Do You Want to Get Well?
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6
Nelson Nash loved the scriptures and would often put a verse or two at the beginning or end of a section of his book without comment.
One of the more interesting verses he used was John 5:6 placed at the top of his section titled “The Problem.” No commentary offered – it just sits there and begs the question… “Do you want to get well?”
I remember reading it the very first time and thinking it was one of those statements of Jesus where we scratch our heads and wonder why he said that!? I knew the text, but I didn’t make the connection right away. I just ignored it as just a little idiosyncrasy of Nelson’s to litter his text with a verse here or there as if he was just giving a token nod to a quaint Bible verse. Why is Nelson putting Bible verses in a financial book anyways? Was it just sentimental drivel?
Nothing could be further from the truth. I have come to realize that Nelson was a brilliant intellectual and a very thoughtful Christian. No doubt he considered his faith to be the most important part of his legacy as he would often open his talks expressing that if a person’s relationship with Christ was not primary, it would make anything else Nelson taught them an exercise in futility.
Thus it has become obvious to me that Nelson was very intentional with the placement of these scriptures. And just like his teaching style, he leaves this curious little verse at the top of this section just begging us to do a little digging.
So, I took Nelson up on his unstated challenge. Why did Jesus ask the question and why did Nelson include this verse in this section of his book?
First things first.
Why would Jesus ask a disabled man who he knew had been lying at the pool of Bethesda for thirty eight years just waiting for someone to help him, such an obvious and absurd question as, “Do you want to get well?” Hello!? Are you ignorant or just inconsiderate of the man’s feelings?
The lame man answers Jesus,
“Sir…I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
By asking the question, Jesus reveals the man’s mindset. The lame man was doing what everyone else at that pool was doing. He was putting his faith in the act of getting into water. He was convinced there was only one solution to his problem. He was listening to “the great number of disabled people…the blind, the lame, the paralyzed” who were also trying to get into the water. And, he believed healing could only come to the person who got into the water first. Therefore, he was thoroughly convinced that he could never experience healing unless someone carried him into the water.
Consider the nuances here in his belief system that keeps him stuck at the pool for thirty-eight years!
- He is subject to “group think” or the “noise” as Nelson would say, listening to what everyone around him believed.
- Because he thinks there is only one possible method of healing, his mind is closed to any other solution.
- He believes he must be carried. Someone else has to do the heavy lifting for him. He has a mindset of dependence.
- He believes he must get into the water first before anyone else takes his opportunity away. He possesses a scarcity mindset where the solution can’t be enjoyed by all at the same time.
This was the man’s mindset until Jesus shocked him out of his wrong-headed thinking by asking a ridiculously simple question, “Do you want to get well?”
Perhaps it was the obvious nature of the question – the very absurdity of it – that made the man question his own belief system. No one had ever considered asking him that question before!
Notice also, Jesus didn’t even offer to carry him to the water. Jesus simply says to the lame man, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk,” and at once he was healed.
So, what did Nelson want us to gain from this? Well, since I have become an Authorized Practitioner, I can only guess that Nelson had a similar experience with people as I have had.
When talking to people about IBC, I ask them, “Do you want to get well?” They inevitably nod their head and say yes, so I tell them to start by reading a 92 page book. They usually reply, “I don’t have time” or “I don’t read much. Can you give me the 90 second version?” (I need someone else to carry me.)
Or, “Do you want to get well? “Yes, but how come I have never heard of this? My financial advisor says this is a scam and whole life is a terrible investment! (Group think.)
Or, “Do you want to get well? “Yes, but what’s the rate of return?” (Mind is closed to any other solution – more noise.)
Or, “Do you want to get well?” Then, don’t be afraid to capitalize. “Yes, but I can’t afford it. You have to have money to start with to become your own banker… it’s only for the lucky few.” (Scarcity mindset.)
So I find myself understanding Jesus’ point as well as Nelson’s. Do you want to get well?
If so, then “Get up, Take up your bed, and walk!”
Or, just keep lying by the pool waiting for someone to carry you.
Nelson was letting us know, this kind of thinking IS the problem to begin with and we can’t tackle the financial problem until we tackle our mindset.
But, there is something deeper and I don’t believe Nelson would want us to miss it.
Nelson knew the lame man had been putting his faith in the wrong place. He put it in the water itself rather than the source of the healing – the One who made the water.
So, again, I will ask, “Do you want to get well?”
