John 5:14 (ESV)

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

Jesus had left the area right after healing this man, but a little while later he saw him in the temple and chose to follow up. I love that little detail! Put yourself in this man’s place for a moment. Not only did he heal you, but a little while later he singles you out of a crowd and comes over to you with a big smile on his face. “See, you are well!” It must have been quite a reunion, and a great reminder that Jesus isn’t just Lord and Savior and King…but he is YOUR Lord, Savior, and King. He is up close and personal as well as removed and holy. He is a friend of sinners (Lk. 7:34), as well, but that doesn’t mean Jesus winked at sin. Quite the contrary.

There was quite a turn in this two-sentence exchange between the healed and his healer. Smile at the beginning, then a quick turn to absolute seriousness. Did this man have a serious and on-going sin problem in his life? Perhaps. The scripture doesn’t say. But what is obvious is that Jesus was more concerned with his spiritual health than his physical healing. He celebrated with him regarding the miracle but loved him enough to warn him about a far more serious danger: the pitfalls of sin.

“Jesus was a friend of sinners not because he winked at sin, ignored sin, or enjoyed light-hearted revelry with those engaged in immorality. Jesus was a friend of sinners in that he came to save sinners and was very pleased to welcome sinners who were open to the gospel, sorry for their sins, and on their way to putting their faith in Him.” (The Gospel Coalition)

Jesus healed the man, but we don’t know if the man became a true follower. He immediately “went away and told the Jews” —a remarkable statement in and of itself since he was now capable of doing so—but why would he do such a thing? His statement to the Jewish leaders only added fire to their flames since Jesus continued to do this kind of “work” on the Sabbath. Most likely, he either wanted to stay out of trouble, since they had asked him directly who was responsible for his healing, or he wanted to give Jesus credit with the religious authorities. Whatever the case was, there is one fact that we must not miss:

He told others what Jesus had done for him.

This reminds me of what Paul wrote in the first chapter of Philippians regarding other preachers and their motivations. He said, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice” (Phil. 1:18). The healed man proclaimed Christ as his healer, so does it really matter what his motivation was? Every true Believer has multiple reasons to proclaim Christ—multiple “healings” of various sorts—but do we move quickly to do so? Like this healed man, we all need to go and tell what Jesus has done for us!