Context of the Man at the Pool

John 5

Often when people talk about the man at the pool, it is to use him as an example of what not to do. Or, erase him & his Disability experience to use the “the mat” to represent laziness, or hopelessness.

Let’s look at the context.

Historical Context:

The Pool of Bethesda was a body of water that was surrounded by covered colonnades (porches or porticoes). Not only was this a place where people with disabilities (PWD) could find shelter, it was also a place of community & resources. This was a known place where people and groups would come to give food, water, clothing, etc. It was a much safer place (from the elements and people) than being alone with no shelter or resources.

Historical Cultural Context:

Due to cultural misunderstandings of Levitical Law, PWD were often blamed for G-d’s providence in disability. PWD who had been left to beg in the streets or sequestered outside the city limits had been abandoned by their family &/or community.

Modern Cultural Context:

Religious people today are not much different from religious people in biblical times. As a Disabled woman I know that when Yeshua ask the man, “do you want to be healed,” the man likely did not hear an invitation but an accusation. Christians ask some form of “Do you want to be healed,” not as an invitation for healing but, whether they realize it or not, as an accusation of not being/doing enough to be healed. The subtext is either blame or an assumption of incompetence. The man’s answer to Messiah’s question was likely not a list of excuses, but a trauma response of self-defense. He is letting Yeshua know that he is not lazy, he has tried everything he possibly can. He recognizes his limitations & recognizes his need for help. When nondisabled people read this passage, they don’t commonly think to ask, “Where is his family? Where is his community? What has his life been like? How did this Jewish man end up at a secular pool for healing?”

The man was right to point out that no one was there to help him, that he had been pushed aside & ran over. As a Disabled woman, I am led to believe that he had been subtly or blatantly blamed for his G-d ordained disability & for the failures of his community.

It is of note that after the man made his plea, Yeshua said nothing to correct or rebuke him. Yeshua said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk.” Could it have been that he saw the man’s heart and healed him?

Takeaway:

The most important takeaway from this passage is not inspiration to metaphorically take up your mat & walk. That would be inspiration exploitation of PWD. Ultimately, the miracles of Yeshua are to point to his deity. But they also show that we do not have a High Priest who is far off. Yeshua Messiah SAW this man & KNEW him (v. 6). At his lowest, most helpless, abandoned, rock bottom desperate with a neediness most ppl recoil from; Yeshua leaned in & turned the question that had so often been an accusation into a real invitation. This passage displays the lovingkindness of our Savior as He gives us living examples on how to love our Disabled neighbor.