there, or he could say, “Yes, I want to be made well.”
His turn had come, and he was about to blink at it because his focus was not on The One who had his solution. He longed for his turn, but his expectation was geared towards the rear view. The means by which he expected to be healed was not the tool that Jesus offered. The miracle was not in the stepping into the water. It was in the rising and carrying what carried him.
Could it be that we have a mindset that is contrary to God’s plan? The man expected to be first to step into the water, not realizing that, in stepping in, we go under, but in rising and walking, we are lifted higher and are progressing.
When Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had been in that situation a long time, he spoke to him. Up to that time, the man did not know Jesus. Did Jesus not see the others there, in their dilemma also? The way he prostrated himself and the mustard-seed-faith demeanor about him were like neon lights around him. We may speculate, but one thing that we do know is that it was his turn.
It was not the first time that he waited by the pool, but he kept repeating the same steps while expecting a different result. No-one had cleared the way for him to be first to get in the water. Everyone needed the same compassion. He just kept going with the hope to be healed, although others who had been more able-bodied were swifter and got in the pool and left him there, repeatedly.
It is difficult to see others around us getting their needs met while we are praying to the same God with seemingly no result. God sees, hears, understands and is concerned about our situation. When our faith is tested, God is building character in us. The process will continue until we graduate and transport the thing that we had been reclining on. Jesus did not engage him in the conversation. He diverted his attention towards the action that would bring healing.
The sick man’s body was accustomed to the indentation that it had made on his bed. It didn’t take much effort to position himself. What posture are we so familiar with that we can’t see ourselves otherwise? If our trust is in the one who rested us by the pool and left us there, we will be blinded to who Jesus really is and deaf to what He says.
When Jesus shows up, it is important that we recognize His strategy. It may not always be as clear as crystal, but He requires us to trust His plan. Why does Jesus want us to wait our turn? In due season, we will reap (Galatians 6: 9). Due season means maturity, perfect timing, readiness, a perfect fit. Aside from that, we may thwart God’s plan and must repeat the lesson He chooses for us to learn. Wait your turn. When your time comes NOBODY can take your place.
Jesus did not tell everyone else to step aside so that the man could step in. He told him to get his bed, his source of comfort, out of the way. He had to change his position, the blame game, his rationale, and step into action. The time had come to forget the reasons he was still in that situation. The legitimate reasons were rehearsed to Jesus, but it was the man’s turn to demonstrate that he wanted to be made well.
We do not know the frequency of the season in which the water was stirred, but Jesus is the only One who controls the process of making us well. Can we decide that we have clutched that bed long enough? Is Jesus now saying, “You are in line, so wait your turn”?
Dr. O.A. James
REFLECTION
What position can we take concerning our expectation?