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.
A mat or pallet (KJV) was a light mattress that could be rolled up and carried under the arm.
The verb “walk” literally means “keep on walking.”
What Jesus told the man was similar to what the man had been trying to do for 38 years. He had been trying to walk to the pool so he could walk. It was tantalizing and yet hopeless; he couldn’t even crawl into the pool by himself, much less walk or run when the waters were stirred and now Jesus was giving him almost the same directions, and yet they were vastly different. The words of Jesus were a command, given with the same power as the command He gave Lazarus to “Come forth.” The man was so helpless to improve his condition that he couldn’t even roll himself into the pool. He was totally helpless to heal his condition, or even to help towards that healing. In other words, he was just like us.
Do you want to be holy? Do you want to please the Lord? Do you want to be an awesome parent, an incredible spouse, or a wonderful child? Do you want to be a powerful witness for Christ? Do you want other people to look at you and see what Jesus is like? That can happen, because Jesus gives power to the powerless who trust Him.
It doesn’t take incredible Bible knowledge; it doesn’t take a long relationship with Christ; it doesn’t even take mountainous faith. This man had very little faith and he didn’t even know Jesus. What little faith he had was in Jesus as his healer. He had no clue as to who Jesus really was. Maclaren says that “the contents of a man’s faith have nothing to do with the reality of his faith.” Though this man knew nothing of Jesus, what little faith he had was enough, when coupled with the power of Christ. If we only know Jesus as healer and trust Him to do so, He will, but He is so much more than that. The sinner who trusts in Him as Savior does indeed get saved but he will find in his walk with Christ over the next few years that Jesus is so much more than just his Savior. The command is even similar to here. “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” is much like “Rise, take up your cross, and follow Me.”
Which brings us to our final point. All of Christ’s commands are gifts. Every time that He tells you to do something, He gives you the power to do it. All it takes on your part is to trust Jesus and do what He says. As we take that dependent step forward, He intercedes and makes the path straight. Another example is of this is (Luke 6:6-10). We make the effort and rely on Him for the ability. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
Luke 6:6-10 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shrivelled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shrivelled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” He looked round at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored.
What has Jesus told you to do? What is He telling you right now? Are you willing to listen and then to do it? Just trust and obey and He will come through for you.