Good Morning! Today we will be walking from the Garden of Gethsemane down into the Kidron Valley and begin our ascent up to the Old City of Jerusalem through the Lion’s Gate. The wall in front of us encompasses the entire Old City of Jerusalem and was built in the 16th century, during the Ottoman Turkish Empire, by Suleiman the Magnificent. It is said that Suleiman had a recurring dream in which he saw tremendously powerful lions about to tear him apart. This was punishment for not properly protecting the holy city. The Sultan understood that this was a sign from Heaven, whereupon he ordered the erection of the wall that encircles the Old City to the present day. He also decreed that images of the lions he had seen in his dream were to be placed in the façade of the eastern gate. This is the only open gate on the eastern wall of the Old City. The Lion’s gate is also well known for its part in Christian history as St. Stephen’s Gate, where the first Christian martyr was stoned to death. Of course, the Lion’s Gate was built about 1500 years after the time of Stephen, but there was a previous gate in the same location leading to the Sheep’s Pools during the 2nd Temple Period.
The Lion’s Gate leading to the Bethesda Pools. Can you see the lions on either side of the gate? (Pic: unknown)
Let’s take a walk up the stone roadway and through the Lion’s Gate and into the Old City. If you were to look to the left, you would see a large green gate that leads onto the Temple Mount. And just to our right, we will slip into a place that transcends history. As we enter the beautiful courtyard of St. Anne’s Church and walk to the back of the property, we will have travelled back in time more than 2000 years. We are standing at the edge of Bethesda Pools. These pools were outside the city walls during the time of Jesus. But their history goes all the way back to the Hellenistic period (333-165 BCE). This area was used as a therapeutic complex until the 4th century CE. During the 2nd century CE, Emperor Hadrian erected a temple here to the god of medicine, known as Aesculapius. As a matter of fact, Bethesda, in Hebrew means House of Mercy. This is where Bethesda Naval Hospital in the USA got its name.
The New Testament refers to the Bethesda Pools as the place where Jesus healed the paralytic. Let’s read the account in John 5:1-16 (NIV):
Inside St. Anne’s Church by the Bethesda Pools. (israel-tour-guide.com)
1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”8Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.
This version (NIV) of the text has deleted verse 4 that is found in the original manuscript and in other translations. It says this:
“From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had.”
Another view of the remains of the Bethesda Pools (israel-tour-guide.com)
In light of this understanding, we can know that people waited to be cured in these pools on a regular basis. Just when the water stirred up, they went in and were healed. Now this poor guy couldn’t make his way into the pool because everyone was pushing him out of the way. If you come to Jerusalem in the 21st century, you will still find people pushing their way through any variety of lines. It is a national expectation!
Back to the story…so Jesus speaks with him and tells him to get up and pick up his mat and go. The problem of the Pharisees was not that Jesus healed on the Sabbath. If you read the text and understand the rules of the Sabbath, he did not actually touch the paralytic to heal him, he just spoke to him. The problem was that he told him to carry his mat and this was forbidden on the Sabbath. Another interesting point to this story is that it must have been quite common for Jews to also wait to be healed in these waters, even on the Sabbath! Just a point to ponder…
Remember when we “walked in” through the Lion’s Gate? To the left was the Temple Mount complex and we turned right in order to stand where we are today. Yes, the Temple complex was literally just across the street. Incredible, don’t you think? It brings such perspective into the story when one can stand in this spot and actually envision the entire event taking place. I so wish you were here! Maybe one day!
That is it for our virtual tour today. Next week we will travel along the Via Dolorosa.