THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: - Vital Christianity

201The blind beggar is crystal clear about what he wants: to regain his sight.The only other place in the New Testament where Jesus asks such a question is at thePool of Bethesda. Here Jesus asks the paralyzed man, "Do you want to get well?" (Jn 5:6). Theman's answer seems to indicate that he does.But why does Jesus ask the obvious?When I first read this story I thought Jesus' question was silly. After all, isn't it obviousthat a person who was blind and reduced to begging, wants to be healed? Yet Jesus asked himthe obvious question,"Do you want to get well?"Is it possible that some sick people do not want to be healed? Might it be an appropriatequestion for us with regard to our spiritual, physical, and psychological conditions? Does Christask of us,"Do you want to get well? Do you really want to be healed?"Most of us know what is wrong with us. We know what needs to be done in our lives.In most of my pastoral counseling, I have found that those who come to me have alreadypretty well diagnosed the problem. Many of them already know the solution. They come lookingfor a less threatening diagnosis, an easy remedy.We have physical, spiritual and emotional problems, of which we are fully aware, but wedo not do anything about them. Some of us are part of a sick marriage. We know there is aproblem in the relationship. We know that our relationship as husband and wife is not what itought to be. Some of us live in sick families where relationships between parents and childrenare not what they ought to be. On the job we know there are relational problems with people withwhom we spend hours every day, a sickness in some of those relationships, yet we do nothing tochange our attitude and pattern of behavior. We do nothing to face the problem, let alone solve it.We cling to the security of the known—even when it is sick.