Would you be made whole?

John 5:1-9

“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 

When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.” KJV

Jesus asked this man, “would you be made whole?” That is a question I want to ask you too today. Would you be made whole? In our text, the man answered he had no man. To be whole your attention should not be on a man, when the King of kings is before you. You will notice Jesus did not pay attention to his response, instead He just told the man to rise, take up his bed and walk. Today if you want to be whole too you have to do those three things: rise, take up your bed and walk. What do they mean?

Rise – this word mean to get up from the inside. You see this man was not just lie down physically, he was also lie down emotionally, in his heart and mind. He is in a position described by Isaiah 60:1 (amp):

“ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you — rise to a new life]…”

Circumstances of life, in this case, his thirty eight years infirmity has brought him to a prostrated position and depression. Note that the Scripture said, “when Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had been a long time in that case…” So he needed to get up first from his inside, no man can be helped who has lost hope, who has given up on the inside. 

Therefore, if you want to be whole spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially and financially (for that was what the man was offered), you have to rise. Get up! There is a meaning of the word rise in the dictionary, it means to come into being. This is what happens when you rise up, when you refuse to stay down by whatever contrary force that is acting against you, you are on the way to coming into your own. So RISE!