Les Feldick Bible Study

Which two signs in John's Gospel are associated with sin and with a pool?

The two signs are the healing of the impotent man and the healing of the blind man. Both are associated with sin, and both are connected to a pool. The impotent man’s pool is identified as Bethesda, by the sheep market.

Les explains that after the first two miracles in Cana, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and by the sheep market there was a pool called Bethesda with five porches. Among the signs, the impotent man and the blind man are distinct because they are associated with sin, and both are associated with a pool. Les notes that none of the other signs mention sin; they show need, but they do not necessarily reveal sin. The pool, as water, indicated a need for cleansing, which is why there was so much washing in Israel’s religious ritual. The impotent man had an infirmity thirty-eight years, which recalls Israel’s wilderness period—really thirty-eight years, close to forty—and forty in God’s dealing with Israel is indicated as a time of testing.