Jesus asks a sick man in John 5:2-9, “Do you want to be made well?” What a question! He is at the pool by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, the one rumored to be stirred up by an angel of the Lord from time to time, where the first person to get into the moving water gets healed. Jesus can see this man has been lying there for a long time. In fact, the text tells us that it has been 38 years.
Instead of answering “Yes” to Jesus, the man says, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Maybe that is the truth, but it also sounds like an excuse.
Jesus asks each of us the question, “Do you want to be made well?” Often, we are like the sick man, unwilling to act. We think we want to be made well, but we are not always ready to make the changes needed to achieve wellness.
Embrace opportunities this Lent
Ash Wednesday is one of my favorite days in the liturgical calendar. It is a day that we acknowledge our mortality and pray for healing as we begin the forty days of Lent that lead to Easter. During worship, we may receive the sign of the cross on our foreheads in ash as the pastor says, “from dust you have come, to dust you shall return” (or something similar).
Many people will give up something during the season of Lent to better focus on God. Some fast from social media or give up desserts. Others add on a spiritual exercise, like reading the Bible every day.
Every Lent, I expect that my life is going to be changed. When I allow it, God’s Spirit revitalizes me. When I fight the transformation, when I do not allow God to do God’s healing work in me, then I remain the same.
Allow God’s transformation
Years ago, when my mom was receiving chemotherapy, my husband and I had a serious conversation. We agreed that the side effects were not worth it, and we would explore all options if one of us ever had cancer.
A few years later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I told my oncologist that I did not want to do chemo. The oncologist informed me that I would have six months to live without it. Our daughters were aged only three and six; I had to do everything I could to get well. Now that I have reached my tenth anniversary since diagnosis, I am so grateful that I submitted to all the treatments.
Sometimes the questions are more than just, “Do you want to be made well?” Instead, they might be, “What are you willing to do to be well? What changes are you willing to make? What growth are you willing to do? Will you allow God to transform you?”
In Paul’s letter to the Romans he writes, “Be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
“Do you want to be made well?” Jesus asks each one of us. I pray that we will not answer like the sick man, with an excuse or defensiveness. I pray that we will answer with a resounding, “Yes!” and allow God’s Spirit to transform us.
Reflection: Where in your life could you use healing? What are you willing to do to be made well?
Prayer: God, change is scary. I need your healing touch. Help me lower my defenses and let go of my excuses so that I may be transformed by your Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Rev. Tiffany McDonald is an Ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church serving in the Minnesota Annual Conference. She has served as a University Chaplain, solo pastor and associate pastor, and is currently appointed to family leave. Tiffany lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with her husband and two daughters. Follow her blog: redheadedrev.org
This article was published on January 29, 2026. The contact is Laura Buchanan.
