Infirmities
The book of John records the story of a man who suffered with an infirmity for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, (The sick man) Wilt thou be made whole? John 5:6. This man had spent practically his entire life in a bedridden state, depending on others to assist him with the activities of daily living. His only hope of a cure was to wait on the "moving of the water" at the pool of Bethesda, and be the first one to step in. If he succeeded, he was made whole of whatever disease he had (see John 4:4). After thirty-eight years of repetitious failure, his journey to the pool had now become a vain ritual. You see, it is impossible to jump in a pool when you can't even get up.
Jesus asked the man, "Wilt thou be made whole"? I believe
that what Jesus was asking him and what he actually heard were two different
things. Jesus did not say, "Wilt thou be healed of thine
infirmity?" He did not try and point out how things could have been
different in his life if only he had handled things another way. He did
not try to give him a quick positive self-image lecture, or point out all of his
negative confessions. He did not say, "Do you want to walk?"
He simply asked him if he was willing to be made whole.
We modern day Christians have a real problem. Our misconception of wellness versus wholeness has been a great hindrance to the progress of our faith life. We define wellness as being healthy, wealthy, living a long time and being happy. Suffering and adversity is for the sinner, not the saints. Faith has become the great escape for the Christian. If you only have enough faith or the right kind of faith, you can have anything you say. Just claim it, and it's yours.
This sounds very enchanting, and it works well in "Wishland". But in the real world, it will ultimately fail. You see, no person, no matter how spiritual they are, can live beyond the sting of adversity. The heroes of faith didn't, the Apostles didn't, Jesus didn't, and you won't either. You may be the most holy person in your religious organization, but the day will come when you may feel ill, or discouraged, or weak, or exposed to threat. The day will come when you will have to admit that the answer to certain things happening in your life are beyond your control, and that you need God's help.
I have petitions and requests before the Lord right now, and many have not been answered. But that doesn't mean that my faith has failed or that I have sin in my life. I simply live one day at a time, keep believing and trusting that God is working on my behalf, and walk in the peace of God. That way, I always maintain a consistent faith walk, and I always have the peace of God in my life.
Jesus wants us whole, not just well. Wholeness has to do with your body, soul and spirit. It focuses not only on the present life, but that which is to come. It not only deals with how you feel today, but how you think and act in the future. Being made whole deals with being connected to the "True Vine", and producing the supernatural fruits of righteousness which revolutionize your life. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
When Jesus later came across the man in the temple, he encouraged him to change his lifestyle of sin (see John 5:14). Receiving healing today is vain if it doesn't cause us to consider our eternal destiny. All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass; the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away 1 Peter 1:24. Health and wealth in relation to eternity is at best a temporary state. Whereas ye know not what shall be on tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appearth for a little time, and then vanished away James 4:14.
Am I saying that Christians shouldn't enjoy health and prosperity? Of coarse not. But I do feel that we shouldn't focus so intensely on these issues that we miss the big picture. Jesus wants you whole, whether you're healed or not. Jesus wants you whole regardless to which neighborhood you live in or which model automobile you are driving. Just examine the secular thought that is alive in our culture today. If man can stop pain and suffering, prolong life and postpone death, they will do it without God. Therefore, if we embrace wellness, yet miss out on wholeness, are we ultimately any different from the world?
Although wellness may be a personal need of ours, true wholeness is something much much greater. We cannot grasp any of the deeper truths of scripture if we're not made whole. To be fully redeemed from the curse of sin is an important aspect of being made whole. Jesus wants us whole because there is no other way He can bring us into the fullness of joy He has planned for us. "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in joy, and that your joy might be full" John 15:11
God's way to wholeness is simple, and you don't have to be a millionaire or super saint to achieve it. Jesus' way to wholeness is given in Matthew 22:37-39, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself." Wholeness is relational, not situational. Regardless to how you feel or what you possess, keep growing in your love for God and others. If you do this, you will have a peace and joy in your life that impacts your entire body, soul and spirit (your whole person).
Wholeness is what we all long for. It is what Adam had before the fall, and somehow, we seem to know in our hearts, that it belongs to us. And though this life inevitably brings difficulties, through God's power and grace, we can move forward. We do not have to live a fragmented life, confused by why we didn't get this or that from God. We can be content to let God be God, and to pursue wholeness even when our present situation is not ideal.
By: Edmund Brown