John 5 (WEB)

Healing of Lame Man at Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15)
Healing of Lame Man at Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15) John 5:2 ×

Dr. Halvor Ronning explains the finding of the Pool of Bethesda near the Sheep Gate, the site of the healing of the lame man who was told by Jesus to pick up his pallet and walk.

We're just inside what in Old Testament times was called the Sheep Gate, and here archaeologists have actually found the Pool of Bethesda.

So I'd like to read about it from John chapter 5 verse 1.

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades, and in these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed.

One man was there who had been an invalid for 38 years, and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him,

"Do you want to be healed?"

And the sick man answered, "I have nobody to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up.

And while I'm going, another steps down before me."

And Jesus said to him, "Get up, take your bed and walk."

And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now, this compound belongs to the order of the White Fathers of the Catholic Church, and they chose to build their retreat center here just outside a crusader church, one of the few remaining 12th century churches built by European Christians in the Middle Ages.

And that church is called St. Anne, based on the tradition that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born, and her parents, traditionally, Joachim and Anne.

Now, the scholars among the White Fathers were curious, why was that tradition attached to this particular place?

So they excavated, and to their amazement found a huge Byzantine church that's all along in ruin behind me, and extending out across what turned out to be a dam between two deep reservoir pools.

And in the background, you can see one of the arches restored of a whole series of arches that allowed the church to be built right out over the dam that separated between the two pools.

And then when they realized that Byzantine Christians were honoring this place, and they excavated and found the pools over which the church was built, they realized we're moving from a very shaky tradition about Mary being born here to having discovered one of the locations of a Bible story.

And so that's been this thrill of hanging on until the archaeologists do their work, and we find how the Bible stories are just again and again being supported.

It's like the evidence is coming right up out of the ground to support the truth of the Bible stories.

John 5 (WEB)

1After these things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew, “Bethesda”, having five porches. 3In these lay a great multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water; 4for an angel went down at certain times into the pool and stirred up the water. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had. 5A certain man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been sick for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to be made well?”

7The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, another steps down before me.”

8Jesus said to him, “Arise, take up your mat, and walk.”

9Immediately, the man was made well, and took up his mat and walked.

Now that day was a Sabbath. 10So the Jews said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to carry the mat.”

11He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’

12Then they asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your mat and walk’?”

13But he who was healed didn’t know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a crowd being in the place.

14Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.”

15The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath. 17But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.”

18For this cause therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 19Jesus therefore answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise. 20For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires. 22For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.

24“Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. 25Most certainly I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live. 26For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself. 27He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man. 28Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. 30I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous, because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.

31“If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid. 32It is another who testifies about me. I know that the testimony which he testifies about me is true. 33You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34But the testimony which I receive is not from man. However, I say these things that you may be saved. 35He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father gave me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me, that the Father has sent me. 37The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form. 38You don’t have his word living in you, because you don’t believe him whom he sent.

39“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me. 40Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life. 41I don’t receive glory from men. 42But I know you, that you don’t have God’s love in yourselves. 43I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God?

45“Don’t think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, even Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me. 47But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Healing of Lame Man at Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15)