John 5:1-12
John 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
“After this” is a common phrase used by John who wrote in the chronological order of events both in this Gospel and Revelation.
The feast was the Jews’ Passover which was originally the Lord’s Passover.
John 5:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
The sheep’s market was actually the sheep’s gate. It was the gate through which the sheep were brought into Jerusalem because it was near the temple.
The pool was in the shaped of a pentagon – five sided.
Bethesda means house of mercy. It was a place of public infirmary.
The five arches were a covering of the colonnade were could rest protected from the weather.
John 5:3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
The people there were weak, sickly and helpless.
Halt means the person has to stop often as he or she walked from lameness.
Withered means a leg was shrunk or paralyzed.
John 5:4 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.
John 5:5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
Aramaic shape for the number 30 is Lamed and is made in the shape of a shepherd’s staff. It means to learn or to teach. Lamed shape is the twelve Jewish alphabet and it the center of the alphabets.
The Aramaic shape for the number 8 is Chet which means fence to hid and protect.
Jesus is the Shepherd – the Lamed who has come into the Fenced – the world which protects us, in order to deliver us from our blindness, halted and withered conditions.
John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said unto him, Will you be made whole?
Jesus took the initiative because the man did not know Jesus.
He asked a simple question – Will you like to be healed.
John 5:7 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 stepped down before me.
The man began to make excuses by saying whenever the water is troubled, no one helps me into the troubled water. You have to be first in the water to be healed.
John 5:8 Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up your bed, and walk.
This is the third great miracle of Jesus recorded in John.
The troubled waters was a Jewish myth. Jesus did not heal any of the other people. He healed this man to make a statement, that all the healing was in him and not some myth.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All healing is through Jesus.
John 5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath.
He had a rough quilt and pallet that he had be laying on.
John 5:10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the Sabbath day: it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.
The Rabbis had made it unlawful to carry anything in from a public place to a private place or vice versa. So they challenged the man for carrying his bed.
The Godly thing would have been happy that the man was no longer lame.
John 5:11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
The man explained that the man who healed me told me to take my bed and walk and because I am grateful for the healing, I am going to do what he said do.
John 2:5 His mother said unto the servants, Whatsoever he says unto you, do it.
John 5:12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto you, Take up your bed, and walk?
Again, they are not happy for the man, but are concerned that some one has done something contrary to their rule.
John 5:13 And he that was healed knew not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
The man did not know it was Jesus. And, Jesus slipped away because of the multitude. He knew their attitude towards him and he avoided the crowd of Jews.
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus fond him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Once we are made whole by Jesus was must be careful to hold on to the fullness of salvation unless we slip further than before.
Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goes he, and takes with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
The key is empty. We must keep the Holy Spirit in our lives as given to us by Jesus.
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