Article
Jason Bourne, Jesus, and Disability Awareness
John 5:1–15 and three qualities of disability awareness
In the movie The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne is sitting at a table in a roadside truck stop
trying to figure out who he is. He is aware of everything going on around him, but he doesn't
know who he is.
Bourne's words
In an exchange with an accomplice named Marie, he says, “I can tell you the
license plate numbers of all six cars outside. I can tell you that our waitress is left-handed and
the guy at the counter weighs two-hundred and fifteen pounds and knows how to handle
himself. I know that the best place to look for a gun is the cab of the grey truck outside. I know
that at this altitude I can run flat out for half a mile before my hands start shaking. Now, why
would I know that? How can I know all that and not know who I am?”
It is safe to say that Jason Bourne is a very aware person. When it comes to recognition and
perception, he is unlike any around him. Yet, there is another story of one whose awareness
runs deeper than that of Jason Bourne.
Scripture focus
John 5:1–15
Jesus’ interaction with a man who was paralyzed near the pool of Bethesda, surrounded by
crowds of individuals with a disability.
Big idea
In this encounter, Jesus shows us three qualities of disability awareness.
Quality #1
Disability Awareness Means Going to Where the Need Is.
John 5 opens by telling us that it is festival time and Jesus is headed up to Jerusalem for these
holy days. At this time in Jesus’ ministry, he is moved on from a year of obscurity and into a
year of popularity. He's a known Rabbi with a group of disciples. His teachings, miracles, and
Temple cleansing have created a stir. Heading for the festival means time at the Temple.
However, this is not where Jesus goes.
Instead, he goes to the pool of Bethesda. A pool surrounded by five colonnades and multitudes
of individuals with a disability. Each sick person there - the blind, lame, and paralyzed, was
hoping for healing that could come from the pool. Rather than hobnobbing with the religious
elite in the Temple complex, Jesus has chosen a pool surrounded by individuals with a disability.
To put that in perspective
Imagine a notable pastor who is part of a national pastor's conference. He flies into the city for the conference but instead of going to the pre-conference meet-and-greet or an early roundtable discussion, he heads to the local homeless shelter or adult foster care facility. It's hard to imagine because it's the kind of thing that rarely happens. But Jesus did it. He went to where the need was.
While many other religious leaders would have avoided the Pool of Bethesda for the potential of
being made unclean, Jesus goes there to meet a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight
years.
Today, if a pastor is approached about starting a disability ministry in the church, he may
respond by saying something like, "I just don't think it's needed in our church." What he is
saying is that he's looked within the stained-glass walls of the building and there doesn't appear
to be that many individuals with a disability in the congregation. While that may be true about his
church, it is more than likely not true about the community his church is in.
Today’s takeaway:
Disability awareness means going where the need is—beyond the four walls of the church and into the community.
Quality #2
Disability Awareness Means Starting a Conversation
John tells us that Jesus "saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time" (John 5:6a NLT).
Jesus approaches the man and asks what is probably the oddest question in the Bible. Jesus
asks him, "Would you like to get well?" (John 5:6b NLT). Scholars debate the meaning of this
question. Yet perhaps the purpose of the question is quite simple. Jesus' question is a
conversation starter. It is this question that will lead to the healing of the man who was
paralyzed.
Disability awareness today means starting a conversation with an individual who has a
disability. The challenge for many Christians is that this is almost impossible because they
rarely meet those who have a disability. So, there is a connection between going where the
need is and starting a conversation.
Simple logic:
You can't start a conversation if you don't know where the need is. You can't engage those who have a disability if you are never around them to start a conversation.
Quality #3
Disability Awareness Means Leading individuals with a disability into a Personal and Developing Relationship with Jesus.
At the end of Jesus' encounter with the now once-paralyzed man, Jesus catches up with him at
the Temple. Jesus gives the man a second opportunity to respond in faith. He says to the once-
paralyzed man, "Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to
you" (John 5:14 NLT). Given the context of the paralysis and the subsequent healing, Jesus'
words are designed to warn the man of his eternal fate if he does not respond to the one who
has healed him. This is an "alter call" moment. Jesus is calling him into a relationship.
Sadly, we have no record of this man ever entering into this relationship with Jesus. Instead, he
responds to this call by reporting Jesus to the very people who were persecuting Him.
A sober caution
Some ministries masquerade as a disability ministry yet never teach about Christ in a way that those who have a disability can hear and respond in their own way. They host events and run programs, but never proclaim the salvation available through Jesus Christ.
Disability awareness today means becoming so familiar with the Gospel that you can tell the old, old story in such a way that those who have a disability have the opportunity to respond to what Jesus Christ has done for them.
Wrap-up
You don't need to have the situational awareness of Jason Bourne to win the day when it comes
to disability ministry. Effective disability awareness comes down to going where the need is,
starting the conversation, and inviting the individual with a disability into a personal and
developing relationship with Jesus Christ.
