What's Your Mat?

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. (John 5:1-9 ESV). In order to appreciate the value of Jesus' command here, you really need to think about the culture of the day. Today, although some may feel we don't do enough, there are limited opportunities for the physically handicapped to work and lead productive lives. In Christ's time on earth, the handicapped were basically outcast. They lived off of the handouts they could obtain from begging. In this instance, the man had been crippled for a long time. Probably the only possessions he had were the clothes on his back and the mat on which he lay. His existence was one to be pitied. There was no real known cure for what ailed him (except Jesus), and even if there were, he certainly couldn't have afforded it. Jesus has sympathy for the man, and with the spoken word, the man is healed. Jesus tells him to "Get up!" take his mat and walk. Obviously this was a gift greater than anything money could buy. Let me ask you a question. What’s your mat? What are you holding on to today? This man was holding on to his mat. It had surely become a treasured possession to him. He slept on it, rested on it, and watched the world pass by on it. He couldn't have imagined facing the day without it. Jesus tells him to pick it up and walk. When Jesus was finished with the man, he didn't need the mat anymore. It would take faith to trust Jesus and attempt to walk, but the victory was worth it all. What would Jesus have you to pick up today? Are you resting on your church membership? Are you trusting in your bank account? Are you drowning in your sorrow? Are you moping about the setbacks of your life? Are you suffering from the sin that has wrecked everything around you? Do you fail to commit to God because you are afraid He can't accept you? Whatever is keeping you down, I believe Jesus would say, "Pick up your mat and walk!" Trust Him with that in which you now trust the most. Permit Him to see you through the difficult days of life. Allow Him to carry your burdens, strengthen your walk and brighten your hope for the future. He is still the Miracle Maker, and He can still heal a broken heart. Jesus wants to help you. Listen for His command to pick up your mat and walk!