Briefing: Most law enforcement agencies provide employees with sick leave. This allows the employee to take time off to recover from an illness. If you were sick, would you want to get well?

Dispatch (Assignment): Read John 5:1-15.

On the Street: There are no perfect people. We may want to be perfect and work toward that goal, but realistically we can never attain perfection this side of Christ’s second coming. If we are honest, we would all agree that we have problems in our lives. What is the biggest problem in your life? Anger, anxiety, jealousy, lust, greed, gossiping, an ungrateful attitude, pornography and lying are just some of the problems/sin.

Jesus looked at sin as sickness. When He asks us if we want to get well, we have to understand what He is asking us. There are many examples in the Bible of Jesus healing people and telling them, “Your sins are forgiven”, not, “Now you are in good health”. Look at the story of Jesus healing the paralytic in Mark 2. When Jesus healed him He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5 (HCSB).

First, what is your sickness? Once we have made an honest assessment of our condition, Jesus asks us, “Do you want to get well?” It’s not a silly question, otherwise He would not be asking.

When Jesus asked the man sitting next to the pool, “Do you want to get well?” the man’s response was not yes or no. It was a yes or no question but the man started making excuses.

If someone came up to you and said, “You have a problem with anger” then asked if you wanted to get cured of your anger problem, what would be your response? Would you get defensive, would you try to justify why you were angry, or would you simply say yes or no?

Do you have a sin that you wish you could get rid of? Is there something in your life that plagues you and fills you full of guilt? Proverbs 26:11 (NIV) says, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” This verse says that we are fools if we continue to go back to the same sin over and over again. Why, if it has such a hold over us, are we considered foolish to return? Because Jesus is standing in front of us asking, “Do you want to get well?” It’s a fair question. Do you keep going back to your sin (vomit), or do you want to take Jesus up on His offer to cure you?

Investigational Resources: For more on God’s ability to heal our sin problem, see Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:20. For encouraging scripture on His power for our healing, read Philippians 4:13, Luke 1:37, Matthew 19:26, and John 8:1-11.

Officer Safety Principle: Make no mistake about it, we can’t cure ourselves. It is going to take the grace and mercy of Jesus. Cry out to Him and ask for healing.

from The Gospel of John Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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