What is the meaning of John 5:4? The immediate setting John 5 opens with Jesus arriving at “a pool, called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five colonnades” (John 5:2). Sick people flocked there “waiting for the moving of the water” (v. 3). This background frames verse 4 and shows why hope centered on that pool rather than any physician. Compare similar gatherings of the afflicted around Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 17:22; 2 Kings 4:34–36) where divine intervention, not human skill, brought relief. An angel of the Lord went down Verse 4 states, “For from time to time an angel of the Lord would go down into the pool and stir up the water.” • Angels are literal messengers who carry out God’s assignments (Psalm 103:20; Acts 12:7). • Here the angel’s descent underscores that healing is God-initiated, not a superstition. Just as the Angel of the Lord guided Israel through the wilderness (Exodus 14:19), so this angel brought guidance and mercy to Bethesda’s sufferers. • The phrase “from time to time” reminds us that God acts according to His timing (Galatians 4:4 speaks similarly about Christ’s coming “in the fullness of time”). The stirring of the water The angel “stir[red] up the water.” • Physical movement provided a visible sign, much like Moses’ raised staff before the Red Sea parted (Exodus 14:16, 21). God often attaches a tangible element to reassure faith (Numbers 21:8–9; John 9:6–7). • The stirrings were not random; they were purposeful acts of God’s compassion, echoing His promise, “I am the LORD, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). The first to enter was healed “The first one to enter the pool after the water was stirred would be healed of whatever diseases he had.” • This requirement pressed the sick toward alertness and expectancy, much like Israel had to step into the Jordan before it parted (Joshua 3:15–17). • It illustrated grace mingled with responsibility: God provided the miracle, yet individuals still had to respond (Mark 10:51–52). • The phrase “whatever diseases” shows the completeness of God’s power, paralleling Jesus’ blanket authority in Matthew 4:23 where He healed “every disease and sickness.” Foreshadowing Christ the ultimate healer By recording the angelic healings, Scripture prepares hearts to recognize a greater visitation: Jesus Himself. • The pool’s limited mercy (one person at a time) contrasts with Christ’s unlimited reach (Luke 4:40, “He laid His hands on each one”). • The disabled man in John 5 had no one to help him in quickly (v. 7), highlighting human helplessness apart from Christ, who then heals him instantly (vv. 8–9). • Thus verse 4 functions as a living parable: divine grace is available, yet the fullest, easiest access comes through Jesus alone (John 14:6). Lessons for believers today • God is still sovereign and can use angels, medicine, or miracles according to His will (Hebrews 1:14; James 5:14–15). • Prompt obedience matters; when God stirs the “waters” of opportunity, faith should move without delay (Ephesians 5:15–16). • Compassion for the physically and spiritually wounded should mirror Christ’s example, not leaving them “with no one to help” (John 5:7; 1 John 3:17). summary John 5:4 records a real, periodic miracle in which an angel stirred Bethesda’s pool so the first entrant was healed. The event underscores God’s direct, merciful intervention, calls sufferers to responsive faith, and foreshadows Jesus—whose arrival at the pool brings a superior, unrestricted healing that points to His authority as the Son of God. |
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