Mt. Olive Lutheran Traditional Worship - March 22, 2026

Because Jesus has already spoken and his word is what gives you the strength to move. Because Jesus does not command what he will not provide. And so for us today, the mat that you carried in today, The mat that you've grown familiar with or accustomed to. You don't have to carry it out the same way. Again, not because you're strong enough, not because you finally figured it out or or found the solution that's out there somewhere, but because Jesus has already come to you. He has already spoken and he has already gone to the cross for you. So take the step, not so that Jesus will meet you, but because he already has. God's peace and strength be with you today and always. Amen. [01:06:35] (64 seconds)  #JesusHasSpoken

He will be the house of mercy in the flesh and this time mercy will not be out of reach. It's why he was born. This is where these signs and these miracles and these teachings are heading toward. Every miracle, every sign, every stopped moment in every crowd is all pointing here to a cross, to a tomb, to a resurrection. Because what Jesus did for that man's legs, he's done for your soul, once and for all, completely. [01:04:19] (44 seconds)  #MercyMadeFlesh

And in a world full of of answers and trying to do it yourself, it's a reminder for us that the answer comes to us from God's great grace in Jesus. And what we see here is that ultimately when Jesus speaks, his word creates the opportunity. Jesus creates the capacity for us to obey. He doesn't command what he won't also provide. And so for us today, it's this reminder that that Jesus didn't come for just a specific kind of people, but instead he came for people like us. [01:02:44] (43 seconds)  #GraceNotSelfHelp

People who are broken, who are stuck, who are exhausted, who have run out of options and out of hope. And it's a reminder for us that ultimately it's because of what Jesus is about to do. Next week, we celebrate Palm Sunday, the day in which Jesus rides into Jerusalem. He's gonna enter through a gate, not as a healer, but as a sacrifice. The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world will do what every lamb up to that point was pointing toward. He will lay down his life. He will become the atonement. [01:03:27] (51 seconds)  #LambOfGod

And yet Jesus, in this moment of honesty from this man, he doesn't rebuke him. He doesn't tell him to have more faith or to try harder. But instead, he simply tells him, rise. Take up your bed and walk. A simple command. And as Jesus speaks this command and the man begins to follow the direction, he is made well. He gets up. He takes his mat and he walks. It's this beautiful story grace. It's this reminder of the law in our lives that we cannot save ourselves, that the other answers out there do not provide the real answer. [01:01:45] (60 seconds)  #RiseTakeYourMat

And yet the question is on the table. Because as we see in this story, we don't see a man's great faith per se, but what we see is Jesus' great grace. And so as Jesus asked him, do you want to be made well? The man you would think would say, yes Jesus, of course. And yet, what does he do? He gives him the reasons that he can't. He gives him the reasons that because the hope that he's been putting his the answer that he's been putting his hope in hasn't delivered. And he's out of options. He doesn't see the possibility of being made well anymore. [01:00:58] (47 seconds)  #GraceOverPerformance

You see that Jesus stopped for this man that nobody else stopped for. Jesus stopped for this man who for thirty eight years had no one to advocate for. No one took it upon themselves to help this man get into the water. And he stopped, not because of this man calling out for help, like we see in other situations, not because this man had great faith, you could actually almost make the argument that he barely believes, or because this man had anything to offer. And yet, what John says is that he saw the man and he knew his condition. [00:54:54] (39 seconds)  #JesusStopsForYou

And we see this in the story that that Jesus ultimately knows. Jesus, it's like he stopped for this man, he knows what's going on in your life. He knows the pain and the story behind the thing that has you feeling stuck and desperate. He knows. And like he asks the man at the pool at Bethesda, he's asking us the same question today. Do you want to be made well? It's a question that seems almost offensive. I mean, of course, Jesus, we wanna be made well, and yet as we think back and look at it, it's maybe not quite as easy as we want to answer. [00:59:26] (54 seconds)  #DoYouWantToBeWell