Do you want to win?

Easter 6C

John 5:1-9

May 26, 2019

St. Matthias

I saw this week that it is now less than 100 days until the first Alabama game of the season, so I thought I’d tell you a football story.  In 1971, I was a 14-year-old 5 foot 4 inch football player who weighed in at around 114lbs including my pads and helmet.  I was a 3^rd string wide receiver – a 3^rd string free safety – and the quarterback of absolute last resort.  Needless to say – I spent a lot of time on the sidelines.  I only got into the game at the very end.  Usually with less than a minute to go - when we were way behind – and the coach was mad – he would turn around to all us guys with clean uniforms and glare.  I still remember the day when Coach hollered out my name for the first time.  I didn’t even know he knew who I was.  I think the score was something like 56 to 0 and we had the zero.  I put on my helmet, ran toward the field and the Coach grabbed me by the face mask and hollered – “Do you want to win?”  I didn’t know what to say.  There were 50 something seconds left.  But I yelled back in my best 14-year-old football voice – “Yes, sir!” Coach bellowed - “Good – now go in there and win.”  The ball was snapped – I ran down the field – the quarterback threw the ball somewhere in my general direction – and a really big kid on the other team hit me harder than I think I’d ever been hit before.  Then the game was over – the teams ran off the field – and I was laying in the grass with all of the wind knocked out of me.  To this day I can remember the coach walking over to me – looking down – and saying – what’s matter Hill – I thought you wanted to win!

Maybe that’s why I like those stories where the little guy does win – when Rudy plays for Notre Dame – or Doug Flutie completes Boston College’s Hail Mary pass.  I had great dreams as a 14-year-old of being the star.  Starting the game and leading the team to victory.  Of course, I wanted to win!  What kind of question was that?  And I will bet that the man at the well in this morning’s reading from the Gospel of John felt about the same way when Jesus asked him – “Do you want to be made well?” 

What a question.  The man had been laying at this pool in one corner of the city of Jerusalem for over 38 years.  Legend had it that from time to time an angel would reach down from heaven and stir up the waters.  In reality, the pool was fed by an underground spring.  But everyone laying there – the blind, lame, and paralyzed – believed that if you were the first in the water when the angel or the spring or whatever it was - stirred the water up – well then you would be healed.  But this man could not walk.  After laying there – unable to move – for 38 years – his muscles had probably stiffened to the point that he would never be able to walk again.  He couldn’t move so he couldn’t get into the water and Jesus asked him that day, “Do you want to be made well?”

Now I know that Jesus loved this man just as he loves you and me.  I also noticed that the man at the pool never actually answers Jesus’s question.  In many of the other stories when Jesus heals the blind or the lame or the leper, they are healed because they believe that Jesus can make them well.  But this man does not utter a word about faith.  And even when he is healed and can walk again, there is no mention of him praising God, or running around excited by the miracle that after 38 years he can now walk. He doesn’t even say thank you.  Makes you wonder if this man did want to be healed. 

And what about us?  Do we want to be made well?  Our first response may be to think that this is a ridiculous question because there is really nothing wrong with us.  We come to church, say the creed and receive communion.  If we are sick we go to the doctor.  Our lives are lived like so many others around us with too many things to do and barely enough time to get to work, take care of our loved ones, and occasionally stop to take a breath.  But we may need to ask ourselves if we have just grown comfortable – even complacent – in our spiritual lives.  It’s not always easy to see WHAT we need or THAT we need anything at all. 

But deep down in our HEART OF HEARTS, we all know that we need God.  We may not know exactly what that means, but we do know that we need the Peace which passes all understanding.  We need the Holy Spirit who guides us to know how this New Life we have been given is supposed to be lived in a world more concerned with things far less important.  We need a Risen Savior who promises us that we are always loved.  We need God and we find God when we love our neighbors - care for those who are sick and, feed the hungry.  Read the Bible, pray for those we love, and realize that God is with us Monday through Saturday AND for far more than just for an hour on Sundays.  Ask yourself this morning – am I too comfortable – do I want to be made well?  If the answer is yes, then take up your mat and walk!  Amen.