They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was… John 5:12-13
Far from having great faith in Jesus, this man does not even know who Jesus is. It’s not until later, when Jesus catches up with him in the temple, that the man finds out who healed him. This is different from other stories in the Gospels, where faith clearly plays a role.
There are other stories where Jesus points out the role of faith in a person being healed. To the woman with the hemorrhage, he says, “Your faith has made you well” (Mark 5:34, see also Mark 10:52). On another occasion our Lord said to two men who were blind, “According to your faith be it done to you” (Matt. 9:29).
But there is no way that Jesus could have said these things here. This man shows no evidence of faith whatsoever! He is overwhelmed by his own problem—without strength, without hope, and without faith. Even after he is healed, he does not know who Jesus is.
So when Jesus says, “Do you want to be healed?” he makes it clear that this man has nothing to offer! Jesus comes to this person who is without strength, hope, or faith—a man who has been like this for years—and wonderfully heals him.
What hope is there for you when you are without strength, hope, and faith? How does the cycle get broken? How does this story speak to you?
