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

Angel of the Lord, Theophanes the Cretan, 1545.  Fresco, Chapel of St. Nicholas, Stavronikita Monastery, Mt. Athos, Greece

 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 the 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  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.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 had 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 two days with the Samaritans near Jacob's well, Jesus departed from there and went to Galilee.  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 had also 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.  As we can see, John's Gospel is organized through the various Jewish feasts that occur during Jesus' ministry.  Frequently, Jesus' sermons and teachings during these festivals touches on themes of the events commemorated through them in Jewish spiritual history.  Through this understanding, the Fathers of the Church have taught that this particular festival is the feast of the Old Testament Pentecost (which is also called the "Feast of Weeks").  This was a celebration of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  We will see Christ's references to the Law of Moses later in this fifth chapter of John's Gospel.

 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 the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.   My study bible remarks that this double-basin pool, which was believed to have curative powers, was discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate.  The water for this high-ground pool originated from underground springs.  It was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  It adds that this pool functions as a "type" of Christian baptism.  That is, as the text tells us, under the old covenant, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing, after an angel touched it.  These waters were special in the sense that they were a way of indirectly participating in the animal sacrifices of the temple, since the animals were washed in the same water.  But that grace was limited to the first person who entered.   By contrast, under the new covenants, my study bible explains, baptism is given to all peoples as a direct participation in Christ's own sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6) without the mediation of angels.  Therefore, baptism grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body, and its grace is not limited, but rather inexhaustible.

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  My study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who remarks that Jesus singled out the man who had already waited for thirty-eight years in order to teach us perseverance, and as a judgment against those who lose 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."   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.   Jesus' question, "Do you want to be made well?" is relevant for several reasons, which my study bible gives:  1.  This made public the fact that the sick man kept his faith even in circumstances which were seemingly hopeless.  One must ask, how could a paralytic ever be the first into the water?  2.  Christ draws our attention away from the water and toward the need for a man to help us, which is fulfilled in Christ Himself, who became a human being to heal all.  3.  Not everyone who is ill actually wishes to be truly healed.  Unfortunately, it is simply true that some may prefer to remain unwell in order to have license to complain, to avoid responsibility for their lives, or to continue drawing upon the pity of others.

 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.  My study bible points out that although the Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, it is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22.  It is also specifically forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  But we are to understand that Christ is Lord over the Sabbath through His command ("Rise, take up your bed and walk") and also by the man's obedience.  (See also Matthew 12:1-8.)  My study bible also reminds us that, as is often the case in John's Gospel, the term Jews here is used similarly to a political term, in that it refers to the leaders (that is, those who make up the ruling parties), and not to the people in general.  Every person in this story, including Jesus and the paralytic man, is a Jew.  Moreover, we must bear in mind that the attributed author of the Gospel was also a Jew.  My study bible remarks upon the malice of the leaders, whose focus is only on the Sabbath violation.  They ask this healed man, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed'?"  But they lack altogether any concern or interest whatsoever in his miraculous healing.

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 says that the fact that this man was found in the temple shows he had great faith.  He had gone there directly to thank God for his cure, as opposed to departing to someone's home or to the marketplace.  Jesus tells the man to sin no more:  my study bible says that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), that connection is not always one-to-one, as we all know the innocent often suffer, and the guilty are frequently spared earthly sufferings (see also 9:1-3).  But nonetheless, there are most definitely times when our own sins lead directly to our personal suffering in this world.  St. John Chrysostom comments here that this was the case with the paralytic man.  Christ's warning, however, according to my study bible, is that sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body.  And we must also consider that for this healed man to knowingly sin against God would be, in a certain sense, to repudiate the giver of the grace he has received, and so result in a deeper condemnation.  Our great hope is to flee from sin altogether.

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  My study bible says that this man does not report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, but rather as a witness to the goodness of Christ.  Although the leadership is only interested in the Sabbath violation, the healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well, and says nothing about carrying his bed (the subject of the violation).

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.  Jesus declares God to be My Father.  This is clearly understood by the leaders as a declaration of absolutely equality.

