“Rise, take up your bed and walk.”

This story is a well known story. Preached almost anywhere and most of the time. It has been used by many scholars and lay members of the Christian faith. It is the story of the man by the pool of Bethesda. Who was lying there for 38 year, now that was a long period of time. Some people were born and got married and some community leaders, even Jesus himself he was born and grew up to the age that in this particular incidence he was on, and this man was still here. But right now I want you to gain some motivation in this particular verse of John Chapter 5.

Jesus said to him,?“Rise, take up your bed and walk.”?9?And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And?that day was the Sabbath. - John 5:8-9 NKJV

Rise, Take Up Your Bed And Walk.

When you look this story Jesus came to this man and enquired 'Do you want to be made well?' you know what this man did? He started blaming people around him. He told Jesus that he has no one to put him into the waters when it is stirred up, he started blaming his relatives, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up;" He is directly casting the blame on his family, friends, network and any other person whom he feels that they owe him something. He feels like people are responsible for his status and so everyone who has pity on him should look at this people with an eye of blaming them.

He does not stop there he goes on to cast the blame even to people who are also around the pool with him who are actually also looking for healing like him, "...but while I am coming, another steps down before me." He blames the people around him some of them for sure found him there, he blames them for not giving him a chance and forfeiting their capabilities for his easy access. He is there blaming them for not sympathizing with him. I hope you realize how at this point he hates everyone around him, he hates every member of his family, he hates them for whatever he feels like they should be doing for himself. Tragic!

Jesus does not venture into that complicated understanding, he just say to the man, ?“Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. Now the word for bed used there, in the Biblical Greek language is (κρ?ββατο? which is read as krabbatos) This word is masculine in form. I want you to understand something with gender in Biblical Greek, when the word is masculine in form it is absolute, it subdues, it is so masculine such that it is not productive. The concept is everywhere, Men are masculine and they can't reproduce, Women are feminine, they can reproduce. This is the concept even with gender in language.

So Jesus is using this masculine word in purpose. He is saying, you have been here by the pool side, sleeping on a bed that has been subduing you! having that subduing control over you. This bed is not productive, get up from it. Now take it yourself, carry it, control it. When you look at the life of this man, He was living the life of a prisoner, this bed was subduing him and he was chained to it. He was on this chains blaming people for his life.

Most often it happens that beloved we put the saddle in the wrong horse. We put others in the position of responsibility or our betterment and if we are not fulfilled we blame them, yet we are doing nothing for them either. Jesus is saying pick it up! Pick up your krabbatos, carry it don't let it control you. Pick it up, it's time you stop sleeping on things that are not productive, that's when you can walk! that's when you will be healed, that's when you will start moving. Blaming others for putting yourself in the chains will not set you free, it will only keep you a prisoner because of your understanding.

You may be there blaming your relatives for things that are happening in your life, blaming them for your unemployment, for your debts, for your marriage problems, for your children's notoriousness, for your lack of peace or whatsoever. Beloved that is not the problem. The problem is the bed! Let me show you how Paul uses the name bed in Hebrews 13:4, he talks about the bed of marriage, which is expected in almost every culture to be productive, he uses the word (κο?τη - koitē) which is feminine in form. This is in the New Testament also, two different word to name one object. Now there Paul can't use the same word that Jesus used because of the obvious reasons you are now noticing.

My point it stop sleeping in unproductive things! Stop blaming people for your failures. In a class in school, the lecture can teach all students at the same time same content, one get an A one gets a D. The one who got a D normally blames the lecture while the problem is not there. Jesus is saying to you today,?“Rise, take up your bed and walk.” This life does not need any magic to be performed, It needs discipline and action! This is why Marry in the marriage at Cana when the wine was finished, she said to those people, "whatever He [Jesus] tells you do it." That's the trick, do your part honestly even if there is no wine at the moment, the truth is you will be happy afterwards because the water you're carrying will be turned into wine after you did what the master said.