A Victim No More: Overcoming a Victim Mindset

Dr. Michael Caparrelli | Garden City Church | Aug 31st, 2025

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” - John 5:6

The lame man needed more than a touch - he needed a talk. Jesus discerned, that after being sick for "a long time", the chronic sickness undermined his will to get better. Hence, the Savior propounds a question that he must reflect upon, Do you want to get well?

Warnings
Three factors stand in the way of the man receiving His healing - his experiences, his excuses and his exemptions.

First, his experiences
After 38 years of being taken care of by someone else, it becomes comfortable to remain in such a helpless condition. Take heed to what you practice continually, because it wires your brain on an instinctual level.

Second, his excuses
The man claims he had nobody to help him into the pool at the moment the angel stirred the water. But he found someone to get him to the pool from wherever he lived! Could this be a lame man with a lame excuse?  Furthermore, he's waiting for someone else to help him when he is the one he's been waiting for. Hence, Jesus mandates him "Pick up your man and walk!"

Third, his exemptions
The man returns to the outer courts of the temple in verse 14. Why? At the outer courts, sick people beg for money. The man clearly didn't want to give up his mat/sickness because it afforded him certain perks. Jesus tells him, "Your well!".  

Reflections
Answering the question, Do you want to get well? - requires deep thought. What have our experiences conditioned us to believe? What excuses are delaying our progress? How have we benefited from staying sick? All of these underpinnings must be mulled over before answering that question. Surely, there's more to your life than being stuck on a mat.

About Dr. Michael A. Caparrelli
Dr. Michael A. Caparrelli is a pastor, author, professor, and speaker with a passion for helping the broken find hope and healing through Christ. As founder of UnMuted, he has traveled nationally and internationally, ministering in churches, prisons, and recovery centers while authoring several books that equip people to turn pain into purpose. Learn more about his ministry and resources at www.unmutedchurch.org.