part0010

Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool. . . . One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

Writer’s block. The “glass ceiling.” A fork in the road. A tire in the mud. Everyone knows what it feels like to be stuck. Stuck in a rut . . . stuck at home . . . stuck in a hospital bed . . . stuck in a dead-end job. It’s a helpless and hopeless feeling.

Perhaps you can relate. Maybe you’re at the end of your rope. You’re out of options, resources, and patience. You’re trying to get out of a tough situation, but everything you’ve tried hasn’t worked. Or perhaps you’re stuck because you just don’t know what action to take. Or maybe—and this one is hard to admit—you don’t want to take action because you’ve gotten comfortable in your stuck-ness. It has become comfortable for you . . . predictable. And what would happen if you got unstuck ? The prospect is more unnerving than exciting.

Today, we will look at two different miracles that John relates in his Gospel. In each story, the recipient was stuck. One had done everything he could to get help for his dying son. The other had been unable to walk for thirty-eight years. Both of their circumstances seemed unlikely to change. Yet this did not deter Jesus. As is the case with all of his miracles, he was not satisfied to simply heal the physical needs presented to him. He went straight to the heart.

Where do you find yourself today? Are you stuck because you’re at the end of your rope? Or stuck because you’re afraid of what healing would look like? Either way, Jesus accepts you. He wants you to come to him with your problems. He wants to help get you unstuck no matter the reason you were stuck in the first place. But know that he won’t leave it there. Our God is in the business of changing and softening hearts to become more like his.

This isn’t always an easy process. Every surgery requires recovery time. Every wound requires stitches. But rest assured that when you are in the hands of the Healer, the healing is gentle and complete. No wound is left untended. No heart is left broken.

If you or any of your group members are just meeting for the first time, take a few minutes to introduce yourselves and share any insights you have from last week’s personal study. Next, to get things started for the group time, discuss one of the following questions:

• What area of your life do you feel stuck in today? If you’re not currently stuck, can you remember a time in your past when you did feel this way?

• When you find that you are stuck in an area of your life, what are some of your strategies for getting unstuck?

Invite someone to read the following passage aloud. Listen for fresh insights as you hear the verses being read, and then discuss the questions that follow.

1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (John 3:1–12).

This story takes place after Jesus turned the water into wine at Cana and before the miracle we will examine today. How did Jesus reveal that Nicodemus was “stuck” in his thinking?

Play the video segment for session two. As you watch, use the following outline to record any thoughts or concepts that stand out to you.

The road between supplication and celebration can be a wearisome trek. Uninvited companions like despair can hitch a ride with you. They make you desperate for an answer.

Jesus was instructing the man to take him at his word and trust that the prayer offered in Cana would be answered in Capernaum. Jesus was asking him to believe .

Jesus’ miracle was not just in giving life to the boy. The life-giving healing of the boy was a temporary gift. But the faith-giving miracle to the family was eternal.

When Jesus saw the man beside the pool, he asked, “Would you like to get well?”(John 5:6, NLT ). It’s an odd question. Why would Jesus ask this question? Our only clue is that the man had been ill for a long time. It was the duration of the illness that caused Jesus to pose the question.

Are you ready to take that long trek from Cana to Capernaum? If so, hear the words that Jesus said to this man by the pool: “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”(John 5:8 NLT ).

The God of the Bible is a God of forward motion. He is ready to write a new chapter in your biography. But he will demand that you take action to live out that new chapter.

Take a few minutes with your group members to discuss what you just watched and explore these concepts in Scripture.

1. John writes about two men who needed a miracle: the official from Capernaum and the sick man by the pool of Bethesda. Both men were stuck, but for different reasons. What were those reasons? How have you ever felt stuck in similar ways?

2. How do you think the official was feeling when he pleaded for Jesus to heal his son? Have you ever been in a similarly desperate situation? Who did you turn to for help?

3. How did Jesus respond to the man? How did the man respond to Jesus? Why do you think the man believed Jesus?

5. The man beside the Pool of Bethesda had been sick for thirty-eight years. What is the longest period of time you have felt stuck in a bad situation? What were the causes?

6. How did the duration of your circumstances—whether due to an illness, bad job, empty bank account, or other reason—affect your motivation to get unstuck?

7. How do you feel about Jesus’ question: “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). What do you think Jesus was getting the man to realize by asking the question?

8. Consider an area of your life in which you feel stuck today. How do you think you became stuck? What fears and questions coincide with getting unstuck?

Take a few minutes to list practical steps you could take to get unstuck from a situation where you feel trapped. Keep in mind that shame and guilt are not good motivators for change. Be kind with yourself as you think of actions you can handle today and in the days to come.

End your time together in prayer. If you need specific prayer for an area in your life where you feel stuck, share it with the group so they can pray for you. Pray for God’s wisdom to know what steps you can take to get unstuck and ask for his grace in the process.