“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.”
John 5:2-3, 5 ESV
You can learn a lot from verse 4 of John 5. Mainly because, in the majority of modern translations, it’s not there. Unless you are reading from the King James, the text jumps from verse 3 to verse 5. The NIV, ESV, CSB, and the latest version of the NASB put verse 4 in a footnote:
“Some manuscripts contain, “waiting for the moving of the waters. For from time to time an angel of the Lord would come and stir up the surface of the water. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be healed of whatever ailment he had.””
Why Verse 4 Is Missing
That omission has fueled conspiracy theories about modern translations “changing the Bible,” but there’s nothing sinister going on. The principle behind most modern translations is simple: older is better. When two manuscripts differ, the shorter reading is often the older one. Verse 4 likely began as a later explanation—added to clarify what the paralytic meant when he said, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.”
The Pool of Bethesda
Tara-Leigh Cobble notes that the pool was probably fed by an underground spring that would occasionally bubble up, sparking the belief that the first person in the water would be healed. In Jesus’ day, this pool lay just outside the city walls. Its Hebrew name, Beth Chesed—“House of Mercy”—gives us the word Bethesda. Archaeology suggests the Romans later used the site as a shrine to Asclepius, the god of healing. Throughout the empire, people sought cures at springs dedicated to him, tossing small clay figurines of ailing body parts into the water as offerings.
On my last trip to Israel, I saw a marker confirming this history. So perhaps there were therapeutic benefits—like a mineral bath today—but I doubt any angel was rewarding the first one in. If God had sent an angel to stir the pool, it would be the only time in Scripture He rewarded the fastest, strongest, or pushiest. This isn’t an episode of Israeli Ninja Warrior. God says clearly, “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong” (Ecc. 9:11).
The series The Chosen captures this story beautifully. In their portrayal, you sense both the man’s despair and the futility of misplaced faith—trusting the water instead of the Word.
If you want an even deeper dive, you can check out this video, of the creators of The Chosen discussing whether or not this was a pagan worship site:
Pools with No Power
So we meet a man who has put his hope in a pool with no power. Though he long ago gave up being first, he still clings to the idea that healing comes to those who can scramble over others to get ahead. Then Jesus enters. He steps past the crowds who trusted the pool and focuses on one broken man. “Do you want to be healed?” He asks. The paralytic doesn’t answer—he only offers excuses: “I have no one to help me into the pool.” Even with Jesus standing before him, he’s still watching the water.
How like that man I am sometimes! How often I’ve sat by the pools with no power:
- The pool of possessions: one more thing will finally make me content.
- The pool of relationships: if I find the right people, I’ll be whole.
- The pool of prestige: if I’m noticed, I’ll matter.
- The pool of productivity: if I work harder, I’ll earn rest.
And like those ancient worshipers who tossed their clay offerings into the water, I’ve often sacrificed what mattered most at those pools.
The House of Mercy
Yet this man was lying at the House of Mercy—and mercy isn’t a prize for the fastest or the strongest. It isn’t even a reward for faith. Jesus healed this man in spite of his lack of faith, not because of it. It’s a living parable: stop trusting the pools that promise power. Trust the Person who brings it.
When Jesus singles you out and asks, “Do you want to be healed?” there is only one right answer:
Yes. My Lord and my God, yes.
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