“God helps those who help themselves.” That certainly sounds right. I mean, how can we expect God to give us a hand with our problems if we don’t do something? Have you ever turned to others for advice and have been greeted with this statement, “Well, it says in the Bible…” According to a Barna Research Group survey in 2000, 75% of Americans and 40% of Christians believe this popular phrase is a truth found in the Bible. A more recent survey says that 68% of Christians believe this statement is IN the Bible. Don’t take my word for it! I challenge you! Open your Bible and find it! Whether you identify as a Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative, you will never find this adage mentioned in the Bible. The truth is that Benjamin Franklin penned this in the Farmers’ Almanac in 1757. In addition, this famous saying has been found even earlier in other non biblical sources. Now, am I an advocate for laziness? No! Let me explain.
In John 5, an account is told of a man who had been ill for 38 years. His illness is not clearly defined, but from the details of the passage, we can safely assume that he cannot walk. He, along with many others, is lying near a pool of water, waiting for his chance at a “miracle.”
“Now in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew (Jewish Aramaic) Bethesda, having five porticoes (alcoves, colonnades). In these porticoes lay a great number of people who were sick, blind, lame, withered, [waiting for the stirring of the water; for an angel of the Lord went down into the pool at appointed seasons and stirred up the water; the first one to go in after the water was stirred was healed of his disease.] There was a certain man there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus noticed him lying there [helpless], knowing that he had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?” The invalid answered, “Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am coming [to get into it myself], someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up; pick up your pallet and walk.” Immediately the man was healed and recovered his strength, and picked up his pallet and walked.”
John 5:2-9 (Amplified)
I can remember, as a young child raised in church, hearing this story many times over. Jesus was always shown as a compassionate and loving healer, but as I got older, the tone of the account seemed to change. The ailing man began to be portrayed as lazy and unmotivated. How can this lame guy, who has laid by this pool for 38 years, never find his way into the healing pool? Surely he could have made some kind of effort – maybe he could have just clung to the side of the pool and rolled on in when the water began to stir? Wasn’t he just making excuses? And anyway, what about Jesus’ question, “Do you want to get well?” Obviously, Jesus saw through the guy’s laziness, hinting at the fact that God will ONLY help those who help themselves! Let’s face it: this sloth of a man didn’t deserve anything, but Jesus healed him anyway. End of story! Right?
I don’t think so! Please allow me to expound on what I believe God showed me. First, it is very important that we take the time to study and read the Bible for ourselves. Not only should we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us personally, but we also need to recognize and break down the details of the stories more clearly. In verse 5, the account tells us that the man had been ill for 38 years, but it does not state that he had been lying next to the pool for 38 years. The Bible does not tell us about the length of time he had been there, but it was long enough that Jesus had taken notice of him. Then, in verse 6, Jesus asked that odd, almost accusatory, question, “Do you want to get well?” Why would Jesus ask such a question of a man who had been ill for 38 years? At that moment, Jesus almost seemed compassionless. Was Jesus mocking him or belittling him for not making his way into the pool before everyone else? Was Jesus pointing out his apathetic excuses? Absolutely not! How can I be so sure? Because this does not line up with the character of Jesus! You see, Jesus already knew what the man’s answer to his question was going to be. Is it possible that Jesus was showing the man ahead of time that “For apart from me you can do nothing”? (John 15:5) This leads me to the man’s response to Jesus’ question in verse 7 . . . “Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am coming [to get into it myself], someone else steps down ahead of me.” Let’s fully evaluate the man’s response. First, he states that he has never found anyone to help him in the water when it was stirred up. I envision this poor, unclean, dirty man begging visitors, passersby, or anyone to help him. But sadly, no help could be found. Then, the latter portion of the verse states that when he tried to get into the pool by himself, he was always beaten out by someone else. Folks, this doesn’t sound like a lazy sloth of a man to me. No! He was desperate and losing hope fast! He was doing anything and everything within his power to be well, but his efforts were not enough.
