Artwork interpreting that moment:

Jesus asks, "Wilt thou be made whole?"

The man did not answer the question put to him, but rather answered a question that was not asked. The man did not understand that the stirring pool was not his only way to be healed.

Jesus can make a river in a desert.^{Isaiah 43:19}

Many sicknesses and diseases are brought to humans by spirits. Since Jesus is Master over all, that includes those spirits that bring illness. As He exampled in the Bible, His authority over fever, blindness, and leprosy, he again shows He is the Master of the spirits that cause leg problems.

Just as church attenders are prone to do today, the Jews could not be happy or joyful about the man being healed, who had been infirm for so many years. Instead they focused not on the power and authority of Jesus, but that the man was doing a form of menial labor.

This is the 4th Commandment:

Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
20:9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

God is clearly speaking of work related to earning a living, because He ties this command to the normal work week. God is surely not trying to prevent a man who was healed after 38 years, from exercising his healing and removing his belongings from the place of the sick.

But this attitude is typical of those who covet to display their (often false) authority, rather than thank and praise God for His Mercy and His power. Do you know any church leaders like this?

Jesus was much more interested in making sure the man understood that his leg problems were a result of his sin. He warned him to not sin, because a sickness or disease that would be a lot worse would come upon him. This is the Man who just healed Him, who is not speaking as though He is guessing.

You would think these guys would be a bit cautious in their approach to Jesus. After all, He just performed a miracle they were not able to perform. You would think they would realize that Jesus had power and authority well beyond any they might have.

Instead, they did what Spiritually blind men do, they demand answers that they have no right to demand.

Though Jesus graciously explains that He has the power and Authority of a son, God's Son, they now want to kill Him. Think about this. How can men who cannot do miracles kill the One who can do miracles, after He explains that He is God!

Trust Jesus. Too many church leaders are blind. And the ones that are not blind, still don't have the power of Jesus.

It is true that God puts His Spirit into many Christians, whom He permits to have some level of Spiritual authority, but it is not nearly the number of people that many church leaders would have you think. And MOST of those are men. Women are not permitted to have church based authority over men.

Read the reference Scripture ^{1Timothy 2:9-14; 1Corinthians 14:34-35}.

I know, you rarely hear in church about the roles that God wants women to live. It just proves how few church leaders really trust God. It's sad, but the really good news is, God does not turn away humble seekers. You have the opportunity to trust God for yourself . . . and you should. God is very faithful to those who SINCERELY follow Him, and do things His way.

• Jesus is God
• He has all power
• All of the spirit world submits to Him
• He is very merciful to lowly men
• Men often think they have power when they don't

Jesus really is LORD--over everything!