Good morning. After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. It does not say which one, but it must’ve been one of the major ones that expects all males to go up to Jerusalem. The beginning of the next chapter has the Passover at hand; so unless John skipped a whole year, this was not the Passover. There is in Jerusalem a pool, which is called Bethesda. Because he said “is” and not “was”, some argue that the gospel of John was written before the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. However, John likes to use what is known in the Greek as the historical present. He uses the present tense instead of the past tense to describe an event - to draw you into the scene. It’s like someone telling a joke and saying, a man goes into a bar and… instead of a man went into a bar and…. You feel like you’re right there in the bar. So this very well could have been why John used the present instead of the past tense. There was a multitude of people around the pool waiting for the moving of the waters. Whoever stepped in first was healed. There was a man who had been ill for 38 years at the pool waiting for the stirring of the waters. I can’t even begin to imagine what that was like. There is no way that you would have any hope left, as is evident by the discussion that follows. Do you wish to get well? Are you serious, dude? I am here, aren’t I? I don’t have anyone to help me, so everyone beats me into the water. Get up, pick up your pallet and walk. Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Some people say that a person was not healed because he did not have any faith. It is obvious that this man had no faith at all. He had a little bit of hope, but it was more like someone hoping to win the lottery. He must’ve felt something, otherwise he would not have gotten up and started to walk. Now it was the Sabbath that day. We’ll see next time the problems that causes. Father, help the reader to have a safe, happy time with his/her family.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God

  Good morning. While Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. Jesus was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men. Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. It doesn’t say, but I assume it is still during this time of the Passover. This man came to Jesus by night. Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do the signs that You do unless God is with him. It just said that the people believed in His name because of the signs He was doing; yet it does not say what those signs were. Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. That is why unbelievers cannot tell what is of the kingdom of God and what is not – they’re not born again. Nicodemus doesn’t have a clue. How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he? Unless one is born of water and the Spirit ...
Read more

And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds

  Good morning. And men repented, right? And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and the water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. Previously, the 6th angel blew his trumpet and told them to release the four angels at the river Euphrates so that the army of 200 million could cross over. Back to the bowl: and I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great Day of God, the Almighty. Father continue to bring blessings upon the reader and his/her family every day  of their lives.
Read more

So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed

  Good morning. We left John at the entrance of the tomb, stooping and looking in. “Shy” Peter then arrives following John, and enters the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there. So the other disciple, John, who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. It does not say whether or not Peter believed. For as yet they did not understand the scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes. I’m not exactly sure what it means by their own homes. They were originally from Galilee and would not have had homes in Jerusalem. Perhaps it means the homes where they were staying while in Jerusalem. Apparently, they were not staying in the upper room, or it would have said so. But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped (just like John) and looked into the tomb. She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been l...
Read more