John 5:1-5 1After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, having five roofed colonnades. 3In these lay many disabled, blind, lame, and paralyzed people [waiting for the moving of the water; 4for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.] 5 And there was one man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
John moves on to another story that changes scene back to Jerusalem for another feast. Jesus fulfilled Jewish regulations outlined in the Pentateuch about attending feasts and holy days in Jerusalem. Such feasts were significant for John’s story of Jesus with the numerous references, in 2:13 (Passover); 6:4 (Passover); 7:2 (Tabernacles); 10:22 (Dedication); 11:55 (Passover). The specific feast for this occasion is not mentioned since the emphasis is not on the specific time but on the event that happened at the pool of Bethsaida.
As John notes, this pool was located by the Sheep Gate. This particular gate had a long tradition stretching as far back as Nehemiah 3:1, 32; 12:39. This gate was located on the northern wall of Jerusalem, which would be a good spot for Jesus to come through since he was traveling from the north. The name “Bethesda” is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew bêṯ ’ešdâ, which means “house of outpouring.” Archeologists have searched and found two pools that had, at one time, colonnades around them. These pools would have been a lovely place in the dry climate of Judea. One theory why there were five colonnades was because they correponded to the five books of Moses.
John next gives the problem of many disabled people lying around the pool. There is a textual variant with verse 4 that recounts a superstition about the pools. Many early and reliable manuscripts do not include that variant reading (66, א B C* D Latin Vulgate, Coptic, Syriac). The likely possibility is that a later copyist inserted the tradition about why the waters were stirred mentioned in verse 7, attributing the wind to angels. Although the verse was likely not part of the original, it contributes to the story in a natural way to explain why the disabled were there by the pool.
The story focuses on a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. Life expectancy at that time was not long. It is likely that this man’s life was limited. He had no hope outside of the generosity of his family–if he had one still, or of people passing by who took pitty on him. Being disabled at that time had a poor outlook for survival and thriving. This man had suffered a long time with his only hope being a miracle from a superstition. To come to that low point shows desperation. Many today have reached a similar place in life where their only hope is for some good luck, which they never get.
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