Question 1

What is the pool of Bethesda and why were sick people gathered there?

Accepted Answer

The pool of Bethesda was a water pool in Jerusalem, near the sheep gate, with five porches where many sick, blind, lame, and withered people stayed. They believed that at certain times an angel stirred the water and that the first person to step in afterward would be healed of any disease. Because of this, a great crowd of suffering people waited there, hoping for a change in their condition. The place is called Bethesda, meaning something like a house of mercy or of pouring out, which fits the scene of many needy people seeking God’s help.

Question 2

Why did Jesus ask, “Wilt thou be made whole?” to the man who was infirm?

Accepted Answer

Jesus’ question to the man who had been sick for thirty‑eight years was not because he did not know the answer. He already knew the man had been in that condition a long time. By asking, “Wilt thou be made whole?” Jesus brought the man’s desire and helplessness into the open. The man’s reply shows his discouragement and loneliness, saying he had no one to help him into the pool. The question invites him to look beyond the troubled water to Jesus himself, who heals him by a simple command, showing that real healing comes from Christ’s word, not from human effort.

Question 3

Why did the Jews complain about the man carrying his bed on the sabbath?

Accepted Answer

When the healed man carried his bed on the sabbath, the Jewish leaders focused on their rules about rest. They said, “It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.” Instead of rejoicing that a man lame for thirty‑eight years now walked, they were upset about what they saw as work. This shows how their strict and narrow view of the law had become more important to them than mercy. Jesus later explains that his works are the Father’s works, and that God’s saving work is not a breach of the sabbath but the very thing that honors the Father.

Question 4

What does this passage teach about Jesus’ relationship with the Father?

Accepted Answer

Jesus speaks very plainly about his unity with the Father. He says the Son can do nothing of himself, but only what he sees the Father do, and that whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. He says the Father loves the Son, shows him all he does, and has given him power to raise the dead and to judge. He even says that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The leaders understand this as making himself equal with God, and Jesus does not deny it. Instead, he explains that the Father works through him in all things.

Question 5

What does it mean to have passed from death unto life in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Jesus says that whoever hears his word and believes in the One who sent him has everlasting life and has passed from death to life. This means that a person who truly listens to Jesus and trusts the Father who sent him is no longer under condemnation. They move, even now, from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life. This is not just about the future resurrection, though that is included, but about a present change. The person is no longer under God’s judgment as an enemy but is accepted and alive to God because of faith in Christ.

Question 6

What are the “resurrection of life” and the “resurrection of damnation”?

Accepted Answer

Jesus says that a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come out. He speaks of two outcomes. Those who have done good will rise to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of damnation. Doing good here is the fruit of hearing and believing his word, not earning salvation by works. The point is that everyone will be raised, but not in the same way. There will be a final separation, with some entering everlasting life with God and others facing judgment because they refused the life offered in Christ.

Question 7

Why does Jesus say the Father has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of man?

Accepted Answer

Jesus says the Father has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of man. This shows that the one who will judge the world is not only truly God but also truly human. As Son of man, he has walked among us, suffered, and been tempted, yet without sin. The Father has appointed him as the visible judge, so that the same Jesus who was rejected, crucified, and raised will call all from the graves. His human nature does not lessen his power. Rather, it makes him the fitting and appointed judge of all people.

Question 8

What does Jesus mean when he says, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life”?

Accepted Answer

Jesus speaks to people who were very familiar with the sacred writings and thought that careful study of them gave them eternal life. He tells them to search the Scriptures, because those very writings testify about him. The problem is not that they value Scripture, but that they refuse to come to the one Scripture points to. They know the words but miss the person. He adds that if they truly believed Moses, they would believe him, because Moses wrote of him. So this passage shows that the Scriptures are meant to lead people to Christ, not be an end in themselves.

Question 9

Why did the healed man receive a warning from Jesus to “sin no more”?

Accepted Answer

After the healing, Jesus finds the man in the temple and says, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” This shows that Jesus cares about more than physical health. The healing was a mercy, but the man also needed to think about his soul. While not every sickness is directly linked to a specific sin, Jesus here connects this man’s life with the danger of sin’s results. A “worse thing” points to judgment and eternal loss. The warning teaches that being made well should lead to repentance and a changed life, not a return to old ways.

Question 10

Why is this passage important for understanding faith and unbelief?

Accepted Answer

This passage sets a strong contrast. On one side is a helpless man who can do nothing for himself and is healed by Jesus’ word. On the other side are religious leaders who know Scripture, keep feast days, and argue about the sabbath, yet refuse to believe in the One sent by the Father. Jesus lists clear witnesses to who he is: John, his miracles, the Father’s voice, Scripture, and Moses. Still, they will not come to him for life. It shows that unbelief is not just a lack of information but a heart that seeks human honor and will not accept God’s way in Christ.

John 5:1

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

The Pool of Bethesda

The Pool of Bethesda

The Father and the Son

Testimonies about Jesus

The Witness of Scripture

The Pool of Bethesda

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John 5:1

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

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The Pool of Bethesda

The Pool of Bethesda

The Father and the Son

Testimonies about Jesus

The Witness of Scripture

The Pool of Bethesda

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