6/16/2023 0 Comments The chosen season 2Meanwhile, as Jesse’s continually passed up for a chance at being first into the pool, his brother, Simon, was training as a Zealot. How discouraging that must have been for him! It’s no wonder the paralytic (named Jesse for the show) had been waiting for his chance for thirty-eight years. You can see how there would be a slim chance of being the first in, especially if you’re paralyzed. Who would be healed was a first-come, first-served type situation everyone wasn’t healed, just the first to step in. Whether the pool actually had healing power or not, many people with ailments would hang out there, waiting for the supernatural stirring of the waters. Those that think it was a pagan site believe that the text in verses 5:3b-4 was added by someone unfamiliar with the pagan beliefs surrounding the stirring of the waters. It’s also the site of another of Jesus’s healings in John 9:1-12.īut others think Bethesda was a place of worship of the pagan god, Asclepius. Siloam was used by Festival pilgrims to Jerusalem for purification before the ascent to the Temple. Some think the Pool of Bethesda was a Jewish mikveh, a ritual purification bath, similar to the Pool of Siloam in the City of David. The reason is that those verses aren’t in the most reliable texts of the Book of John. They’re in the NASB translation, as well as others. Notice the brackets in the verse above, though. An angel of the Lord stirred the water, and whoever stepped in first was healed?! If you’re not astonished by those verses, reread them. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, John 5:2-4 (NASB) Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. It has been excavated and is a site you can visit today in Jerusalem! Its mention only takes up a few verses in the Bible, but the Pool of Bethesda is an interesting place. The Hebrew word “chuppah” (חֻפָּה) is the “bridal chamber” mentioned in Joel 2:16, as well as the “chamber” in Psalm 19:5.Īs an adult, we find Jesse at the Pool of Bethesda. Many modern traditions surround the chuppah, but its use dates back to the Old Testament. Sometimes, the chuppah is covered by the prayer shawl of a family member or ancestor for added meaning to the couple. The cover over the chuppah represents God’s covering over the marriage and the home that results from it. There are many meanings attributed to the chuppah, but the most significant is the presence of God. A chuppah can be beautiful or simple, but the deep meaning they convey is the most intriguing. Their wedding scene shows them wed under a tall, wooden structure draped with fabric, and this structure is known as a “chuppah.”Įven today, in Jewish weddings, marriage occurs under the chuppah. It’s still difficult to be disabled in our day, but they didn’t have benefits like public assistance or handicapped accessibility, so being paralyzed would have been extremely difficult or even lead to your death!Ī few years after the tragic death of Jesse’s mother, his father remarries. What a story!Īlthough the Bible doesn’t give this much detail about the paralytic in John 5, we can see how desperate of a situation a person with this type of disability could be in during these times. Jesse and Simon watched as their father was beaten in the streets by Roman soldiers, and then Jesse discovered his brother had left during the night to join the Zealots, and he was alone. Then we see his mother die, giving birth to his brother, Simon. In the opening scene, Jesse falls from a tree and becomes paralyzed. The story of the paralytic, Jesse in The Chosen, was heartbreaking, but I’m sure it’s not a far stretch as all of those events occurred in some capacity or another in ancient times. Honestly, this episode was difficult to watch. We also meet the Zealots and get an intro to the Festival of Sukkot. In Episode 4 of Season 2, we meet the paralytic from John 5:1-17.
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