John 5:1-9 The
previous reference to a feast was Passover, which Jesus went to Jerusalem to
observe. (John 2:13) The next major feast in the Jewish calendar would have
been Pentecost, the feast of weeks. (Deut. 16:16) John did not record which
feast these events occur at. The pool where these events occurred was called
Bethesda, which being translated, is most likely house of mercy or kindness. It
was at the sheepgate, which was referenced in Nehemiah 3:1 & 32, and 12:39.
Maps of old Jerusalem show it to be located at the north end of the old city of
Jerusalem, near the temple. According to the website "Gates of
Jerusalem"
The Sheep Gate, also known today as Stephen's
Gate (as it was by this gate that St. Stephen was martyred), or the Lions Gate
(As Suleiman, one of the Muslim leaders who captured Jerusalem, had a dream
that Lions were attacking Jerusalem, so he build this gate with pictures of
lions on it to protect the city - little did he know that one lion was Satan,
trying to bar God's people from entering His city and the other was Jesus, the
Lion of Judah, claiming Jerusalem for His own), is located on the east wall,
north of the Temple Mount.
"Eliashib the high priest and his fellow
priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its
doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they
dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. Next to Eliashib the men of
Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built."
Nehemiah 3:1-2 (NKJV)
The Sheep Gate was the first to be restored,
and was rebuilt by the High Priest and his fellow priests (see Hebrews 4:14-15;
7:24-8:2). It was called the Sheep Gate because it led out to the sheep
markets, where lambs were sold for sacrifice in the Temple (see John 1:29; 1
Corinthians 5:7), and in to the Sheep pool where sheep were washed for
sacrificing (later it became the Pool of Bethesda). This gate also led to
Golgotha, the path Jesus took to the crucifixion.
It has been noted that whenever Jesus entered
into the city it was though the Sheep gate. It was at this gate (Pool of
Bethesda) that Jesus healed the palsied man as he entered into the city. (John
5:1,2)The only time this was different was when Christ entered into the city
from the Mount of Olives at His triumphal entry. If Jesus came into the city
through the sheep gate it was significant. He was saying, behold the Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world. The sheep gate led into the temple
compound and the brazen altar. [ http://gatesofjerusalem.99k.org/html/7fdivn.htm
retrieved 1 Jan 2014]
The explanation
of the healing powers of the waters after an angel troubles them (John 5:4) is
frankly puzzling. Why would God work in this way? Perhaps it was a temporary
arrangement that presaged the coming of Christ. In this case, Messiah had come.
The crippled man may have legitimately been unable to get to the pool under the
provisions of the angel's healing touch, if he indeed lacked any kind of
support network. Having been crippled for thirty-eight years, perhaps he had
pretty much lost hope. Jesus simply told him to get up and walk and he did.
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