Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
John 5:8-9
During 2026, Peachtree Church is inviting everyone into Cultivate, a churchwide discipleship plan centered on the fruit of the Spirit and the kind of life God longs to grow in us. Throughout the year, we’ll explore how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take shape in everyday life through the Spirit’s work. Cultivate brings together worship, Scripture, group guides, and meaningful practices designed to meet you where you are and support growth in ways that fit your season. These twice-weekly devotionals are one way to stay connected, offering reflection and grounding for daily life with God. Whether you engage in many ways or just one, you’re invited to be part of this shared journey of becoming more rooted in who God has created and called you to be.
Devotional
Do you remember that scene in Saving Private Ryan where the dying officer looked into the face of the young man they had saved, and said, “Earn this!”
All his life, Ryan tried to live up to the selfless sacrifice others had made for him. It was a turning point in his life, hard to live up to, but transformative.
In the two verses above, we have the turning point of this man’s life.
His 38 long years of languishing by the Pool of Bethesda are over, and we hope he will be able to rejoin friends and family and have community again. Many times, the endpoint of Jesus’ healing is that the newly healed person can have a community again. Think of the lepers, the woman with the hemorrhage, the people with unclean spirits: all were able to be a part of normal life again. We were not made to be alone.
There are many changes for this man, aside from his new physical well-being.
Jesus has made him free of his jealousy and competition for a cure from the waters. That’s what’s been driving him for 38 years, that and self-pity.
It will not be easy for him to change his inner life, to rebuild relationships, to support himself, to be focused on others and on God instead of his own suffering. He’s got a whole new kind of life ahead, because of what Jesus did for him.
The last thing Jesus says to him on his day of healing is a command: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Jesus is telling him, You don’t live here anymore! You’re not to stay here. It’s time to move forward.
But his transformation is still in process, and he’s not yet finished being transformed. A few days after the healing, Jesus sees him in the Temple courts and tells him to stop sinning or something worse than the life he left behind will happen to him! (John 5:14) We don’t know what Jesus saw him doing (was he pickpocketing or stealing?) But we do know that he was in danger of wasting his healing by making bad choices. Jesus doesn’t ask us to “earn” our healing and salvation. But we do need to actively work to stay connected to him while we transform. Illness or hardship can develop character with God’s help, or it can diminish character…no matter how old we are, or what we have been through, God can help us to heal both body and soul, forming a good and godly character. Thanks be to God that he does not leave us as we were.
For Reflection
- Does it surprise you that the man was struggling to live up to his healing?
- Have you ever had an abrupt transformation in your life?
- Was it hard to imagine the new life stretching in front of you?
- Did you ever want to go back to what you had, even though it was awful?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for healing me, transforming the mess I was in with your mercy and grace. Help me not to remain lame and helpless, drifting even after you have made me well. Help me stay connected to you as you continue my healing and my transformation. Thank you for your mercy and grace, Amen!
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Devotionals