John 5:1-9

Read John 5:1-9a Jesus heals a paralytic  [“9a” in the verse reference means the first part of verse 9.  “9b” would be the second part of verse 9.]

John does not identify the Jewish feast that prompts Jesus to return to Jerusalem, but many scholars think it is Shavuot (this Hebrew word is pronounced shuh-VOO-oat and means Weeks).  At Shavuot, Jews celebrate both the spring harvest and the giving of the Torah (the Law of Moses) to the Israelites on Mount Sinai when they were in the desert.  It is celebrated 7 weeks after Passover and corresponds with the Christian feast of Pentecost.  If it is Shavuot, the reference to Moses at the end of the story in John 5:46-47 would be particularly relevant.

The pool called Bethesda, with its 5 porticos, has been found by archaeologists (Biblical Archaeology Society), after centuries of uncertainty.  Skeptics used to say that this story was fictional because there was no archaeological evidence of the pool of Bethesda, with its odd description of having 5 porticos (a portico is a colonnade or walkway covered by a roof).  However, the pool of Bethesda was discovered by German archaeologist Konrad Schick in 1888.  It consists of two basins separated by a wall.  The structure is surrounded by a rectangular portico along all 4 sides, and there is a fifth portico on the wall between the two basins.  It turns out that John knew what he was talking about, and the skeptics were guilty of a logical fallacy: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.  The pool of Bethesda was there, even though we couldn’t find it for hundreds of years.  It is a short distance north of the Temple.

Verse 4 is omitted in modern translations, because we have learned that the oldest manuscripts do not have that verse.  It only appears in some later manuscripts, where it says that an angel of God would occasionally stir up the waters, and the first person to get in would be healed.  It may have been added in an attempt to explain the man’s comment in verse 7.

What happens in this story?

Imagine you are this man: crippled or partially paralyzed for 38 years.  Before Jesus comes along, how does it feel to be this man?

What does Jesus ask him in verse 6?

Jesus’s question might seem odd: of course he wants to be healed, right?  Why do you think Jesus asks him this question?

People sometimes have conditions that have become so much a part of them that they might hesitate to be healed.  I have worn glasses since I was 7.  I don’t know how I would feel if I suddenly did not need to wear glasses.  A person who is deeply involved in the disability community might weigh the loss of that connection if they were no longer disabled.  This is why a Christian should always ask permission before “praying over” someone to be healed.  But there is more:

Jesus’s greatest hope for the man is that he would come to faith, not just that he would be healed of his infirmity.  How might asking the man what he wants help to stir up or clarify the man’s faith?

Are there “infirmities” or other problems in your life that you would rather not be healed of?  Explain.

Now move away from the context of a healing and consider other ways that God wants to be deeply involved in your life.  How do you react to the ways that God would like to change your life, develop a deep faith in you, form you into a person who has a deep love for others, etc.?  When Jesus says, Do you want to be ____, how do you respond?

Are there situations where God chooses not to act in our lives unless or until we make it clear to God (or even to ourselves) that there is something that we want or need?  Where have you seen God wait for us?

Why does God wait for our conscious involvement and not just heal us or resolve our problems without asking?

People respond to the man’s answer in verse 7 in two different ways.  Some think he is avoiding the question.  Others think he is trying to explain just how hard he tries (“while I am going/coming/making my way”) in order to show how much he wants to be healed.  Which perspective do you see here?

Are we like this man?  First, are there times when we try to avoid directly asking God to intervene in our lives?  If so, what holds us back?

Second, are there times when we clearly seek God’s help, but the healing or miracle or change we hope for does not happen?  How do you handle that?

Jesus accepts the man’s response to a certain extent, but he doesn’t immediately heal the man.  What does Jesus tell him to do in verse 8?

Why do you think Jesus doesn’t just say to the man, “You’re healed”?

Jesus leaves it ambiguous so that the man must do something affirmative to receive the healing.  The man needs to participate in the healing by standing up, picking up his mat, and walking.  This will show whether he actually has faith in Jesus and believes that Jesus has the power to heal him. 

What does this suggest to you about how God works with us?  What role does our participation play in the actions of God in our lives?

In what circumstance in your life is Jesus asking you to take a step of faith right now, saying figuratively, “Arise, take up your mat, and walk”?  How are you responding?  How would you like to respond?

Take a step back and consider this:

We often think of Bible stories as being stories about “them,” and we rarely think about what happens next in “their” lives.  The man was healed, and he lived happily ever after, right?  He became a follower of Jesus and a pillar of the early church, right?

Sadly, there’s no evidence to support that conclusion – in fact, quite the opposite.  Jesus healed the man even though there were no guarantees that the man would use his new-found freedom to serve God.

The same is true for us.  God does good things for us even though we may or may not respond by giving him our wholehearted devotion.

When God does something good in your life (a healing, a new opportunity, a renewed relationship), does it lead to a life of greater service to God, or to a time of complacency?

How can you use God’ blessings as steppingstones to new levels of faith, commitment, and service to God?