Some things take time. Others are instantaneous. When God does a work, it doesn’t take Him long. Often the only delay is in the length of time it takes for us to obey what He said.
Jesus commanded a lame man do the impossible. The moment the man obeyed; he was made whole. We aren’t told what caused the man to quit explaining and start obeying. He had been in the middle of telling Jesus why he had remained lame for so long when Jesus had uttered His command to rise up. End of discussion. Jesus’ command had been so compelling that the next thing the man knew, he was doing what he had only dreamed of for 38 years. He was free.
What is almost imperceptible is that Jesus was freeing the man from more than his lameness. For Jesus told the man to take up his mat. Jesus was commanding the man to break the man-made rules the Jews had constructed around the Sabbath. Jesus must have known the irritation it would cause the religious leaders of the day. Apparently He didn’t care.
When Jesus makes you free, you are free indeed!