What does the Bible say about the Pool of Bethesda?

The Pool of Bethesda is mentioned in John 5:1–15, located in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate. The name “Bethesda” means “house of mercy” or “house of grace.” This pool was surrounded by five porches where a great number of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people waited, hoping to be healed.

According to the account, an angel would stir the water at a certain time, and the first person to step in afterward would be healed of whatever disease they had (John 5:3–4). This tradition created an atmosphere of desperate hope among the afflicted.

Jesus came to this pool and saw a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years. Knowing his condition and the duration of his suffering, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?” The man responded that he had no one to help him into the water when it was stirred and that others always went in before him (John 5:6–7).

Jesus then said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” Immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked (John 5:8–9). This miracle took place on the Sabbath, and it stirred controversy among the Jewish leaders, who accused the man of breaking the Sabbath by carrying his bed.

Later, Jesus found the man in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14). The healed man then told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

The Pool of Bethesda illustrates both the compassion and the authority of Jesus. He did not rely on the stirring of the waters but healed by His word alone. His interaction with the man emphasized the need for not only physical healing but also spiritual transformation.

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