Note 4 at Joh 5:8: Jesus commanded this man to do something that was totally impossible for him to do in the natural. Even if he felt something emotionally or physically, there still was no rational reason why he would be able to take up his bed and walk. To this man, getting up and walking was totally an act of faith (Jas 2:17), and that is precisely why Jesus told him to do it. Most of the time, people had already taken a step of faith in coming to Jesus for healing. But in this instance, this man was approached by Jesus, and there had been no act of faith on his part. Therefore, it was imperative that Jesus stir up some degree of response in the man's faith. Healing does not come without some manifestation of faith on the part of the person who is receiving it (Mr 6:5-6). For this reason, Jesus often told people to whom He was ministering healing to do something (Mt 12:9-13; Lu 7:11-15, 17:12-19; Joh 9, and 11:39-44).