Jesus frequently asked provocative questions. “Who do you say that I am?” “Who proved to be neighbor?” The question he posed to the cripple by Bethesda Pool is the one which confronts me: “Do you want to be well?” Do I truly want to get over all of those faults and failings which harm my spiritual well-being? Too often I am like the man in the story coming up with excuses to justify the way that I am. The healed man found out that becoming well comes at a cost. A well person does not act the same way of someone unwell. For me to be cured of my spiritual malaise requires that I make those changes in lifestyle which better reflect divine compassion.
