Section 5:1–18
Jesus healed a lame man by a pool on the Sabbath
In this section Jesus healed a lame man who was lying by a pool of water. Because Jesus healed him on a Sabbath day, the Jewish leaders became angry. They believed that healing a person was work and that Jews should not work on the Sabbath.
The man who was healed did not know who had healed him. Then Jesus met this man in the temple. He told him that he should not sin anymore. The healed man went to the Jewish leaders and told them that it was Jesus who had healed him.
Here are some other possibilities for a section heading:
Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath.
-or-
Jewish leaders criticized Jesus for healing a man on the holy/rest day.
Paragraph 5:1–4
This paragraph introduces the story of how Jesus healed a lame man near the Bethesda pool.
5:1
Some time later: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Some time later is a time setting for a new story. Use a phrase that is natural at the start of a new story. For example:
Afterward (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Later (New Century Version)
-or-
After this (New Revised Standard Version)
a feast of the Jews: This phrase means “a Jewish religious feast.” The Jews went to Jerusalem several times a year for special religious ceremonies that included a large meal for each family. There is no clear evidence that tells us which feast this was. All English translations refer to it in a general way as a Jewish feast or festival. For example:
one of the Jewish festivals (Revised English Bible)
-or-
a special Jewish feast
and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as and here introduces something that Jesus did because there was a Jewish festival. It can also be translated using another connector. For example:
so
Jesus went up to Jerusalem: The city of Jerusalem was built on a hill. So anyone going to the city had to walk up the hill to a higher place. See how you translated this word in 2:13.
In some languages, it is natural to say whether people travel up or down. In other languages, this will be unusual or confusing. If it is confusing in your language, you do not need to include the idea of going up. For example:
Jesus went to Jerusalem (Contemporary English Version)
General Comment on 5:1
In some languages it may be natural to indicate the connection between the festival and Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. For example:
Later, Jesus went to Jerusalem for a Jewish festival. (God’s Word)
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