I probably do this too often and I am far from a Greek scholar, but this is one of those weeks that I really have to quibble with the translation. The location is the Sheep Gate, the point of entry into the temple of livestock being brought for sacrifice. It is also the location of a swimming pool called Bethesda that was believed to have curative properties. Because of that, it was a gathering place for the sick and disabled.
It was also a place for the culture’s disposable people. Because illness and disability were viewed as a form of divine punishment, those that gathered at Bethesda were unclean and thus cut off from community. One could argue that being cut off from community was the definition of illness rather than the result of it.
Jesus encounters a man lying there who has been ill for 38 years and he asks him, “Do you want to be made well?” Here is where I quibble. First of all, what person who had been ill for 38 years and trying to get to the front of the queue for the healing pool would not give an eager “yes” to that question? If you have ever dealt with chronic illness, you know that there is a difference between wanting to be well and doing the things that can optimize your health.
And that is why I would translate Jesus’ question, “Are you willing to be made sound?” There are two big reasons why I like my translation better. The first is about the word “sound.” Sometimes we get too caught up in the “miraculous healing” part of these stories. Sound implies a larger kind of restoration; more than his physical well-being, sound restores him to his place in the community.
The second reason has to do with, “are you willing?” Being made well makes the man a passive recipient. Jesus wants to know if he is willing to be made sound; to be restored; to do the things he will have to do to return to his place, especially after so many years.
Years ago, I was the family therapist at a chemical dependency hospital. Part of my job was working with clients and their families as discharge was approaching. It sounds counterintuitive, but a big challenge facing people in recovery is fitting in with family and friends as a sober person. Often there was pressure to return to using because that was the more predictable (or predictably unpredictable) person they were used to.
Did they want to be made well? Certainly. Were they willing to become sound? That is an entirely different and difficult question to answer. And to put the punctuation point on it, Jesus tells the man to take up his mat and walk. Can we me made whole? Can we be restored? Yes, but are we willing to become sound?
In honor of all those who face the daily challenge of becoming sound, here is a prayer attributed to 20th century theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.