Famous escape artist, Harry Houdini, depended on success in one incredible escape to give him credibility in the next town. In one situation, he was in trouble. A small town in the British Isles built a new jail cell, and they were proud of it. “Come give us a try,” they said to Houdini, and he agreed.
He walked into the prison cell bristling with confidence. After all, he had done this hundreds of times before. Houdini hid inside his belt a special lock pick he had designed. Once the jail cell was closed, Houdini took off his coat and set to work with his lock pick. But he discovered that something was unusual about this particular lock.
An hour passed, and still he had not been able to open the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. He tried all the tricks of his trade, but nothing worked.
After two hours, and totally exhausted, Houdini literally collapsed against the door. The door swung open, and he discovered it had not been locked in the first place! It was locked only to him in his mind.
Much like Houdini our prison is not actually locked anymore. Jesus came and set the captive free. All we must do is open the cell door and experience freedom! There are many in our society with a fixed mindset that will do all they can to keep the captive firmly trapped. The reasons vary, but the bottom line is that these social workers pretending to be do-gooders are also prisoners, and they cannot stand the idea of anyone being free.
In the fifth chapter of John, the apostle relates the story of a man who was waiting by the pool of Bethesda waiting for the water to be stirred in hopes of being healed by the waters. John tells us that he was there for 38 years. Can you imagine it? 38 years sitting in the waiting room of a hospital. That whole time held captive to a disability that made you unable to attend worship. For many with mental illness, they have disabilities that hold them captive, and that also keeps them from the opportunity to worship. How many churches are open to the mentally ill who might disrupt your well-orchestrated services? These men and women are very similar to this man waiting with just a fingernail clipping of hope.
Jesus shows up, and John lets us know that Jesus knew he had been there for a long time. The whole place is filled with other people that are holding out a small measure of hope. “Maybe today is the day that I can get my life back?” For reasons only known to the Father and the Son, Jesus focuses on this one person. While at first blush, the question seems like a silly question Jesus asks him “Do you want to get well?” When we work with those that are in captivity, we must in some fashion ask them the same question.
"Do you want to be free?"
Yes, it will seem like a silly question. Because in our world of freedom, we assume everyone wants to be free.
