Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto you." (John 5:14)

This is Jesus talking to the man He healed of impotency by the pool of Bethesda. This man had been suffering this infirmity for 38 years. He was bed ridden and couldn’t walk or move about. This pool of water was special because at a certain season an angel would stir the waters of the pool and the first person to step in after the stirring was completely healed of any sickness. There is one catch though and that it works only by ‘first come first serve’ basis! So it was a mad rush every time the angel stirred the waters. This man, being impotent couldn’t reach the pool himself and he needed the help of some man to take him there. Small reason why he laid there with that infirmity for 38 years!

This statement of Jesus has bothered me for many years, especially after the time I knew the wonderful gospel of grace. This statement sounds like a strong warning to this man. If what Jesus said was true, does it mean that as a believer when I sin I lose my healing and expect something worse to happen? No, for the record, I don’t wake up in the morning with a list of sins to commit! But I’m not sinless either! I have to make that statement so that readers don’t misunderstand the intent of my message. I’m not advocating sin but what happens when I do sin? Thus this statement of Jesus kept bothering me every time I got healed of some sickness. Now, I thank Jesus for clearing it up for me and setting me free to really enjoy meditating on this passage.

It’s important to understand the context of this scenario. When Jesus meets this man for the first time, He asks a very interesting question! He asks “Do you desire to be made whole?” Perhaps those 38 years have hardened this impotent man from ever believing that he could be healed someday. This man’s reply is even more interesting! The logical reply would be an “yes” to Someone who finally came to make him whole. But this man is just oblivious to who’s standing before him and just laments that there’s no man to take him to the pool. Here was Jehovah Rapha, The Healer Himself personally standing to minister healing and this man didn’t perceive who He was! The problem was this man’s faith was void. He was with an old covenant work conscious mentality. He was more interested in working out his healing than merely freely receiving it by faith!

Although he had the Healer standing right in front of him this man was trusting man and his efforts to “earn” his healing. Immediately I was reminded of a relative of mine, a lady who believes she cannot be healed because she married a man of a different religion. Even when someone offers to pray for her healing she refuses it because she believes she deserves to be sick! This impotent man was just conscious of his efforts to reach the pool because he believed that’s the only way to be healed. The Healer was ready to give but the impotent man was not ready to receive yet because he couldn’t believe that God can be so good and full of grace! He couldn’t perceive what he yearned to get by the pool on first come first serve basis, Jesus was ready to freely give right where he sat! In spite of this man’s imperfect faith, Jesus in His true style declares healing to Him. This man gets up and walks just by believing the words uttered by Jesus, “rise, take up your bed and walk”.

It’s interesting to note that the healed man still didn’t perceive who Jesus was because when the Jews questioned him about his healing he didn’t know who healed him! Even after this man received the healing, he didn’t know the Healer! His physical impotency was healed but his thick head was impotent from knowing who Jesus was! The sin mentioned by Jesus here is the sin of unbelief in Him. Was Jesus angry that this man didn’t believe? No! He was in essence demonstrating the parable of the sower and the seed. This man belongs to the first category of ground. The Sower (Jesus) had sown the seed (healing) into this man. Because this man’s heart was hard (stony ground), a picture of the old covenant of the law, the seed couldn’t take root. In the parable, the first ground seed is immediately taken by the birds (the devil). The warning of Jesus here is not a punishment or judgment from God, but this man’s hesitancy to believe in the Saviour may cost his healing as he is still not saved. That’s why Jesus reminded this man in saying “Behold (perceive) you are made whole (healed completely), sin no more (don’t be unbelieving), lest a worst thing (your unbelief may let the devil attack you) come unto you.” Immediately the next verse says that he went and told the Jews it was Jesus, so finally, he believed in the Healer, Jesus Christ. As a believer, there is no sin that can ever stop Jesus’ healing from manifesting, because all our sins have been paid on the cross! Rest assured, that the healing is yours and no worse thing will come upon you, because Jesus paid it with His life and He guards it for you!

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