This story became personally real to me a number of months back. As I sat in my crafting room, I was experiencing a tremendous amount of pain and discomfort. My previously corrected back problem was making another agonizing appearance, and the rheumatoid arthritis medication that I had been taking successfully was failing. Every joint in my body was revolting. Despite the excruciating pain I was in, I continued working on some jewelry projects for an upcoming craft show. As I was hunched over my work table, trying to manipulate my jewelry pliers, the tears began to flow. In frustration, I said,
“Lord, how can I get any of this done with all this pain? Why won’t you heal me and take this all away? Look how hard I am working here! I need to get all of this done. I need to pay my bills!”
Suddenly, my swollen, pain-ridden fingers dropped the jewelry pliers, sending the beads all over the floor. All I could do was stare downward at the mess and cry in frustration. I’ve never been one to quit anything, but in that moment, all I could do was cry out to Jesus in defeat. I was trying so hard to work and produce income, but my body would no longer cooperate. No matter what efforts I put forth, I was met with what seemed like failure. Does any of this sound familiar? As I sat worrying and fretting over how we were going to meet our financial obligations, the Lord gently spoke a powerful truth to my heart.
“My daughter, why are you doing this to yourself? Would your earthly father, in all his love for you, expect you to continue on like this? Would he not see your pain, scoop you up in his loving arms, and provide for you? If your earthly father, with all his love for you, would care for you and never treat you badly . . . how much more, as your heavenly Father, do I love you? I long to scoop you up in My arms and care for you! Have I not promised to take care of you and provide for you?”
I immediately recognized the voice of the Holy Spirit, gentle and loving toward me. I had no choice but to yield to His words. The truth was, I was very much like the man lying next to the pool of Bethesda. I was helpless. If someone was going to “help themselves,” it was going to be me. Oh, I had tried to do anything and everything I knew to do, but it just wasn’t enough. Paul and I had even cried out for help from different sources, but our cries seemed to fall on deaf ears. Looking back, I believe God closed doors that had previously been wide open to us just to make us more dependent on Him. Sometimes, God has to allow us to come to the end of ourselves in order for us to realize that “apart from Him, we can’t do anything.” At that moment, it was very clear that God helps those who cannot help themselves.
Isn’t this the real message of Jesus? For thousands of years, humanity tried to work their way to heaven, eternity, and a relationship with God. Sadly, no matter how many good things we did, there still existed a separation between us and God. Our self-centered, sinful ways prevented us from standing before Holy God. This is the very reason why Jesus came to earth – to be a sacrifice for our sins and bridge the gap between us and God.
I don’t know what you’re facing today. Maybe you’re already a follower of Jesus, but you’ve reverted back to relying on yourself. Can I tell you a secret? It will never work! 2 Corinthians 3:5 says this, “Not that we are sufficiently qualified in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency and qualifications come from God.” Once again, we must surrender ourselves before the Lord and depend fully on Him.
On the other hand, maybe you’ve always depended on your good works to pursue a real relationship with God. Maybe you attend church every week and give half of your money to the poor. Can I be brutally honest with you? God doesn’t care! WHAT?!? What do you mean He doesn’t care? You see, you, too, are the man lying by that pool. You’ve worked hard doing a ton of great things, but ultimately, it will still leave you clinging to the side of the pool, yearning for a true relationship with Jesus. Many years ago, a Christian music artist by the name of Keith Green made this funny yet thought-provoking statement: “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger!” It brings a chuckle, but it is very truthful. You can go to church every service. You can listen to every sermon from the pulpit. You can do everything “right,” but if you haven’t surrendered your life to Jesus, none of it matters. Today, let me invite you, at this very moment, to lay down your good works and, instead, embrace the only work that ever really mattered – the work that Jesus performed on the cross. Just like Jesus reached down and lifted that man up who was lying next to the pool, He wants to lift you up to a new relationship with Him. It’s not a relationship based on your works, but instead, it is based on God’s mercy, forgiveness, and grace. Amen!
