This is a simple, straight forward but powerful question: "Will thou be made whole?" Do you want to be well? The answer to this question requires a simple yes or no. It is a question extremely important to the health and well-being of anyone. It is especially important to those who have been chronically sick and/or disabled. Those who have, over long periods of time, experienced pain, sickness, disability, frustration,. stress, illnesses and illness-generating circumstances, are daily faced with the question, "Will thou be made whole?" Or, do you want to be well?

The relevance of this question lies in the fact that most morbidity and mortality occur because of things that are preventable. According to the U.S. Public Health Service, annual deaths in America occur with the following reasons and rates: lifestyle (50%), hereditary (25%), environment (15%), medical system mistakes (10%). This information not only suggests but clearly states that most disability and death occur because of things over which we have control. It says that our lifestyles are killing us. Things like drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking cigarettes, eating excessive salt, sugar and fat, getting no exercise, and using illegal narcotic substances all contribute to not only a shortened life span but one of less quality. The answer to the question, "Do you want to be made whole?," is the beginning of your journey to health and well -being, or, more sickness and disability. If your answer is yes, then you begin to do the things that would bring wellness or wholeness. If your answer is no, then, most likely you will continue to do those things which are the cause of your current sickness, disability, or disease.

The man with the 38 year-long disease, did not directly answer Jesus' direct question. He started making excuses. He said, there is nobody around to help me get into the pool. He said. while I'm trying to get there somebody else steps into the pool before me. Neither one of these responses was an answer to Jesus' question, "Will thou be made whole?" These responses indicate why the man had been sick so long. He was waiting for somebody else to do for him what only he could do for himself. The situation (his illness) had been going on so long that it became him. I imagine that he had gotten to the point where he was gaining some benefit" from this illness. Perhaps it was pity. Perhaps it was recognition. Perhaps it was attention.  Whatever benefit he gained from his long held disability, it was clear that he was not well. It is also clear that his illness prevented him from achieving his full potential. He had resigned himself to living beneath his potential. He had decided to live doing less than his best. He had become so entrenched in and attached to his illness that it is clear he was not going to do much about changing it. He was so far gone into the helpless and hopeless syndrome that only God could deliver him. And this is exactly what happened. Jesus, after listening to his many excuses said to him "Rise, take up your bed, and walk." (vs. 8)

To be well, or whole, this is exactly what has to be done. We must rise, take up our bed and walk. In other words, we must rise above excuses, take up the challenge and discipline of doing what is necessary, and just do it. It is simple but not easy. For example, many people frequently and easily talk about losing weight. But, it is much more easily discussed than done. Many people feel they can "stop drinking or using narcotic substances" whenever they decide, but this is much more easily discussed than done. Many people declare they are going to start exercising regularly real soon, but this is much more easily discussed than done.

As of 1993 the life expectancy of the African-American male was 64 .6 years. This is compared to a life expectancy for the African-American female of 73.7 years, the white male at 73.1 years and the white female at 79.5 years. This difference of nine to 15 years is explained mostly by excessive death rates among African-American males from very preventable causes like tobacco related diseases, heart disease, cancer, high animal fat laden diets, homicides  and HIV disease. Additional points that further describe the health status of African-American males are as follows.
 

The top 10 causes of death for African-American males in the United States as of 1995 are as follows:
 

1. Diseases of the heart which take the lives of 38,000 African-American males annually

2. Cancer which kills 33,000 African-American males annually

3. AIDS or Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection, 13,000

4.  Homicide and legal intervention, 9,000

5. Accidents and adverse effects, 9,000

6. Cerebral Vascular Diseases (e.g. - stroke) 8,000

7. Diabetes, 4,000

8. Pneumonia and Influenza, 4,000

9. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases and related conditions, 4,000 

10. Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period, 3,000 

Heart disease and cancer are the number one and two causes of death for all people (Black, white, red, yellow, brown, male and female) in our country. But, the third and fourth leading causes of death among African-American males, AIDS and homicides, are what I call signature causes of death. What do I mean? I mean these two conditions do not rank this high as causes of death for any other population group in America.  The peculiar idiosyncrasies of the relationship between the African-American male and this society have manifested themselves in many ways. Unfortunately, AIDS and homicides are two of those ways.  Annually, over 20,000 African-American men die from either AIDS or homicide. That's more than 55 a day and one every 30 minutes. For the most part this carnage is a result of self-destructive behavior.

This behavior has been programmed and sustained by a historical and current barrage of social, economic, educational, physical and psychological hurdles designed to limit, retard, and in some cases eliminate the progress and/or potential of the African-American male. One example of this is the inability of large numbers of African-American males to vote. Some estimates range as high as 1/7 of the voting eligible population of African-American males is ineligible to vote because of having committed a felony.  Voting is what makes you a participant in this democratic society. It is what is foundational to democracy.  If you cannot vote you have no active and direct say in who makes the decisions and what the decisions are that govern the society in which you live. In essence, because of this peculiar relationship between African-American males in this society, the existence of the African-American male is reduced in many instances to just, "hanging around, waiting for someone to do for us what we must in reality do for ourselves.

This brings me back to the scripture that was used to start this discussion. John 5 and 3 says, "In these lay a great number of sick folk-some blind, some crippled and some paralyzed (shriveled up).   Clearly African-American males are disproportionately sick, disabled, hospitalized, incarcerated, unemployed, locked up, locked down, locked out and locked in. Large numbers of African-American males are counted among sick people with many different diseases, conditions and illnesses. In fact the numbers are so disproportionately large that many people describe African-American males as being characteristically uneducated, unemployed, uninterested in obeying the law, criminalized, marginalized, hospitalized, and generally parasitic in this society. In fact this description is so widely shared and broadly published and prominently displayed, that even African-American males themselves, to a large degree, have this very same opinion.

It is not adequate for us to do what needs to be done. There is a need for spiritual strength. There is a need for God. When you say to God that you want to be well, God
will say to you, Rise, take up your bed and walk. When you say to God that you want to be well, you are saying you have decided to give no more excuses, accept the  challenge and to just do it.

 Do you want to be well is a question that each of us must ask ourselves individually. And, it is a question that must be asked of our community as a whole.

The answer, whether from an individual or community perspective, will determine
future directions.