Week 33 — Abiding When You’ve Been Stuck | James Daily

Week 33 — Abiding When You’ve Been Stuck | James Daily | John 5:1–9

Tension: Long-term brokenness vs. Christ’s command to rise

Formation Outcome: Hope-filled responsiveness

Grounding Questions:

•  What makes long-term struggle especially difficult spiritually?

•  Why might Jesus ask, “Do you want to be healed?” to someone who has been suffering for years?

Expository Teaching:

John 5 introduces a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. His condition was not recent. It had become part of his story, his routine, and likely his identity.

Jesus sees him and asks:

“Do you want to be healed?”

The question may seem obvious, but it is deeply searching. Long-term brokenness can shape expectation. A person may desire change but struggle to imagine life beyond what has been normal for so long.

The man responds by explaining the limitations of the system around him. He has no one to put him into the pool when the water is stirred. His answer reveals disappointment, delay, and helplessness.

Jesus does not argue with the explanation. He speaks a command:

“Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”

The word of Christ creates the possibility of obedience. The man is healed, rises, and walks.

This text supports the ABIDE theme by showing that nearness to Christ interrupts resignation. Abiding keeps us open to Christ’s word even in places where we have learned to live stuck.

The tension is between being defined by long-term limitation and responding to the life-giving authority of Christ.

Group Discussion Questions:

•  What does the man’s response reveal about his situation?

•  Why does Jesus’ question matter?

•  How does Jesus move the man from explanation to response?

•  Where might Christ be calling you to respond instead of rehearsing why things cannot change?

MacDonald Ave Church of Christ, Richmond, CA Sunday Morning Bible Class, September 13, 2026 (Revision.1)