Page 39 - Gospel of John_teachers lesson_cp 1-10_Neat

The Impotent Man

Rise, take up they bed, and walk

Background:

The Sheep Gate – The general entry to the Temple city in Jerusalem is through the south gate.
Within the Temple city there are numerous gates, including the Beautiful gate where the
women enter the inner court reserved for the Jews. (Acts 3:2) The sheep gate was an exterior
entry on the northside of the Jerusalem. The sheep gate was near to the sacred temple in the
northern quadrant of the city and as the name indicates the gateway was used to bring in the
sheep used for sacrifices.
Outside of the northern gate was a pool just below a long colonnade of porches. A colonnade is
a series of tall columns that support a special horizontal covering. The rows of columns
naturally create archways or “porches” in between each column. The pool is referred to in
scripture at the Sheep-gate pool or “Beth-hesda” which in Hebrew means the house of mercy
and shame, but the “hesda” can also be a reference to grace. The name Beth-hesda should not
be confused the Bethsaida which means fishing house and it is the home-town of Simon Peter,
Andrew, and Phillip.
In local folklore, “Beth-hesda” was known for healing waters, perhaps like present day hot
springs. There are myths that connect a Greek man-god of medicine to the healing power that
stirred the pool at a certain season during the year. The factual existence of the pool was
affirmed in modern times in the late 1960’s. The factual existence of the pool and its reference
in scripture should not be confused with the Bible authenticating the healing power of the pool.
Much to the contrary, as the lesson will bring forth, Jesus-Messiah does not validate the power
or the use of “Beth-hesda”, in fact he challenges the impotent man wanting and waiting to be
lowered into the pool.

Timestamp: The last timestamp in John 2:13 marked the first Passover during the public ministry of Jesus-Messiah. John 5:1
opens with a timestamp making reference to the feast of the Jews. The Passover recently celebrated in John 2:13 was just
before the encounter between Jesus-Messiah and the woman of Samaria. Several days passed following the Passover including
days spent baptizing and doing miracles in Judea before making His departure to Samaria in route to Galilee. Two extra days
were spent in community with the Samaritans. Calculating the days and weeks that have passed from Passover until the end of
the visitation in Samaria would set the next feast for either Pentecost in the month of Sivan (May-June) or *Sukkot (feast of
tabernacles) celebrated in the month of Tishri (Sept-Oct). Considering the analogy used by the Messiah referencing the harvest
that was four months away (May-June), it is likely that the feast referenced here is the later of the two options, - Sukkot. This
timestamp also marks the end of the first year of the public ministry of Jesus and his disciples because the next timestamp
reference in John 6:4 will restart the time cycle with a new Passover.
Fact: For centuries there was no physical evidence during the modern era that the Bethesda pool existed. Conjectures were
made that the reference was metaphoric and not literal. The are Bible translations that *do not reference verses 3-4. (i.e.
*Latin Vulgate vs. Textus Receptus) In 1964, German architect Conrad Schick made the initial discovery of ruins that were apart
of ancient temple and healing pools of Asclepieion. (Greek man/god of medicine)
Note: The healing pools and angel troubling the water, are not a part of Jewish culture or folklore.

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