In Christianity, we embrace the equality of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  These are the three Persons of the Trinity.  But for the religious leaders of Christ's time, for a man to declare himself to be equal with God is simply blasphemy, and therefore punishable by death.  Jesus emphasizes the quite personal and intimate role of this relatedness simply by using the term "Father" -- and therefore giving us a sense not merely of equality or relationship in and of itself, but rather characterizing this relationship as personal and intimate, and also one of love and likeness.  It is in John's Gospel that Jesus will say, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).  It is in Jesus' care, His compassion, His healing, and also His intimate understanding and relationship to those whom He guides, counsels, and helps that we also come to understand God the Father, and the Spirit as well.  It is the same John to whom the authorship of this Gospel is attributed who also writes in his first Epistle that "God is love" (1 John 4:8).  And this is the unfolding in this Gospel of how we are to understand Jesus, and to know that Jesus is sent in order to reveal to us more deeply the true nature and identity of the Father:  today's reading gives us the third sign or miracle of John's Gospel.  It is an unfolding in which Christ's compassion for those downtrodden and struggling is most clear and evident, for this man has waited thirty-eight years for help, and yet his hope was not exhausted.  He is afflicted and handicapped.   He needs someone to help him.  He has been struggling to take what is a desperate and narrow chance for healing for a significant portion of his life.  It is he whom Christ asks, "Do you want to be made well?"  It is of him that Jesus engages first in intimate conversation, inquiring about his state of mind, his frame of being, beginning a healing with a depth of understanding and dialogue.  And this, for us, further reveals the mind and persona of God -- who seeks to engage on intimate terms with us, and for us to share our deepest thoughts and concerns in dialogue, which is prayer.  There is no deeper expression of what is called the condescension of God, as in some very real sense, God became human so that God could engage directly with this isolated man with no one to help him.   The fact that he struggles in this circumstance for decades tells us something, and offers to us a glimmer of light in our own challenges.  It tells us that God knows where we are, and affirms that "the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30, Luke 12:7).  And there is another way in which today's reading gives us a sense of grace at work in our lives, and that is through the gift of baptism.  While this paralytic man awaits the angel to stir the water, and some man who would help him, Christ gives baptism to all of us, in which the waters of the world are sanctified for healing on all levels.  That is, through the sacrament of baptism, we are brought even closer to God and God comes closer to us, endowing us with the gift of the Spirit for our own struggles and battles with what ails us in life, and helping us to find God and to reject sin and evil.  We often overlook baptism as the great gift that it is, that it makes it more possible to be endowed with a gift that effects prayer and intimacy and dialogue with God, unifies our understanding of the faith and the living Church, helping us to understand intercession and the communion of saints, and even the work of angels in our lives.  This is a gift of illumination, and so often we seek to squander it by undervaluing its potential for each of us.  Let us consider the ways in which today's reading gives us enlightenment about the loving nature of God and God's care for us, and also how the elements of the world -- something as common as water -- may also be formed in sacrament to help us understand that life of faith which is so vital to our own hope and struggle in life.  Jesus' command to "sin no more" tells us about the importance of valuing what we have and are given by grace, and not overlooking what is worthwhile simply because it is freely given of love.  Today's text tells us that it was an angel who stirred the waters, so that they could be used for healing.  While we may or may not dispute this idea, there is little doubt that the testimony of the whole history of faith gives us evidence of the work of angels -- as messengers, as instruments in human history, as part of the entire communion of saints, intercessors, guides, and guardians of human beings.  While modern sentiment frequently depicts angels as cuddly children, the reality of such beings is one to which many have testified as that of a tremendous intelligence, many times beyond our capacity to grasp, and power that normal earthly barriers of space cannot hinder.  Let us give attention where attention is due, and understand that in the tradition of the Church, each one of us has one such being as guardian, and that where worship is present, so we also worship at the altar with the angels in heaven.  Christ Himself goes so far as to testify of even the least among us that "their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10).  Through the baptism of water and the Spirit, Christ may change the dynamic of healing and sanctifying waters.  But the ministry and presence of these great messengers remains active and with us in all ways, and mysteriously more than we can know, as part of God's love at work for human beings.