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After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up thew water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" 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." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'" Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'? But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who made him well.
For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
- John 5:1-18
Yesterday we read that after Jesus left the town of the Samaritan woman, He went to Galilee, His home country. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!" Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. This feast is called the "Feast of Weeks." My study bible points out that many Church Fathers teach that this feast is the Old Testament Pentecost -- which celebrates the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. There will be references later in this chapter on the Law of Moses, which confirms this interpretation.
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. My study bible says that this "double-basin pool, believed to have curative powers, has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate. The water for this high-ground pool came from underground springs and was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain. The pool functions as a type of Christian baptism. Under the old covenant, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it. The waters were special in that they were a way of indirectly participating in the animal sacrifices of the temple, since the animals were washed in the same water. Yet the grace was limited to the first person to enter. Under the new covenant, baptism is given to all nations as a direct participation in Christ's own sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6) without the mediation of angels. Baptism thus grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body, and its grace is inexhaustible."
Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. According to the teaching of St. John Chrysostom, this man -- who had waited for thirty-eight years -- was singled out by Jesus in order to teach us all perseverance. It's also a teaching against losing hope or patience in much lesser troubles lasting a far shorter time.
When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" 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." My study bible says, "The Lord's question is relevant for many reasons. (1) It made public the fact that the sick man kept his faith even in a situation that was seemingly hopeless, for how could a paralytic ever be the first into the water? (2) The Lord draws attention away from the water and toward the need we have for a man to help us. This is fulfilled in Christ Himself, who became Man to heal all. (3) Not everyone who is ill actually desires healing. Sadly, some may prefer to remain infirm in order to have license to complain, to avoid responsibility for their lives, or to continue exciting the pity of others."
Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'" Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" A note says, "Although the Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, this is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:23 and explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings. That Christ is Lord over the Sabbath is made clear by His command (in verse 8) and by the man's obedience. As is often the case in John's Gospel, the term Jews here refers to the leaders and not to the people in general. Notice the malice of these leaders, for they focus solely on the Sabbath violation, asking the man, 'Who is the Man who said to you, "Take up your bed"?' but ignoring altogether the miraculous healing."
But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." My study bible suggests that it's a sign of this man's great faith that he was found in the temple. He had gone there directly to thank God for his cure rather than leaving for someone's home or to the marketplace. He's told by Jesus to sin no more: A note says, "While there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), this connection is not always one-to-one, for the innocent often suffer, and the guilty are often spared earthly sufferings (see also 9:1-3). Nevertheless, sometimes our sins lead directly to our own suffering in this world; according to St. Chrysostom, this was the case with the paralytic. Christ's warning here, however, is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse affliction of the body. The only hope is to flee from sin altogether."
The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who made him well. My study bible says, "The man does not report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, but as a witness to Christ's goodness. For even though these leaders were only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, the healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well, saying nothing about carrying his bed."
For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. John gives an exposition, a witnessing, to the reasons why Jesus would come to be persecuted by the leadership, and accused of violations of the Sabbath. But Jesus also profoundly declares His relationship to the Father by His statement about His Father's work. It reminds us, also, of the statement reported in Luke's Gospel (2:49), when while still a boy He responded to His parents questions with more questions: "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" My study bible says here that when Jesus declares God to be My Father, the leadership clearly understands that this implies an absolute equality.
Jesus enters into the arena of the temple, so to speak. Here on the outside of the Sheep Gate, Jesus finds His sheep. It is this man, a paralytic, who's been waiting for thirty eight years to get into the water first. What a pathetic sight this Gospel describes here: all kinds of ailing people, here on the side of the Sheep Gate, waiting for help, for the one chance that comes every once in awhile. It's almost like a picture of a wheel that spins -- this stirring of the water -- and the lucky one is the first into this pool. But Jesus picks out just one, this one who has been waiting, and trying, all these years. I was once in a waiting room for a famous surgeon, someone well-known for doing difficult cases. There were "multitudes" there, as well. Some of us waited six hours past the time of our appointments. I know there were spouses who missed important work meetings too. The cases were serious because this man was known as a special kind of "healer." But there wasn't much compassion in his staff or in him although he was a skilled surgeon. Perhaps it was due to the overwhelming nature of the help that was needed, and the extra complications of health insurance systems. Nine hours in a waiting room, however, can't compare with this man who waited thirty-eight years, and he's the one Christ chooses. Imagine the question: "Do you want to be made well?" Christ is helping this man to voice his true strength, a prayer, to say what he really wants. And we must assume that the man's answer, an explanation about his condition, an expression of his place in life, in the world, is important to Christ and essential to this process. It's Christ who really wants to hear; He's the one who asked. I think if we take this one crucial glimmer in the story, we come to understand something about compassion and about patience, endurance. We can't all solve the problems of those around us, nor those whom we love and care about. We can't necessarily cure everything that ails us, no matter what aspect of our lives is affected. But what compassion teaches is about the journey, being "with" someone, along the way, and in this way maybe we, too, can help those who need patience, endurance, persistence. First of all, before healing this man, Jesus listens. He asks the man to speak for himself. He hears the explanation of what this infirm man has been going through, what he has been trying to do, how he has been there for thirty-eight years without help and with only one hope. Let us be like Christ and remember what it is to help one another to this patience, to faith, and the one way we can share His love when there is nothing else we can do -- it is the one thing that is always needed. My study bible says that this healing in today's reading is the third sign in John's Gospel, and that it exemplifies the divine power to restore a person to wholeness. Let us remember that wholeness is something we can pray for no matter what condition a person is in; their well-being must also be in the waiting, in the infirmity, in our prayer and help with compassion, as well. Whether or not we are the patient -- patience becomes a virtue to be cultivated and nurtured, helped with compassion, built through prayer and the support of the One who listens and all those who may be called to intercede.
