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 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.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
Now after two days following Christ's
reception of the townspeople in Samaria, He 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 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. So far in John's Gospel, Jesus has attended one festival, and that was the Passover (see
this reading). According to patristic teaching, this feast is the Old Testament Pentecost, which is also called the Feast of Weeks. It celebrates the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. The references to the Law of Moses later in this chapter, my study Bible comments, confirm 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. 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. This double-basin
pool, my study Bible explains, was believed to have curative powers. It has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the
Sheep Gate. The
water for this high-ground pool flowed from underground springs. It was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain. My study Bible comments that this 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 [
stirred up the water]. These waters were special in that they were a way of participating indirectly in the animal sacrifices of the temple, as the animals were washed in the same water. But, my study Bible notes, the grace was limited to the
first person to enter. But 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. My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that Jesus singled out this man who had waited for thirty-eight years in order to teach us to have perseverance; it's also a judgment against those who lose hope or patience in far 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. My study Bible comments that Christ's question to this man is relevant for several reasons. First, it makes 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 first into the water? Second, Christ draws attention away from the water and focuses it toward the need we have for a man to help us. He is that Man; and fulfills this human need, as He became Man to heal all. Finally, not everyone who is ill actually desires healing. My study Bible notes that sadly, there are some who may prefer to remain infirm in order to have license to complain, to avoid responsibility for their lives, or to continue to provoke 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. John, the author of the Gospel was himself a Jew, as were all of Christ's disciples and Jesus as well. My study Bible comments on this passage that although the Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, this is prohibited in
Jeremiah 17:21-22, and it is explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings. That Christ is Lord over the Sabbath is made clear by is command ("
Take up your bed and walk") and also by the man's obedience as he immediately did so (see also
Matthew 12:1-8). We should note once again that the term
the Jews is most often used in John's Gospel to designate the religious leaders in the temple, and not the people. My study Bible asks us to notice the malice of these leaders. They focus only on the violation of the Sabbath, asking the man, "
Who is the Man who said to you, Take up your bed'?" -- at the same time, they completely ignore the 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 remarks upon the fact that this man was found
in the temple. It shows his great faith, it notes, because this man had gone there directly to thank God for his cure, rather than departing to someone's home or to the marketplace. Jesus tells the man to "sin no more." My study Bible comments upon this that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (
Romans 6:23), the connection is not always one-to-one. The innocent frequently suffer, and often the guilty are spared earthly sufferings (see also
John 9:1-3). Nonetheless, sometimes our sins lead directly to our own suffering in this world. According to St. John Chrysostom, the latter was the case with this paralytic. But Christ's warning is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far
worse result than an affliction of the body, my study Bible says. The only hope is to flee from sin altogether.
The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. This man does not report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, my study Bible comments, but rather he is a witness to Christ's goodness. Even though the religious leaders were only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, this healed man give emphasis to the fact that it was Jesus who had made him well, and says nothing to them 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. Jesus declares God to be My Father, and these religious leaders clearly understand the implication of absolute equality. As our readings continue, Jesus will give a discourse in the following verses regarding this relationship of Father and Son. But let us note for now the emphasis on working, and Christ's particular mission in working the work of the Father as well.
Today's reading gives us the third sign of seven in John's Gospel. My study Bible states that it exemplifies the divine power to restore a person to wholeness. It is interesting to consider this in light of Christ's attitude toward healing which is expressed in today's reading. Let us note that it gives us pause to think about what wholeness means exactly. In a modern context we often think of healing in purely material terms. When we come down with a certain malady, we take the prescribed medicine for it and expect to be cured. But the truth is that even modern science must recognize there is more to healing than simply physical ailments healed by material medicine. The level of stress a person is under, for example, is widely understood to influence all kinds of physical ailments, their degree of intensity, and our ability to heal. This emotional core as one pillar of well-being certainly affects everything else. Add to that the spiritual element of healing and we start to take in a recipe for wholeness, for surely spiritual well-being is part of the key to emotional health as well. We cannot really separate any of these components one from the other, when it comes to the wholeness and health of a human being. Environment plays a role too, as beauty and our capacity to enjoy it certainly plays a role in overall health and healing, and so does our attitude, particularly one that encompasses an active power of gratitude deliberately sought and cultivated. There are endless ways in which these components of health can influence and be augmented in order to help healing within another dimension of our whole being: we're not divided into separate pieces, but rather each has some influence upon the other. But Jesus today ties in healing with the spiritual state of the soul, and in particular our relationship to or participation in sin. It makes sense if we think of our participation in the life of Christ as participation in God's energies, which is another term for grace. At the same time, we might consider what kind of energies we participate in when we engage in sinful behavior that cultivates bad habits, addictions, practices that are harmful, isolating, self-destructive, or socially harmful. This subject is tied to today's reading, for Jesus suggests that this healed paralytic's future well-being is dependent upon his attitude toward sin and his own participation in it. In many ways, sin is likened in theological or spiritual terms to paralysis. We're said to be "stuck" in our spiritual path when sin becomes a habit we can't break, similar to addiction. It becomes an inhibition to spiritual growth and maturity; we cannot progress in terms of our participation in the life Christ desires for us. Without our own repentance of some kind and on some level, we don't go forward into the well-being Christ has for us, and the next step we might move onto in the journey of our faith. In this sense of journey, sin sets us back. An indulgence in a bad habit, such as gossip, can inhibit a better life, a better outlook, progress in terms of spiritual well-being. Self-destruction is a long, long road with a lot of detours and possible outcomes, none of them taking us to real wholeness, and each a part of that "wide way" Christ warns about in the Sermon on the Mount in
Matthew 7:13-14. Let's note that part of the positive signs of healing of this man in today's reading is his practice of gratitude, that he was found in the temple to thank God for his healing. It is in this context that Jesus also warns him not to go backward or invite trouble back into his life, by telling him, "
Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." Perhaps we should also take into account the notion that by forgetting about God, by indulging again in some sin in that forgetfulness, he will in fact be practicing ingratitude, and losing his spiritual ground he's gained. If it's true that we reap what we sow, perhaps we all might consider what we sow and how we sow, and what outcomes we want in this spiritual sense that does indeed touch upon all other things in our lives. Consider also how common it is that we encounter those who face their own ailments with faith and the practice of that faith. It's not so much about a physical outcome as it is about our spiritual place in which we find ourselves. Illness can also be a metaphor for spiritual struggle, and a very real place to struggle for faith regardless of material outcome. If we in the Church recognize the martyrs of periods of persecution for our faith, perhaps we should come to terms also with modern martyrdoms in the often heroic struggle for faith midst the difficulties of illness and suffering of a physical sort. Spiritual struggle around illness, and even death, in my experience, is a very real and powerful thing. There is no time in which we forget about God, and how we are to go through the moments of our lives, and the best choices we can make for spiritual well-being through it all -- and even how such choices affect others. Let us strengthen our spiritual lives at all times, and help others who may be struggling to do so as well. Perhaps our most important choice is to continue the spiritual struggle midst the setbacks, hurts, and difficulties of life in an imperfect world -- and maybe this is the real crux of our faith. In this context, the question, "
Do you want to be made well?" takes on all kinds of meanings and possible responses. Let us consider all the ways it might be answered, at all times.
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