Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-24
JESUS AT THE POOL OF BE-
THESDA.
John, 5.1-15.
Golden Text: ut was Jesus who
made him whole."-John. SIS.
By Rev. H. T. Stevenson.


John passes over many interesting
Master when he omits the events of the
Masters success in his first efforts to
win Galilee. Although the sphere of
His labor in His Capernaum campaign
was limited the Lords activity was
incessaut and His success IS a preacher.
physician and prophet was witnessed to
by large crowds that greeted Him
wherever He went. The spread of His
fame was extended throughout Pales-
tine. The heart of Christ was centered
upon Jerusalem, the religious and po-
litcal capital of the nation.
Upon a feast. which the able Roman
Catholic commentator, Maldonatus.
with many others, regrets, John never
told what it was because upon the
solution of that problem depends the
length of the Masters ministry, Jesus
turns His face once more toward
Jerusalem. The feasts of Purim
Pentecost and the Passover have all
been suggested and have been favored
on plausible grounds, and it is impossi-
BILE to definitely settle the matter.
These lessons follow the most COM
monty accepted opinion that the feast
was the Passover. The question in de-
bate is purely matter of chronology
tcal arrangement of the events of the
days of the Lords popularity. Taking
this feast to be the second Passover
makes the period of His public career
to extend over three years. as three
other feasts are mentioned in the
gospels
Johns Selection of this event was due
in all probability to the fact that it
marks the commencement of the out
break OF bitter hatred against Christ in
Judea. His success in Capernaum had
Nv lot,
corning Himself at the healing of the
paralytic and His social relations with
Matthew, the publican, whom He had
called to be enc of His disciples.
Following out His custom of going
about doing good the Great Physician
drew near Bethesda, the house of
mercy, crowded with patients. seeking
one whom He might help. That Sab
bath stroll resulted in His being
charged with being a Sabbath breaker,
which would tend to arouse the Jewish
prejudice
Instead of acting cautiously Jesus
evidently deliberately sought the most
needy soul that He could find who need
ed His help He did not wait for some
one to seek him out, but He went per-
sonally to md the man wanting help
III He were in the flesh today Jesus
would not pass by the opportunity to
heip the man in the mansion. but if
He was wanted the place to find the
Christ would be among the friendless
ana forsaken in prison, hospitals, mis-
sions, orphanages and the various
philanthropic institutions that have
been founded by men to carry on the
Masters work in the world.
Jesus was seeking the worst case
that could be found in the capital city
when He went to the pool of Bethesda.
knowing that it would be crowded with
suffering humanity
The place that attracted Jesus would
not be popular with most men because
they desire to avoid the sight of suf-
fering, sickness and sorrow The
porcheS that had once been filled with
the wealthy had become the place of
hope for the city's distress ANY s11f-
ferer could always find somebody worse
off than himself in that helpless throng
VINO waited for the movement of the
waters of the medicinal spring, whose
intermittent and bubbling character
was associated with supernatural
agency. The belief that it was due to
the angels troubling the waters is
genuinely oriental, but it is not accord
ing to the evangelist's record
The fourth verse is not found in the
revised version because 1t is not found
In the best manuscripts of this gospel.
recent explorations appear to re-
move the doubt that has existed as to
the location of the pool where Jesus
met His needy patient. Schichs dis
coVery. near where Williams and Cler-
mont-Gannessu had indicated that the
pool should be found, about $50 feet
northwest of Birket Israel and 100 feet
west of the Church of ST. Anne, be
meath the ruins of small church,
further ruins of what was evidently
once a series of five arched chambers
constituting a still older church. Be
meath these ruins and reached by a
stone staircase is pool the water of
which is said to vary internationally in
depth. On the walls of the older
church is a fresco of an angel trou-
bling the water" This would indicate
that at a very early time this was the
site of the house of mercy where
Christ found His patient. The case