At the pool of Bethesda, Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Before the miracle, Jesus asked the man, "Do you want to get well?"
It seems like a strange question to ask of a man who had been crippled for 38 years. Surely, he would want to get well, wouldn't he?
Perhaps Jesus was asking, "Are you ready for the new challenges and responsibilities that will accompany your healing?"
Instead of lounging by the pool and shading himself under a covered colonnade, he would most likely earn his bread by the sweat of his brow under a scorching Judean sun. Instead of having his needs met through the generosity of others, he would be expected to generously contribute to others' needs.
Much would be expected of the one who had freely received what money could never buy.
What about us? In Christ, we have been given much more. Before coming to Christ, we were not ill or crippled, rather we were dead in our transgressions. God "made us alive with Christ."
In Ephesians 2:1-10, The Apostle Paul reminds us that we have been saved to serve, that we have been "created in Christ Jesus to do good works."
Much is expected of those who have freely received what money could never buy.
Unlike the do-nothing ingrate of Matthew 25:24-30, Christians should offer themselves as "living sacrifices," (Romans 12:1).
How thankful are you for the free gift of eternal life? Let's serve Him out of grateful hearts!
• Ken Haskins is pastor of First Christian Church in Carson City.