Morning By Morning #129

The man who was healed had no idea who it was.

John 5:13

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Years pass quickly for those who are healthy and happy, but thirty-eight years must have dragged wearily along in the life of this poor paralyzed man. Thus, when Jesus healed him just by speaking a few words while he lay beside the Pool of Bethesda, he was immediately and happily aware of the change.

The same is true for sinners who, for weeks, months, or years, have been paralyzed with despair and have wearily longed for salvation. Once the Lord Jesus speaks a word of power, giving them joy and peace through the gift of belief, they are very conscious of the change. The evil taken away is too great to be removed without discerning it, the life imparted too amazing to be possessed and remain paralyzed, and the change in the life too miraculous not to be perceived. Yet this poor man was still ignorant of the architect of his cure. He knew nothing of the sacredness of the Person, the positions of authority He held, or the mission that had brought Him to mankind.

Much ignorance of Jesus can still remain in the hearts of those who have felt the miracle-working power of His blood. We should not quickly condemn people for their lack of knowledge, for when we see evidence of saving faith, we must believe salvation has been given. The Holy Spirit makes people repentant long before He makes them perfect, and he who believes what he knows will soon know more clearly what he believes.

Ignorance is still a problem, however, for this poor man was completely unable to cope with the harassment of the Pharisees. It is good to be able to answer those who oppose us, but we will be unable to do so if we do not have a clear understanding of who the Lord Jesus is.

Fortunately in this man’s case, the cure for his ignorance soon followed the cure of his impairment, for he was confronted by the Lord Jesus Himself in the temple. After that gracious encounter, he would finally be able to testify “that it was Jesus who had made him well” (John 5:15).

Lord, if You have saved me, show me Yourself, so I may declare You to others.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

It appears the paralyzed man who was cured in this story only came to a saving faith in Christ once “Jesus found him” in the temple (v. 14). In fact, the previous verse tells us: “The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd” (v. 13).

This man’s story is convincing evidence that receiving a physical miracle from God does not necessarily make the recipient a believer. Our gracious, miracle-working “Father in heaven…causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45). Isn’t a sunrise a miracle of God? Isn’t rain? And, of course, whether a believer or an unbeliever, everyone experiences these miracles. Thus, a physical miracle is not equal to a spiritual one, especially the miracle of salvation. This paralyzed man, however, first received a physical miracle and then received one much better—eternal life!

Jesus, thank You for finding me and giving me the miraculous gift of faith.