The Cure (5:1–15)

[1] After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
[2] Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
[3] In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
[4] For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
[5] And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
[6] When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
[7] The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
[8] Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
[9] And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
[10] The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
[11] He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
[12] Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
[13] And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
[14] Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
[15] The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.


THE MAN WHO WAS AS GOOD AS GOD

The first two miracles that John wrote about were somewhat private. The servants and the disciples knew that He turned the water into wine, and the servants and the nobleman's family knew that He had healed the sick son. The miracle in John 5 was not only public, but it also happened on the Sabbath and angered the religious leaders. This event is the start of "official persecution" against the Savior.

This historical beginning in Jesus' public ministry has three exciting "acts."

First Act: The Cure (5:1–15)

As we begin this chapter, we find mention of the old Pool of Bethesda. There are different ways to spell the Hebrew name Bethesda and different meanings for it. Some people think it means "house of mercy" or "house of grace," while others think it means "place of the two outpourings." There are historical and archaeological records that show that this area had two pools of water next to each other in the past.

The pool is near the Sheep Gate in the northeast corner of the Old City (Neh. 3:1; 12:39). John may have seen some spiritual significance to this place, since he had already told his readers that Jesus Christ is "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29).

We don't know which feast Jesus was celebrating when He went to Jerusalem, and knowing doesn't matter. Jesus didn't go to keep a religious tradition; He went to heal a man and use the miracle as a way to send a message to the people. The miracle showed what He said in John 5:24—the power of His Word and the gift of life.

Some manuscripts omit the end of John 5:3 and all of verse 4, but it is also true that the event (and the man's words in John 5:7) would not make much sense without these words. Why would anyone, especially a man who has been sick for so long, stay in one place if nothing intriguing was going on? After thirty-eight years of nothing happening to anyone, you would think the man would go somewhere else and stop hoping. It seems best for us to accept that something strange kept all these disabled people at this pool, hoping for a cure.

John said that these people were "impotent, blind, lame, and paralyzed." What a mess sin has made of this world! But one of the things the Messiah was supposed to do was heal these diseases (Isa. 35:3–6). If the religious leaders had known their Scriptures, they would have known who their Redeemer was, but they were spiritually blind.

This miracle is a sign of God's grace, no matter how you look at it. It was grace that brought Jesus to the Pool of Bethesda, because who would want to be around many helpless people? Jesus did not heal everyone; He chose one man and healed him. Jesus showed His kindness and mercy by coming to the man, talking to him, healing him, and then meeting him again in the temple.

John said that the man had been sick for thirty-eight years. Perhaps He perceived the event as a representation of His own Jewish people, who had wandered in the wilderness for thirty-eight years (Deut. 2:14). Israel was a spiritually weak nation of people who were waiting for something to happen that would never happen.

Jesus knew the man (see John 2:23–24) and asked him if he wanted to be healed. You'd think the man would have said, "Yes!" with excitement. I want to get better! But instead, he started to make excuses. He had been in that sad state for so long that his will was as weak as his body. But if you look at John 5:6 and verse 40 together, you'll see that Jesus was also trying to teach a spiritual lesson. This man shows how terrible the country's spiritual state was.

However, this man was healed by the Lord's spoken word. He told the man to do something he couldn't do, but His command had the power to make it happen (see Mark 3:5; Heb. 4:12). There must have been many people at the pool who saw the cure happen right away. Jesus didn't stop to heal anyone else; instead, He departed (John 5:13) to avoid causing trouble. (The Greek word means "to dodge.")

The miracle would have been fine if it hadn't happened on the Sabbath. It's true that our Lord could have come a day earlier or even waited a day, but He wanted to capture the attention of the religious leaders. Later, on purpose, He would heal a blind man on the Sabbath (John 9:1–14). The scribes compiled a list of thirty-nine prohibited activities on the Sabbath, including carrying a load. Instead of being pleased that the man was saved, the religious leaders punished him for breaking the law by carrying his bed.
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It is difficult to comprehend the connection between this man and Jesus. There is no proof that he believed in Christ and was saved, but we can't say that he was against the Savior. He didn't even know who healed him until he met Jesus in the temple. The man probably went there to thank God and make the right sacrifices. It's odd that the man didn't try to get closer to the One who healed him, but more than one person has gratefully accepted the gift and ignored the Giver.

Did the man "tell" on Jesus out of fear? We don't know. The Jewish leaders at least stopped pointing fingers at him and started pointing fingers at Jesus Christ. This man, unlike the healed blind man in John 9, was not kicked out of the temple. The Lord's words (John 5:14) imply that the man's physical condition was due to sin; however, Jesus did not state that the man's sins were forgiven, as He did with the sick man lowered through the roof (see Mark 2:1–12). You can see an amazing miracle and still be lost and not go to heaven!