For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. John 5:4 KJV

This is a controversial verse that is not in every early manuscript of John’s gospel. If it is not part of the original, what explains the inclusion of this information in later translations. One possibility is that the story records the traditional explanation of the healing waters of the Pool of Bethesda. Some modern translations like the New International Version omit the verse completely. Others include it, noting that the verse is not present in the earliest most reliable sources.

Whatever the case, the explanation as to why disabled people congregated near the Pool of Bethesda does not distract from what Jesus did there. Encountering a man who suffered paralysis for thirty-eight years, Jesus healed the man. This sparked a controversy with Jewish religious leaders. Under their traditional interpretation of the Law of the Sabbath, it was not lawful to heal the man on the Sabbath. 

Sin No More

An angel does not need to go into the Pool of Bethesda for healing to happen. For death and disease to disappear, sin must also go away. Our eternal life is tied to obedience to the word and will of God. Although Jesus healed the paralyzed man, he was still in danger because of sin. Upon later seeing the man in the temple, Jesus said to him in John 5:14, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you. WEB” 

Upon our baptism, our submersion in water symbolizes our devotion to Jesus Christ and the washing away of our sins. We do not need an angel to go into the pool to stir the waters. Jesus famously pleads to mankind in Matthew 4:17, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. WEB” To everyone who responds to his call by repenting from sin, there is forgiveness and eternal life.

Yesterday’s Devotional: Truth and Love