John 5:1-9 There Are Several Incidents Contained

John 5:1-9

There are several incidents contained within the various Gospels in which Jesus performs a miracle and cures someone; and John 5:1-9 recounts one of these stories. The incident happens on an unnamed holy day in the city of Jerusalem, which also corresponds to the Sabbath. The place is a pool with five pillars, or colonnades, near a spot commonly known as the "sheep market," sometimes the "sheep gate," or "Bethesda" in Hebrew, and it is here that Jesus cures a man who had been infirmed for thirty-eight years. The pool was famous for curing the first person to enter after it had been disturbed by an angel who occasionally entered the pool. But because the man had no one to help him enter the pool, he never had been the first to enter, and thus never cured. After asking the man "would thou be whole?," Jesus instructs the man to "Rise, take up thy bed and walk." (John 5:6-8) However, because Jesus cured the man on the Sabbath, this would cause a problem with the Jews in the area.

In The New Bible Commentary, this passage is briefly examined in terms of the archaeological evidence which indicates that the place mentioned in the passage was indeed a real place that has been identified. It then delves into the text and the meaning of the phrases used by Jesus, particularly "would thou be whole," and its impact on the infirmed man. Clearly this man believed in the magical effects of the pool, but Jesus simply commanded him to get up, carry his bedding and walk away, indicating that his belief in magic was replaced by a belief in Jesus. (Carson 1036) The commentary then delves into what may be the real issue discussed in the passage: whether it was alright to violate the Sabbath in order to help another person. It also discusses if the man's infirmity was caused by a moral affliction and the nature of Jesus' relationship with God the Father.

While the New Bible Commentary actually examines the particular incident in detail, the New Jerome Biblical Commentary seems to examine the incident at the pool in the larger context of "Disputes over Jesus' Deeds and Words…." (Brown 958) In fact, the commentary states "The miracle serves as an occasion for a discourse on Jesus' relationship to the Father and his power to give life." (Brown 958) The New Jerome Biblical Commentary is different from the New Bible Commentary in its focus on the passage, not specifically analyzing the particular passage, its terms, etc., but discussing its implications within the context of other miracles and the reaction received by the people. It also spends a great deal more time discussing the archaeological evidence of the site and the meaning of the term "troubled the water" when contemplating the passage. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary then goes on to asks what exactly was happening when the water became "troubled," and whether the pool was linked to a system of natural springs.