Do You Want to Be Made Well? Life Is More Than Suffering

By Bill Vassilopoulos

I am not sure how much longer my content will remain uncensored on social media because of legislative pushes like Bill C-9, which critics warn could be used to label certain traditional books and passages in the Bible as hate speech. Somehow, we have lost our way as a society in looking after one another and understanding the true depth of what it means to love our neighbor.

As I watch people online advocate for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)—often framing it as the ultimate expression of "compassion" or a person’s right to die on their own terms—it saddens me deeply. We are displacing true care with an expedited exit.

Consider the Gospel of John, chapter 5. Jesus (Yeshua) went to a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda, a place known for healing. A multitude of people with various sicknesses and disabilities waited there for the moving of the water. Among them was a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Year after year, he kept missing his opportunity to reach the water in time.

Yeshua saw him lying there, knew he had been in that condition for a long time, and asked a piercing question: “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6).

The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me” (John 5:7).

The True Transformation of Suffering

When I reflect on this encounter, it is clear that Yeshua knew exactly what this man needed. He did not look at the man’s thirty-eight years of misery and validate a desire to give up. Is it unreasonable to think that this man may have wanted to end his life at times? Imagine the exhausting despair of repeatedly missing the one opportunity that could change everything.

But Yeshua came for a purpose far greater than merely managing physical or mental suffering. He came to give life to those who are spiritually dead—people who believe they are whole but are entirely broken. It is not our illnesses or our disabilities that keep us from God; it is our lack of trust that He cares for us and desires to be with us beyond this life.

Today, society tells us that we should not have to endure physical or mental pain—that if life becomes difficult or broken, terminating it is a valid medical solution. But look at how God Himself responded to intense human agony.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, facing the weight of what was to come, Yeshua experienced profound trauma: “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). He prayed, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

He was betrayed, mocked, beaten, and scourged (Matthew 27:26). He was led to Golgotha and nailed to a cross between two thieves. Even as He hung there in excruciating pain, His focus was on redemption, praying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). He submitted entirely to the will of the Father, chose to endure the suffering to its absolute end, cried out, “It is finished!” and committed His spirit into the Father's hands (John 19:30, Luke 23:46).

On the third day, the narrative of defeat was shattered forever: “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said” (Matthew 28:6).

Crossing from Death into Life

Yeshua could have called upon twelve legions of angels to stop His suffering instantly (Matthew 26:53). Pontius Pilate even tried to leverage his own administrative authority, saying, “Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” (John 19:10). But true power was displayed in endurance, because through that suffering, the door to eternal life was opened.

As John 5:24–25 clearly states:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”

At my speaking engagements, I often use the Q&A session to pose a sobering question designed to disrupt the audience's perspective: 'How do you know it won’t be a thousand times worse on the other side if you decide to end your life?' I never expect an immediate answer; my goal is to force a pause—to make them confront the absolute weight of eternity. I remind them that God views suffering through the lens of redemption. His Son came to bring life, not death. Your suffering is not the end of your story, and it does not diminish your worth.

If you are struggling in the dark today, remember who you are:

• You are irreplaceable.

• You are unrepeatable.

• You are highly valued.

• You are NOT a burden. (Matthew 11:28-29)

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Please take the time to read, reflect on, and share these Twilight Tuesday blogs to help break the silence and protect the vulnerable around us.

Warmly, your friend,

Bill Vassilopoulos

Author, Eyes Above the Water

©2026 Bill Vassilopoulos. All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer: The contents of this website and book are for educational and advocacy purposes and do not replace professional medical advice.