The Healing at Bethesda
5 Later on there was a Jewish feast (festival), and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there is a [a]pool, which is called in Hebrew (Jewish Aramaic) Bethesda, having five porticoes (alcoves, colonnades). 3 In these porticoes lay a great number of people who were sick, blind, lame, withered, [b][waiting for the stirring of the water; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down into the pool at appointed seasons and stirred up the water; the first one to go in after the water was stirred was healed of his disease.] 5 There was a certain man there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus noticed him lying there [helpless], knowing that he had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 The invalid answered, “Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am coming [to get into it myself], someone else steps down ahead of me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up; pick up your pallet and walk.” 9 Immediately the man was healed and recovered his strength, and [c]picked up his pallet and walked.
Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews kept saying to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and you are not [d]permitted to pick up your pallet [because it is unlawful].” 11 He answered them, “The Man who healed me and gave me back my strength was the One who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the Man who told you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away [unnoticed] since there was a crowd in that place. 14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews began to persecute Jesus continually because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now [He has never ceased working], and I too am working.”
The Healing at Bethesda
The account of the Healing at Bethesda occurred during a Jewish festival in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate at a pool known as Bethesda. The site was significant as a gathering place for ailing individuals, including those who were sick, blind, lame, or withered, waiting for the stirring of the water, which was believed to bring healing, although it is a legend and is not included in the original texts in some modern translations . Among them was a man who had been unwell for thirty-eight years, and Jesus noticed him and engaged in a conversation, asking if he wanted to get well . Following this exchange, Jesus commanded the man to get up and walk, and the man was instantly healed of his ailment, showing Jesus's divine power . An interesting aspect of this event is that it took place on the Sabbath, leading to conflict with Jewish leaders who confronted the healed man for carrying his pallet, a violation of the Sabbath . The incident eventually led to the man reporting to the Jews that Jesus had healed him, resulting in Jesus being persecuted by the Jewish leaders due to his actions on the Sabbath .
The occurrence of Jesus healing a man at the Pool of Bethesda during the Sabbath highlights the clash between Jesus's miraculous work and the strict interpretation of Sabbath laws by the Jewish leaders. It also demonstrates Jesus's disregard of man-made regulations in favor of God's work and his authority to bring about miraculous healing. The event is deeply significant as it reveals Jesus's merciful nature, divine power, and willingness to breach traditional laws to address human suffering. It also serves as a pivotal moment in Jesus's ministry, leading to increased hostility and persecution from the religious authorities. This encounter provides a powerful illustration of the consequences of faith in action and the clash between legalism and divine compassion. This ultimately leads to a questioning of the established norms and challenges the religious mindset of the time.