Walking With JohnSample

Focus on the Miracles 

By: Daphne Close 

I think I might be a nitpicker. I remind my children to do their morning chores, but I don’t affirm everything they accomplish. I only point out what they miss. Perhaps a better word to describe myself would be a perfectionist, a dictator, or worse, a Pharisee! 

Can you picture this man in John 5 who has been sick for thirty-eight years? We know very little about this man other than nobody would help him. Surely many people recognized this man who lay immobilized for decades. Therefore, it must have been quite obvious to see him walking around without a single ailment. 

How would you have responded if you had witnessed this miracle? Would you have pointed him out to your friend? Would you have run up to him, hugged him, danced with him? 

The Jewish leaders responded immediately (John 5:10 NLT)! They were so consumed with external obedience that they overlooked the healing. 

After I read this verse, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. What’s your first response to your children? Do you look at your child as a whole or do you choose certain actions and behavior? Are you so consumed with training your child that you’re not seeing their fruits of obedience? 

My friends, I encourage you to focus on the miracles, not the letter of the law! Look at what God is doing, not on how it’s done, when it’s done, or the times it’s simply not done. In regard to our children, we can laugh a little at the notion that sometimes their obedience feels like a miracle. Even when it’s sporadic, go ahead and affirm your child! 

We can stop at this parenting lesson, but let’s dig deeper. What’s so amazing about Jesus in this chapter is that He doesn’t stop with the miracle, but continues with an Easter message. He could have left it as a lesson on the heart of Sabbath and healing (John 5:17 NLT). What is He working on? Establishing His Kingdom! 

You see, the healing of this man wasn’t merely a miracle. It was a foreshadowing: “the Father will show [Christ] how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants” (John 5:20-21 NLT). 

Jesus then lays out the Gospel message (John 5:24 NLT). 

When it comes to salvation, there’s no nitpicking. We don’t have to be perfect to be saved; in fact, the Bible says we’ve all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Jesus came so we could be free from the bondage of sin and He gives us the grace to follow Him. 

Questions to Ponder 

-Do you have a life situation where you feel immobile? Ask Jesus to give you His strength so that you may pick up your mat and walk. 

“I hear You say, ‘Come to the water Come to the river Come to the well Come if you’re thirsty Come if you’re broken Come and be healed.’” ~ Kate Miner, Come to the Water